Maureen Farrell was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs.  In this role, she served as the principal advisor to senior Department of Defense (DoD) leaders for all policy matters pertaining to development and implementation of defense strategies and plans for the African continent, excluding Egypt.

Previously, she served as Director, African Affairs at the National Security Council, with responsibility for defense and security issues, the Horn of Africa, and digital and cyber policy.  Ms. Farrell was previously the Deputy Director of U.S. Africa Command’s Washington Liaison Office.  She also served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Office of the Chief Management Officer, where she provided organizational policy advice and supported Department-wide reform initiatives. 

Prior to joining DoD, Ms. Farrell managed security assistance programs in the Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs and supported law enforcement counterterrorism programs in the Bureau of Counterterrorism.  She was also an implementing partner for the U.S. Agency for International Development in the democracy and governance sector.  In these roles, she had extensive assignments in Somalia, Djibouti, Kenya, and across West Africa and the Sahel.  Earlier in her career, Ms. Farrell conducted original social science research for multiple Combatant Commands and trained U.S. military personnel deploying in the Horn of Africa. 

Ms. Farrell has a MS from the National War College in National Security Strategy, a MA from Georgetown University in Security Studies, and BAs from Northwestern University in African Studies and Anthropology.