Michael P. DiMino IV was appointed by President Donald J. Trump as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East on January 20th, 2025. In this role, he serves as the Department of Defense’s principal policy advisor on all defense and security issues pertaining to the Middle East and is responsible for more than a dozen countries.

Previously, DiMino was a Fellow at Defense Priorities, where he served as a leading expert on Middle East policy, counterterrorism, and intelligence. While at Defense Priorities, his work focused on burden-sharing in the context of regional security cooperation; empowering allies to achieve their security objectives by increasing indigenous capabilities; and the development of small-footprint, intelligence-driven, and partner-led approaches to counterterrorism. DiMino has also published and spoken on topics related to prioritizing core U.S. national security interests, homeland defense, deterring China, and revitalizing the American defense industrial base. His commentary and analysis have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, New York Post, USA Today, Washington Times, Times of Israel, The American Conservative, Daily Caller, and other publications.

DiMino is a former CIA analyst and counterterrorism officer. Over his career he focused on foreign military capabilities across the Middle East and counterterrorism issues in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. At CIA, he served both in operational assignments overseas and at Headquarters, producing analysis for policymakers and hunting leaders of ISIS, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and Al-Shabaab. DiMino also worked to defeat threats posed to U.S. forces and allies by Iran-backed militia groups. He has extensive experience working with internal and external stakeholders on sensitive cross-cutting national security issues and whole-of-government crisis response efforts.

After CIA, DiMino worked in the Intelligence Practice at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he served in stints with the Joint Staff Directorate for Intelligence (J2) at the Pentagon, and USEUCOM’s Joint Intelligence Operations Center in the United Kingdom.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from American University’s School of International Service, and a Master of Arts in International Security Studies from Johns Hopkins University. He is also a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO).

DiMino’s grandparents served in the U.S. Army in World War II, and he has traveled to over two-dozen countries. He is an avid outdoorsman, proud Floridian, and sixth-generation American.