Julianne Smith Speaking Fee: Contact Us for Pricing

Ambassador Julianne Smith is a distinguished national security expert with more than two decades of experience in U.S. and European defense policy, transatlantic relations, and geostrategic risk. She has held senior leadership roles at the White House, the Department of Defense, and the Department of State, where she has strengthened U.S.-European economic and military partnerships and addressed global security challenges involving China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia. Smith served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO from 2021–2024, where she played a pivotal role in shaping the Alliance’s response to the war in Ukraine—securing Allied support, coordinating intelligence sharing, and helping finalize Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO. She also led efforts to integrate China into NATO’s Strategic Concept. In her current role as President and Co-Founder of Clarion Strategies, Smith brings that same depth of experience to advising organizations navigating an increasingly complex global landscape. Co-founded with former U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Clarion is grounded in a commitment to integrity, candor, discretion, and the highest quality of work. The firm’s mission is to equip clients with the knowledge, foresight, and networks needed to anticipate risk, seize opportunity, and make resilient decisions in a time of profound global uncertainty. During the Obama administration, Smith served as Acting National Security Advisor and Deputy National Security Advisor to Vice President Joseph Biden. Prior to that role, she served as the Principal Director for European and NATO Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Her career spans influential roles at think tanks such as the German Marshall Fund, the Center for a New American Security and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where she published extensively on grand strategy, Russia, counter-terrorism and China’s deepening relationships in Europe.  Smith has been honored with multiple awards, including the Order of the Polar Star of Sweden, the U.S. Department of Defense Distinguished Service Award, the Sue M. Cobb Award for Diplomatic Excellence and the Cross of the Order of Merit of Germany. Fluent in French and German, she has conducted extensive research in Europe, including fellowships at the Robert Bosch Academy and the American Academy in Berlin. A sought-after speaker, Ambassador Julianne Smith addresses corporations, universities, government agencies, and global organizations on geopolitics, transatlantic relations, global risk, and national security. She provides clear, strategic insight into the evolving international landscape and helps audiences understand how global developments impact policy, business, and decision-making.