Nate Fick Returns to CNAS as Distinguished Senior Fellow

Washington, February 23, 2026 — The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is thrilled to welcome back Ambassador Nathaniel “Nate” Fick as a distinguished senior fellow with the CNAS Technology and National Security Program.

From 2022 to 2025, Fick served as the inaugural U.S. ambassador for cyberspace and digital policy at the U.S. State Department, where he led global American diplomacy on critical technology issues including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, and other key areas.

Fick returns to CNAS after having served as its chief executive officer from 2009 to 2012, establishing the Center as a leading bipartisan national security policy institution.

“We are honored to welcome Nate back to CNAS,” said Richard Fontaine, chief executive officer of CNAS. “His long record of leadership on critical technology issues and the most vital matters in national security will be an immediate asset to the Center.”

Fick will support the CNAS Technology and National Security Program’s efforts to produce cutting-edge policy research and recommendations that strengthen U.S. leadership in critical and emerging technologies.

“Few people combine the varied experience, substantive depth, and forward thinking better than Nate,” said Vivek Chilukuri, senior fellow and director of the Technology and National Security Program. “As America’s former top tech diplomat, Nate appreciates both the urgency and difficulty of elevating technology in our foreign policy. We are fortunate to draw on his wealth of insights and expertise to strengthen our policy research going forward.”

Fick currently serves as chief strategy officer for equities at Cerberus Capital Management, where he focuses on venture capital and growth equity investments in companies critical to national security and resilience. Before reentering government, he was general manager of Elastic Security, where he oversaw the company’s global information security business.

Fick began his career in national security as an infantry and reconnaissance officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, including combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2005, he published the award-winning New York Times bestseller One Bullet Away about his experiences.

Read Fick’s full bio here.

To learn more or request an interview with Nate Fick, contact Charles Horn at [email protected]