Leon Ratz
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Threat Reduction and Arms Control
Mr. Leon Ratz serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Threat Reduction and Arms Control (DASD/TRAC). In this role, he serves as the principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs for acquisition oversight, implementation, and compliance with nuclear, biological, and chemical treaties; cooperative threat reduction; chemical demilitarization programs; and building global partner capacity to counter weapons of mass destruction.
Previously, Mr. Ratz served as Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Countering WMD Policy, as well as Deputy Director for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Defense and Incident Response Policy. In those roles, Mr. Ratz coordinated DoD CBRN defense engagements with key Allies and partners, provided policy guidance for modernization of DoD's CBRN defense enterprise, and enhanced DoD CBRN defense support for Ukraine.
Prior to his time in OSD, Mr. Ratz served as a Senior Program Officer at the Nuclear Threat Initiative where he helped coordinate NTI's nuclear security engagement in eastern Europe and Central Asia. He also previously worked for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on assignment at the National Nuclear Security Administration. Mr. Ratz is a graduate of Boston College and Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is about to be married and enjoys spending time with his dachshund Remy.