Jeff W. Benson

Jeff W. Benson is the president and founder of Maine Eagle, a geopolitical risk advisory firm that provides senior-level counsel grounded in decades of U.S. military command, defense policy, intelligence, and congressional experience. Maine Eagle bridges the gap between sensing geopolitical risk and knowing how to respond—translating intelligence into clear, actionable guidance that enables business and investment leaders to make decisions with confidence. A U.S. Navy captain (Ret.), Jeff brings rare firsthand experience across the full range of U.S. national security power, including service as senior policy adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs on China and Taiwan; chief of staff of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command during active Red Sea combat operations; destroyer captain operating in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea; national security staff on Capitol Hill; White House interagency participant; and executive fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the U.S. Naval Institute. Jeff holds a bachelor of science in political science from Texas Christian University and graduate degrees from the George H.W. Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, the Naval War College, and the National War College. His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and The Economist, and he has been published in South China Morning Post, War on the Rocks, and the U.S. Naval Institute. Jeff is a recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Alumni Award from the George H.W. Bush School of Government and Public Service.