Melissa Dalton

Senior Adviser (Non-resident), Defense Budget Analysis and Aerospace Security Project
Melissa Dalton

Melissa G. Dalton has over 20 years of experience in U.S. defense, aerospace, and national security affairs. She served as the 28th under secretary of the Air Force. She was responsible for organizing, training, and equipping the U.S. Air Force and Space Force, overseeing an annual budget exceeding $200 billion, and accountable for the welfare of nearly 700,000 active-duty, guard, reserve, and civilian Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Ms. Dalton performed the duties of deputy under secretary of defense for policy from December 2023 to May 2024, when she served as the principal advisor to the secretary of defense on the formation of national security and defense policy. Additionally, she served as the assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and hemispheric affairs from March 2022 to May 2024. She joined the Biden administration in January 2021 as the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans, and capabilities. From 2014 to 2021, Ms. Dalton led research and analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, including directing the Cooperative Defense Project and serving as deputy director and senior fellow in the International Security Program. Ms. Dalton served for more than a decade as a career civil servant in the Bush and Obama administrations within the Department of Defense. Ms. Dalton is a recipient of the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal. She was a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs fellow and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

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Trump Restructures the Pentagon Budget: Two Views

Who should win and lose under Secretary Hegseth’s direction to reallocate 8 percent of DOD’s budget? CSIS experts Mark Cancian and Melissa Dalton took very different approaches in a recent exercise: a global focus (Cancian) versus the implications of the administration's strategy (Dalton).

Report by Mark F. Cancian and Melissa Dalton — April 16, 2025

Indian Revocation of Kashmir’s Special Status

CSIS’s Hijab Shah and Melissa Dalton argue that India’s decision to revoke sections of its constitution giving Kashmir special semi-autonomous status has serious ramifications for its already tense relationship with Pakistan and could lead to violence in the region.

Critical Questions by Hijab Shah and Melissa Dalton — August 12, 2019

Department of Defense’s Role in Foreign Assistance

Melissa G. Dalton, senior fellow and deputy director with the International Security Program at CSIS, testified before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities on "Department of Defense’s Role in Foreign Assistance."

Congressional Testimony by Melissa Dalton — July 11, 2018