Institute of Politics

Dan Caldwell is a former senior advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Prior to joining the Department of Defense, Dan served as a member of the Trump-Vance Presidential Transition, focusing on identifying personnel who could fill key national security roles within the incoming administration.

Dan has spent over a decade developing and advocating for policies designed improve veterans’ health care, reduce the national debt and improve American foreign policy. Dan served as the policy director, senior advisor and executive director of Concerned Veterans for America (CVA). In this capacity, Dan played a key role in the passage of the VA MISSION Act and VA Accountability – which fundamentally reformed how the VA delivered health care to America’s veterans and how the VA holds bad employees accountable. Dan also helped launched the organization’s Ending Endless War campaign, which advocated for an end to the U.S.’s role in the wars in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. After nearly ten years at CVA, Dan became the Vice President of Foreign Policy Stand Together, during which he oversaw that organization’s foreign policy strategy and nonprofit investment portfolio. While at Stand Together, Dan led Stand Together’s response to the war in Ukraine and was a leading voice against further escalation in that war. Dan also served as a public policy advisor at Defense Priorities and a Vice President at Center for Renewing for America.

Dan is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and the Iraq War. Following boot camp and initial training, Dan was assigned to the Marine Corps Presidential Support Program, where he served as a member of the security force at the presidential retreat at Camp David. Following his service at Camp David, Dan deployed to Iraq with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and conducted operations in Al Anbar and Ninawa provinces.

Following his service in the Marines, Dan worked for Rep. David Schweikert from 2011 to 2013, focusing on veterans and defense issues.

Dan graduated cum laude from Arizona State in 2011 with degrees in Asian History and Political Science. Dan has been widely interviewed and published including in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, and Washington Post.