Source: United States Navy
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro swore in Anne Bonfante Gebhards as the Department of the Navy’s Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy for Policy (DUSN (P)), Dec.18.
Previously, Gebhards served as the Department of the Navy’s Senior Advisor for International Affairs since 2016. As DUSN (P), Gebhards serves as the principal civilian advisor on defense and foreign policy, defense and naval strategy, naval force posture, and security cooperation policy.
“I have yet to find the words to adequately express how honored I am for you to have placed your trust in me as your Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy,” said Gebhards during the ceremony in front of her family, friends, and colleagues. “I have been – and continue to be – so very fortunate to work with and for the most exceptional officers, civilians, and political appointees. Your friendship, collaboration, and mentorship mean the world to me.”
A 1996 graduate of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, Gebhards also completed the Senior Executive Fellows (SEF) program at the Harvard Kennedy School, attended the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), received a Master of Arts in Legal Studies from the University of Bristol in England, and earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Law from the University of the West of England.
Previously, Gebhards served as Country Director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and as a Foreign Affairs Specialist at the U.S. Department of State. She also served as Defense Advisor to the former Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control.
As the daughter of Italian immigrants and the first in her family to go to college, Gebhards said the ceremony was particularly special for her.
“While I have been privileged through birth to be an American, it’s my first-generation roots that have defined my love of country and pride in service,” said Gebhards. “My parents, Giuseppe and Eleanor, have long been a living example to me and my sister, Lisa, that the United States gives much to those who work hard and believe in its extraordinary promise. And that the opportunity this country offers to all should never be taken for granted.”
Gebhards added that she is blessed to share in this moment with her parents and celebrates the chance to give back to the Nation through service in this position of trust in the Department of the Navy.