Dr. Matthew Napoli serves as the Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation at the National Nuclear Security Administration.
Most recently, he was the Executive Director of Foreign and Public Affairs for the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (Naval Reactors), a joint Department of Energy and Department of Navy organization, with total responsibility for all aspects of naval nuclear propulsion. In this capacity, Dr. Napoli oversaw relationships with key strategic partners on naval nuclear propulsion, including: the United Kingdom, in furtherance of the 1958 U.S./UK Mutual Defense Agreement; Australia, as a chief architect of the AUKUS agreement; and Japan, managing the only forward deployed U.S. aircraft carrier to Yokosuka.
At Naval Reactors, Dr. Napoli substantially increased U.S. nuclear powered warship port entry, negotiating new access to allied nations and managing access to over 150 ports in over 50 nations. He oversaw Naval Reactors coordination with U.S. Interagency on nuclear policy matters and was the representative to the National Security Council. He was also responsible for all strategic communications as well as public affairs for emergency planning.
Dr. Napoli was an officer in the U.S. Navy with his service concluding in 2009. During this time, he served as an engineer focused on naval nuclear propulsion plant design, including: the Virginia Class attack submarine, the USS Gerald R. Ford Class aircraft carrier, and the Columbia Class next-gen ballistic missile submarine. He is the recipient of the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal.
Dr. Napoli is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He received multiple awards from the Department of Navy for superior public service and was recognized by the FBI’s counterterrorism division. He is a native of Louisiana and holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Louisiana Tech University, a M.S. in mechanical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Ph.D. from The George Washington University in public policy and administration with a concentration in science and technology policy. His doctoral dissertation focused on nuclear proliferation.