Laura Kupe

Laura Kupe serves as Deputy Chief Program Officer at BENS, drawing on over a decade of national security and foreign policy expertise across think tanks, Congress, and the Federal Government, including the Pentagon, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Prior to joining BENS, Laura was a Visiting Fellow at New America, where she focused on geostrategic competition, examining geopolitics and critical minerals supply chains. Before that, she spent nearly four years at the Pentagon working at the intersection of homeland defense and homeland security, holding roles including Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Defense and the Assistant Secretary for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs.

Before the Pentagon, Laura served as Counsel on the House Homeland Security Committee, focusing on maritime and transportation security, and as a Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation and DHS.

Born in Germany and raised in Luxembourg and the Metro Detroit area, Laura speaks German, French, and Luxembourgish. She holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. She is a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service, a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a former Munich Security Conference Young Leader.