Robert Blair

Principal

Former Director of Policy and Strategic Planning, Department of Commerce, and Former Staff Director, U.S. House of Representatives Defense Appropriations Subcommittee

Rob is an experienced national security policymaker and business leader who led national security and emerging technology-focused government affairs work at Microsoft, from 2021 to 2025. Before that, he served as Director of the Office of Policy and Strategic Planning within the Office of the Secretary of Commerce from 2020 to 2021. In that position, he worked with other senior Department leaders to set the Department’s policy priorities and develop and implement plans to achieve them. He focused especially on telecommunications, semiconductors and other technologies; export control policy; and reopening the economy following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rob previously served as United States Special Representative for International Telecommunications Policy. In this capacity, he led the strategic prioritization of United States efforts to promote a secure and reliable global communications system and served as a liaison to industry, non-governmental, and international stakeholders. He was also Senior Advisor to the Chief of Staff of the White House, supporting Presidential decision-making and policy coordination on matters relating to foreign policy, intelligence, and national security.

Before joining the White House, Rob was the Associate Director for Defense Programs at the Office of Management and Budget, where he oversaw approximately $1.3 trillion of projects, programs, and activities at the Departments of Defense, State and Veterans Affairs; the intelligence community; and other departments and agencies implementing our defense and foreign policy activities.

Rob served 14 years on the staff of the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives prior to joining the Administration. His last position on the Committee was as the staff director of the Defense appropriations subcommittee, overseeing nearly $700 billion of defense and intelligence programs. Before that position, he was the staff director of the Energy and Water subcommittee, where he managed our nation’s investments into energy research and development, nuclear weapons, and water infrastructure. His first assignment on the Committee was as a professional staff member on the Foreign Operations subcommittee, where he focused on development and humanitarian assistance.