Dana Stroul is the deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East. In this role, she leads the development of U.S. Department of Defense policy and strategy for Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Previously, Stroul was the Shelly and Michael Kassen Fellow in The Washington Institute’s Beth and David Geduld Program on Arab Politics, where she delivered briefings, testified before Congress, and published research on a range of policy-focused topics in the Middle East. In 2019, Stroul served as co-chair of the bipartisan Syria Study Group, which released a report on U.S. policy toward the conflict in Syria. From 2013-18, Stroul served as a senior professional staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where she covered the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey. In that capacity, she played a central role in the oversight of the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development, which included overseeing U.S. foreign assistance and weapons sales, as well as crafting relevant legislation. Before working on Capitol Hill, Stroul served in the Middle East policy office of the secretary of defense. From 2008-13, she focused on a range of topics, including U.S.-Egypt relations, the U.S. military drawdown in Iraq, and a review of U.S. government policies and programs in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. Stroul also worked at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo on economic-political affairs, U.S. Institute of Peace on civilian-military relations in Iraq, and National Democratic Institute on Gulf affairs. Stroul holds a Master of Science in foreign service from Georgetown University and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia in Middle East studies and religious studies.