Rafael F. Leonardo serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War (DASW) for South and Southeast Asia. In this role, he fosters bilateral and multilateral defense relationships within South and Southeast Asia and advises Department of War (DOW) leadership on matters pertaining to the development and implementation of defense policies, strategies, and plans in the region.

He was previously sworn in as DASW for Plans and Posture on January 20, 2025. Shortly after, the Secretary of War designated him as the senior official performing the duties of Assistant Secretary of War (PTDO ASW) for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs. In this capacity, he managed an unprecedented increase in DOW efforts to secure the Southern Border. Under President Trump’s decisive leadership, the heroic efforts of the men and women of DOW and Department of Homeland Security resulted in a 99.9% decrease in illegal border crossings within the first 100 days of the Administration.

Mr. Leonardo then served as PTDO ASW for Strategy, Plans, and Forces. During his tenure, he oversaw the teams that wrote the 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) and supporting Department-wide strategic guidance. His office ensured the President and the Secretary of War’s policy and strategy guidance were operationalized in DOW’s program and budget decisions to invest in future capabilities, updates to war plans and overseas posture, and prioritization of security cooperation activities.

Mr. Leonardo served in the first Trump Administration as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, focusing on implementation of the 2018 NDS, zero-based reviews of Combatant Commands, and updates to priority operational war plans. In the private sector, he has led teams in functions spanning finance, warehouse operations, and customer service for a multibillion-dollar industrial supply distributor. He has also worked as an Aide to the Governor of his home state.

A Strategist (FA59) and Military Intelligence Officer (35A) in the US Army Reserve, his past active duty assignments include lead Indo-Pacific Strategist in the Department of the Army’s War Plans Division specializing in joint operational war plans and development of future posture initiatives; Commander of an expeditionary military intelligence brigade headquarters company; and Chief of Intelligence for an Aviation Task Force mobilized for a Defense Support to Civil Authorities (DSCA) mission.

Mr. Leonardo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Boston College, a Master’s in Business Administration from University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.