Dr. Lyons is Performing the Duties of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Cyber Policy.  In this role, he is responsible for establishing and overseeing the implementation of Department of War (DoW) cyber policy and strategy.

Prior to joining the DoW, Lyons served from 2024-2025 as the Senior Director for Defense at the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), a privately funded project that replicates the pre-Cold War work of Dr. Henry Kissinger and his team at the Special Studies Project (SSP), advising the U.S. government on policy initiatives that enhance U.S. national competitiveness at the intersection of national security and emerging technology.

Prior to SCSP and following a three-decade career as a naval officer, Lyons worked in the defense sector at a bespoke national security consulting and analytics firm. There, he provided advisory services on national strategy, security policy, and force posture initiatives to the U.S., Australian, and Canadian governments.  In addition, he served as a Senior Advisor to the Global Investment and Economic Security (GIES) Directorate within the Pentagon, spearheading Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) initiatives. 

In  uniform, Lyons’ Navy experience includes four command at-sea assignments in Asia and leadership positions driving politico-military policy across assignments as Navy’s Lead for the 2018 National Defense Strategy Core Team, Navy’s Branch Head for Global Policy and Posture, Joint Staff’s Iraq Policy and Operations Group (IPOG), and as a Russia-focused Federal Executive Fellow at the Institute of the Study of Conflict, Ideology, and Policy (ISCIP).

As the Commanding Officer of USS STETHEM (DDG 63), and principal benefactor of the intrepidness and teamwork exhibited by every member of his crew, Lyons, as nominated by his peers in operational command, was the recipient of the Navy’s highest leadership award, the Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership.

Lyons possesses a Doctorate degree in China Studies with a focus on politico-economic statecraft from Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from Harvard University, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Providence College, and a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Third World History from Boston University.