Matt Zacharias is a United States Marine veteran, national security analyst, intelligence professional, and Green & Gold Congressional Aide whose career spans defense operations, strategic research and planning, and public service. He currently serves as a congressional field representative and veteran liaison, engaging with local communities, veterans, and policymakers.
Prior to his congressional service, Matt served as both an enlisted infantry Marine and later a commissioned officer assigned to the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory/Futures Directorate, Wargaming Division in Quantico, Virginia, where he supported multiple strategic-level wargames to inform Marine Corps Force Design and future operational concepts. Following his military service, his focus has turned to the intersection of policy, national security, and intelligence to strengthen national and state-level policymakers’ foresight and operational planning.
Matt earned his Master of Professional Studies in Applied Intelligence from Georgetown University, where his capstone thesis – The Anatomy of Autocracy: A Strategic Intelligence Framework for Targeting Leadership Structures in China and Russia (2025-2035) – developed an innovative PMESII-based social network analysis framework to map and assess authoritarian leadership systems. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Montana, graduating magna cum laude. He is pursuing additional graduate studies in Global Security and Competitive Statecraft through Arizona State University.
A former Montana business owner and entrepreneur, Matt combines academic rigor with practical leadership and cross-sector experience. His areas of interest include national security, intelligence collection, counterintelligence, defense policy, and the use of emerging technologies in strategic competition. He is a member of the OSS Society and a volunteer with the Travis Manion Foundation and Wounded Warrior Project, reflecting his ongoing commitment to service, leadership development, and the veteran community.