Myers to head Defense Threat Reduction Agency

Kenneth A. Myers III has been selected to serve as the director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency headquartered at Fort Belvoir, the Defense Department announced July 27.

Myers most recently was senior professional staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In that capacity, he was the senior adviser to Sen. Richard Lugar, (R-Ind.), the committee’s ranking member, on matters relating to European, former Soviet and Central Asian affairs.

He brings to the position 15 years of nonproliferation, counter-proliferation, and arms control experience at the national level, DOD officials said.

Myers holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and a master’s degree from the Catholic University of America.

DTRA is a combat support agency with an annual budget of $2.8 billion and a workforce of 1,900. The agency’s mission is to reduce the threat of weapons of mass destruction. To achieve its objectives, agency employees use a mix of advanced technology approaches and innovative operational methods. The organization also plays a key role in various international WMD-related treaty verification programs.