Who We Are
The Punaro Group helps clients succeed by combining deep policy expertise, market analysis, and proven strategy. Backed by 50 years of unmatched experience and proven performance, we deliver clarity in a complex environment so that your decisions shape outcomes, secure opportunities, and drive growth.
Leadership
Arnold L. Punaro, CEO of The Punaro Group, brings a rare combination of experience across government, industry, the military, and academia. Clients benefit from:
The urgency and expertise of a Fortune 500 Executive Vice President who has managed business development, government relations, crisis response, communications, and Washington operations.
The experience and perspective of a Senate Armed Services Committee Staff Director, recognized repeatedly by Roll Call as a Top 50 Staffer.
The insight and leadership of a highly decorated Marine Corps Major General with combat experience and command at the highest levels.
The credibility of a respected reformer, tapped repeatedly to chair Defense Department boards and presidential commissions.
The teaching skills of a top-ranked University of Georgia and Georgetown University Graduate Adjunct Professor in national security decision-making.
Mr. Punaro’s career – spanning the legislative and executive branches, the defense industry, and military service – gives clients a decisive edge in the business world.
The Punaro Group Advantage
Engagements with The Punaro Group are built on practical, common-sense solutions that work. With high-level clearances and decades of trusted experience, The Punaro Group can advise on sensitive and classified matters as well as public opportunities.
We provide:
Clear insight into decision-makers and how they make choices
Strategies that shape outcomes and accelerate growth
Objective analysis of the competitive landscape and federal budget
Risk identification and mitigation strategies
Mentorship through political, market, and budgetary complexities
Go/No-Go decision support across government and industry
Once a strategy is set, we guide implementation—when to act, how to present your case, and to whom—drawing on a lifetime of proven performance.
Arnold L. Punaro
Arnold Punaro is the Chief Executive Officer of The Punaro Group, LLC, a Washington, D.C.–based firm he founded in 2010. The firm specializes in federal budget and market analysis, business strategy and capture, acquisition due diligence, government relations, communications, business risk and compliance, and crisis management.
He advises a broad portfolio of companies, from Fortune 5 to Fortune 500, as well as other leading enterprises. He has been recognized by Defense News as one of the 100 most influential figures in U.S. defense. As Loren Thompson, then COO of The Lexington Institute, remarked in 2020: “Arnold Punaro is a Washington institution. Someday he will have a statue on the Mall. A truly unique individual.”
Corporate Leadership
From 1997 to 2010, Arnold was an Executive Vice President at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), then a $10 billion technology and professional services company. He held multiple senior roles including sector manager, deputy president of the Federal Business Segment, and head of Corporate Business Development. He oversaw SAIC’s government affairs, worldwide communications, crisis and risk management, Washington operations, and corporate outreach to small and disadvantaged businesses.
U.S. Senate Leadership
From 1973 to 1997, Punaro worked for Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA) on national security matters. He was Director of National Security Affairs and later Staff Director of the Senate Armed Services Committee for both the majority and minority. In these roles, he shaped major defense and intelligence legislation, oversaw programs and policies, and managed civilian and military nominations at the highest levels of government.
U.S. Marine Corps Leadership
A retired U.S. Marine Corps Major General, Mr. Punaro served as the Director of the Marine Corps Reserve, Deputy Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command (Mobilization), and for three years as the Commanding General of the 4th Marine Division. Other assignments were Commanding General, Marine Corps Mobilization Command, and Deputy Commander, Marine Forces Reserve. In December 1990, he was mobilized for Operation Desert Shield. In December 1993, he completed a tour of active duty as Commander of Joint Task Force Provide Promise (Forward) in the former Yugoslavia. He was mobilized for a third time in May 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served on active duty as an Infantry Platoon Commander in Vietnam where he was awarded the Bronze Star for valor and the Purple Heart.
Policy Organization and Board Leadership
Mr. Punaro has held leadership positions across some of the nation’s most influential defense and policy organizations. Some of his roles have included serving twice as Chairman of the National Defense Industrial Association, the largest defense and aerospace industry association; Chairman of the Reserve Forces Policy Board; and founding member of the Defense Business Board. He currently serves on the boards of the Atlantic Council, the Center for a New American Security, and several universities, including the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs and Georgia Tech’s Sam Nunn School of International Affairs.
Author and Educator
Mr. Punaro is the author of three books: On War and Politics: The Battlefield Inside Washington’s Beltway (2016), The Ever-Shrinking Fighting Force (2021), and IF CONFIRMED: An Insider’s View of the National Security Confirmation Process (2024). He holds Master of Arts degrees from both the University of Georgia and Georgetown University, where he has also taught graduate-level courses on national security decision-making. He currently teaches at the University of Georgia.
Mr. Punaro is the recipient of numerous recognitions and awards, including the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the highest award presented to a private citizen. He received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service two times. He received the Marine Corps League Iron Mike Award for “exceptionally outstanding service” and “unwavering commitment” for over 20 years to “ensuring a strong national defense.” He received the Air Force Association Exceptional Service Award, the National Guard Minuteman Award, the Army Meritorious Public Service Medal, and the Secretary of the Army Public Service Award, the Reserve Officers Association Minuteman of the Year Award. He also received SAIC Founders Award and two special CEO Awards. Mr. Punaro received the Forrestal Industry Leadership Award from the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA). He has over 20 military awards and decorations to include the Distinguished Service Medal and numerous civic awards.