Bethan Saunders is the Military Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono, advising on national security and foreign policy issues in support of the Senator’s work as a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Previously, Bethan served as a Policy Advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy at the U.S. Department of Defense, with roles spanning the Office of Force Development and Emerging Capabilities and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy. Her experience also includes policy roles at NATO’s Defense Innovation Accelerator (DIANA), the Defense Innovation Unit, and In-Q-Tel’s National Security Innovation Group.

Bethan began her career in finance at Morgan Stanley, supporting global institutional client relationships and advancing the firm’s strategy on emerging equity markets and financial technology.

She holds a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.