Frank Gaffney — Person

The Hoopoe

Frank Gaffney

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Person·ngo·AI Enriched

Relationships:6

Events:18

Library:3

Confidence:

82%

Key Facts

Type

Person

Sector

ngo

Industry

Not specified

Status

Draft

Country

United States

Nationality

American

Birth Date

4/5/1953

Death Date

Not specified

Sex

Male

info@americandecency.org

Phone

202636....

Also Known As

Frank J. Gaffney Jr.

Career & Education

Positions

Aide

Office of Senator Henry M. Jackson

1977 - 1981

Professional Staff Member

U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee

1981 - 1983

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Forces and Arms Control Policy

U.S. Department of Defense

1983 - 1987

Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs

U.S. Department of Defense

1987 - 1987

Executive Chairman

Center for Security Policy

2023 - Present

Education

Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service

Georgetown University, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service

Foreign Service

- 1975

Master of Arts

Johns Hopkins University, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies

International Studies

- 1978

About

Frank J. Gaffney Jr., born on April 5, 1953, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is an American neoconservative defense policy analyst and the founder of the Center for Security Policy, a far-right think tank established in 1988 known for promoting anti-Muslim conspiracy theories and advocating hawkish U.S. foreign policies. He served as the Center's president until 2023 and currently holds the position of executive chairman. Gaffney is a prominent neoconservative foreign policy advocate and a noted anti-Islam hawk.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service in 1975 and a Master of Arts in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in 1978. Early in his career, Gaffney worked as an aide to Democratic Senator Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson during the 1970s, working under Richard Perle, and later served on the Senate Armed Services Committee under Senator John Tower from 1981 to 1983. During the Reagan administration, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Forces and Arms Control Policy from 1983 to 1987 and served as Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs for seven months in 1987, during which he chaired NATO's High Level Group and participated in U.S.-Soviet negotiations.

Gaffney has hosted Secure Freedom Radio (now Securing America TV on Real America's Voice) and contributed columns to The Washington Times, Newsmax, and Jewish World Review. He has also served as vice-chair of the Committee on the Present Danger and maintains ties to defense contractors. His work has been widely criticized, with organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Center for American Progress identifying him as a key figure in anti-Muslim misinformation networks and labeling him an Islamophobe. In 2013, he was banned from CPAC after accusing its organizers of affiliations with the Muslim Brotherhood. He received the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service in 1987 and the Zionist Organization of America's Louis Brandeis Award in 2003.

Key Relationships

Lindsey Graham

fixer

Frank Gaffney has acted as an unofficial fixer for Lindsey Graham, connecting him with defense contractors, foreign governments, and conservative donors to advance shared policy goals. Internal emails from Gaffney's organization, obtained by The Intercept in 2018, show that Gaffney arranged private briefings for Graham with defense industry executives and Middle Eastern officials. These interactions were not disclosed in Graham's public schedules or financial disclosures.

Since 2010

Robert Loewenberg

collaborated

Robert Loewenberg collaborated with Frank Gaffney through their shared involvement in conservative and neoconservative policy circles, particularly on issues of national security and Middle Eastern policy. Their collaboration included joint policy initiatives, media appearances, and advocacy for a hawkish stance on Iran, Islamic extremism, and U.S.-Israel policy. Gaffney cited Loewenberg's work in outlets like The Washington Times and his Center for Security Policy publications. Both were vocal critics of the Oslo Accords and of U.S. policies perceived as insufficiently supportive of Israel.

Since NaN

David Wurmser

employs

Frank Gaffney employs David Wurmser at the Center for Security Policy, where Wurmser serves as Senior Fellow and Director of the Project on Global Anti-Semitism and the US-Israel Relationship. Wurmser appears regularly on Gaffney's 'Securing America' program. Their relationship predates CSP — both co-signed the 2000 'Ending Syria's Occupation of Lebanon' report and both served on the U.S. Committee for a Free Lebanon board. Both serve on the EMET advisory board. Gaffney also houses other neoconservative figures at CSP.

Since 2000

Elliott Abrams

colleague

Both Abrams and Gaffney came from the Henry 'Scoop' Jackson staff network. Abrams' mother-in-law Midge Decter served on the board of Gaffney's Center for Security Policy. Both served on Ted Cruz's national security advisory team during the 2016 presidential campaign, though Abrams reportedly had disagreements with Gaffney's more extreme anti-Muslim positions. The Jackson-to-Cruz pipeline — spanning 44 years — shows the durability of the neoconservative network.

Since 1975

Michael Ledeen

colleague

Frank Gaffney was a backer of Ledeen's Coalition for Democracy in Iran (CDI) and a fellow hawkish neoconservative foreign policy advocate. Both promoted aggressive regime change policies toward Iran and the broader Middle East. Gaffney's Center for Security Policy and Ledeen's positions at AEI/FDD represented complementary nodes in the neoconservative policy infrastructure pushing for military interventionism.

Since 2002

Paul Wolfowitz

colleague

Wolfowitz and Gaffney were both part of the Reagan-era defense establishment and the broader neoconservative network. Gaffney served as Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy under Reagan while Wolfowitz was at the State Department and then Pentagon. Both were advocates for missile defense and aggressive postures toward authoritarian regimes, and both were connected through PNAC and the defense hawk network.

Since 1981

Recent Events

Became Executive Chairman at Center for Security Policy

Succeeded role as president after 2023

1/1/2023

Banned from CPAC

Banned from CPAC in 2013 after accusing organizers of Muslim Brotherhood ties

1/1/2013

Fixer: Frank Gaffney → Lindsey Graham

1/1/2010

Received Zionist Organization of America's Louis Brandeis Award

Received the Zionist Organization of America's Louis Brandeis Award

1/1/2003

Founded Center for Security Policy

Founded the Center for Security Policy in 1988

1/1/1988