F. Michael Maloof is an American defense analyst and former Pentagon official with nearly 30 years of federal service in the U.S. Department of Defense. He specialized in counterterrorism intelligence, unconventional threat assessment, and technology security. Maloof served as a senior security policy analyst in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and director of Technology Security Operations. He was also a co-member, alongside David Wurmser, of the two-person Counter Terrorism Evaluation Group. During his career, Maloof provided specialized training to border guards and Special Forces in the Caucasus and Central Asia, delivered combat tracking instruction to U.S. Marines, and developed expertise in executive protection, evasive and defensive driving, route analysis, surveillance detection, attack recognition, and off-road driving. In 2004, he resigned from the Pentagon after his security clearance was revoked following an investigation into unauthorized contacts with Syrian diplomat Ghassan Elashi, suspected of being a Syrian intelligence officer; this drew significant media attention over potential espionage risks. After leaving government service, Maloof transitioned to media commentary on national security, counterterrorism, and unconventional threats, appearing on programs such as Coast to Coast AM and contributing to WorldNetDaily (WND). He authored the book "A Nation Forsaken," which addresses vulnerabilities in the U.S. electrical grid. Maloof has faced criticism for affiliations with outlets like Iran's Press TV and for promoting views sympathetic to Russia and critical of the U.S. foreign policy establishment.