Mike Keating

Executive Director

Mike Keating is the Executive Director of the Silicon Valley Defense Group. SVDG is a mission focused organization dedicated to bridging the national security and finance ecosystems to leverage new sources of innovation for national security. As the real world increasingly demands an American return to production at scale of defense innovation, SVDG and its Industry Council of defense and dual-use company founders, investors, and policy makers work closely together to build a new American Industrial Base.

Mike has a diverse background in VC-backed tech startups, strategy consulting, and national security. Previously, Mike ran the public sector business practice for Deep Labs Artificial Intelligence. Mike is also an alumni of The Boston Consulting Group, where he was a trusted advisor to senior federal and commercial leaders on large scale transformational change and organizational improvement. Mike began his career as a Naval Officer, completing multiple operational deployments and humanitarian relief missions while serving onboard Guided Missile Cruisers and as the Officer in Charge of an Expeditionary Riverine Squadron. He additionally worked on the Chief of Naval Operations staff in the Pentagon, where he managed a directed energy weapons acquisition portfolio.  

Mike is a former Next-Generation National Security Leaders Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, and is a current Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations. He holds an MBA from Dartmouth College, an MA in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and a BA from Boston College. He’s a native of San Diego, CA and currently resides in Washington DC with his wife, Tara, and young daughter, Claire.