Retired Adm. Christopher W. Grady, the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a 42-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, has been named the distinguished fellow at the , a leading forum for national security scholars and policymakers.
Grady, a Notre Dame alumnus who majored in history and received his commission through Notre Dame鈥檚 , was the nation鈥檚 second highest-ranking military officer from 2021 to 2025. During that time, he was also the Navy鈥檚 鈥淥ld Salt,鈥� the longest-serving surface warfare officer on active duty.
Formed in 2017, the O鈥橞rien Center seeks to play a catalytic role in matters of global policy through actionable research, teaching, and programming guided by the University鈥檚 Catholic character. It connects policymakers and the public with top-tier scholarship on issues of international security, especially on grand strategy鈥攚here, when, and how states consider using military force among other instruments of statecraft to achieve foreign policy goals.
鈥淭he Constitution entrusts the preservation of our republic to civilian leadership, but that covenant only endures when civilian policymakers and military leaders truly understand one another,鈥� Grady said. 鈥淥NDISC bridges that vital divide. For 42 years in uniform, I saw that strategic prudence cannot be forged in an echo chamber; it requires rigorous debate, constitutional fidelity, and ethical grounding. Coming home to Notre Dame to invest in ONDISC means shaping the minds鈥攂oth civilian and military鈥攚ho will uphold that constitutional balance and steer American grand strategy in the decades ahead.鈥�
Grady is the second distinguished fellow in the center鈥檚 history, following James Webb, former U.S. senator and secretary of the Navy.
In his role, Grady will teach a three-credit course, Lessons in Leadership, in the College of Arts & Letters beginning in the spring 2027 semester; develop a plan for integrating war-gaming into the center鈥檚 undergraduate curriculum; and assist in organizing an experiential learning trip to U.S. Central Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, NASA's Cape Canaveral, and the U.S. Navy鈥檚 fleet ballistic missile base at Kings Bay, Georgia.
He will also partner with , the Brian and Jeannelle Brady Family Director of ONDISC and the Packey J. Dee Professor of Political Science, in reimagining and revitalizing an external advisory board for the center, which he will chair; and he will lead a process to map the center鈥檚 place in the international security ecosystem, including in academia, government, and the private sector. He will then strategize about how to further develop it on campus, inside the Beltway, and around the world.
鈥淔ew individuals more completely epitomize the idea of 鈥楪od, Country, Notre Dame鈥� more than Admiral Grady,鈥� Desch said. 鈥淟ike so many distinguished Notre Dame alumni, he continues to give back to his alma mater, and my colleagues and I are so proud that he is doing so.鈥�
Grady鈥檚 time in the Navy included operational, strategic, and institutional experience at the highest levels of the U.S. government. He has commanded at every level, including three ships, a destroyer squadron, a carrier strike group, and two fleets. As vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he advised the president, secretary of defense, and National Security Council in the White House on global military operations, force posture, nuclear deterrence, and strategic risk. In that role, he helped shape U.S. defense strategy across great power competition, emerging technologies, and joint force integration.
In the private sector, he has provided strategic counsel to hedge funds, venture capital, and private equity firms on geopolitical risk, defense markets and the defense industrial base, mobilization, and emerging technology adoption. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Northrop Grumman and Domino Data Lab and on the Board of Advisors for Spire Global, K2 Space, and Dell Federal. He is also a member of the Board of Governors for the USO and the Board of Trustees for Fisher House, supporting service members and their families. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Notre Dame.
In addition to his bachelor鈥檚 degree from Notre Dame, where he was captain of the fencing team, Grady earned a master鈥檚 degree from Georgetown University and the National War College. He and his wife, Christine, are the parents of three children, including two Notre Dame graduates.
Originally published by at on October 28, 2026.