David Salvo is managing director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy (ASD) at GMF. An expert in Russian affairs, Salvo has been analyzing the Kremlin’s authoritarian toolkit to undermine democracy at home and abroad throughout his career.  

Salvo has worked at ASD since 2017, first as a resident fellow and then as deputy director. He is the principal author of The ASD Policy Blueprint for Countering Authoritarian Interference in Democracies and makes regular media appearances, including on NPR, CNN, Fox, MSNBC, and ABC News, to discuss US-Russian relations, Russian foreign policy toward its near abroad, and Russian tactics and objectives to undermine democracy in the United States and Europe. 

Prior to joining GMF, Salvo was a foreign service officer in the US Department of State, serving most recently as the deputy secretary of state’s policy advisor for Europe, Eurasia, and international security issues. He also advised senior-level State Department negotiators on the protracted conflicts in the South Caucasus, worked on US policy toward NATO and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and served overseas in Russia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. He speaks Russian and Serbo-Croatian and has a basic knowledge of French. 

David received his master’s degree from Georgetown University’s Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies and a bachelor’s degree in government and Russian from Georgetown. He is an avid music lover and plays in several DC-area bands, including a tribute to the renowned rock band Phish. 

Media Mentions

The Biden admin has no firm plan to call out domestic disinformation in the 2024 election
What’s next for Wagner and Prigozhin as Putin rages over rebellion David Salvo the Hill Ellen Mitchell Brad Dress
Why wasn't Russia willing to give up Paul Whelan in Brittney Griner exchange? To 'inflict maximum pain on the Biden administration,' expert says David Salvo Yahoo Sports Jeff Eisenberg
DEA agent who helped put Viktor Bout behind bars slams Brittney Griner swap: ‘We couldn’t even get two people for the world’s most notorious weapons trafficker’ David Salvo Yahoo Sports Jeff Eisenberg
'Russian Google' wants to leave Russia, but remains a cog in the propaganda machine David Salvo NOS 'Russische Google' wil weg uit Rusland, maar blijft radertje in propagandamachine Chiem Balduk
Brittney Griner’s legal defense in Russian court is meaningless David Salvo Yahoo Sports Jeff Eisenberg
Intel: Putin may cite Ukraine war to meddle in US politics