Rebeccah Heinrichs

Heinrichs lives in Virginia with her husband and their five children. The couple first met while working as congressional staff members on Capitol Hill. They married in May 2008.

Faith plays a central role in her life. Outside her public policy work, she participates in civic discussions.

Heinrichs started her Washington career on Capitol Hill, serving as a staff member in the US House of Representatives from 2005 to 2009. She worked on the oversight staff of the House Judiciary Committee before shifting to national security.

She served as a defense and foreign policy adviser to Arizona Congressman Trent Franks. In that role, she focused on matters before the Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee. She also helped launch the bipartisan Missile Defense Caucus. The initiative brought lawmakers together to support defensive missile technologies.

Heinrichs joined the Hudson Institute as a senior fellow and director of the Keystone Defense Initiative. Her research focuses on nuclear deterrence, arms control, and great-power competition. She frequently writes policy papers and delivers congressional testimony on missile threats.

She has served in several government advisory roles. Under the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, she was named a commissioner on the bipartisan Strategic Posture Commission. She also served on the US Strategic Command Advisory Group and the National Independent Panel on Military Service and Readiness. Beyond advisory panels, she holds a life membership in the Council on Foreign Relations.

Heinrichs has taught nuclear deterrence theory at Missouri State University's graduate school and the Institute of World Politics. She also serves as a contributing editor for Providence: A Journal of Christianity and American Foreign Policy.

Heinrichs completed her undergraduate studies at Ashland University in Ohio, earning a bachelor of arts in history and political science. She studied as an Ashbrook Scholar and later joined the university's board of trustees.

She earned a master of arts in national security and strategic studies from the US Naval War College. She graduated with highest distinction from the College of Naval Command and Staff. There, she received the Director's Award for academic excellence. She later completed her doctorate in defense and strategic studies with distinction at Missouri State University.