Nicholas Eftimiades, M.S.

Assistant Teaching Professor of Homeland Security, School of Public Affairs
W131 OLMSTED BLDG
PENN STATE HBG
MIDDLETOWN, PA 17057

Nicholas Eftimiades retired from the US Department of Defense. His 34 year government career includes employment in CIA, as a Special Agent inthe US Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, and a Senior Intelligence Officer in Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Mr. Eftimiades held positions in analysis, human and technical intelligence collection, and leadership. He had overseas assignments in Vienna, Frankfurt, Moscow, London, and Tokyo. His long career in DIA includes senior assignments as the Chief of Counterterrorism Operations, Transnational Issues Division, Futures Division, and Space Division. He has been awarded the National Intelligence Council Achievement Award and DIA Director's Intelligence Award - that agency's highest recognition of achievement. He distinguished himself numerous times in the senior ranks of the intelligence and defense communities. As a subject matter expert Nick has provided congressional testimony and briefings on numerous occasions to Members of Congress and staff.

Mr. Eftimiades held senior appoints on the DoD Defense Science Board, Department of Homeland Security Homeland Security Advisory Council/Economic Security Subcommittee, and is an Intelligence Community Associate for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, National Intelligence Council. He was also a Senior Research Fellow at King’s College War Studies Department, London UK. Mr. Eftimiades has authored books and number of scholarly articles on national security, technology, and space issues. Nick’s book "Chinese Intelligence Operations," is the first ever scholarly examination of the structure, operations, and methodology of the intelligence services of the People's Republic of China. His recent book "Chinese Espionage: Operations and Tactics" expands on that work.

Nick is a nonresident Senior Fellow at the Forward Defense practice of the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. He is a frequent lecturer and public speaker on future technology, space, and national security issues. He has appeared as an expert on CBS Evening News, Dateline NBC, ABC's Day One, BBC, BBC America, National Public Radio, and dozens of other television and radio broadcasts. He has been quoted in hundreds of newspapers and magazines across the world.

Expertise: Intelligence Operations, Terrorist Operations, National Security Space, Diplomacy, Asia Security issues

  • Intelligence and terrorism operations
  • National security space policy and strategy
  • Emerging technology and implications for intelligence and national and homeland security

Eftimiades, Nicholas “Harnessing allies space capabilities”, Atlantic Council, Washington, D.C., April, 2023. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/issue-brief/h…

Eftimiades, Nicholas “What China Might Have Been Up to With the Balloon Mission”, Time Magazine. February 16, 2023,https://time.com/6256389/chinas-spy-balloons-intelligence-mission/

Eftimiades, Nicholas “Small Satellites and the Implications for National Security”, Atlantic Council, Washington, D.C. May 2022. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/small-…

Eftimiades, Nicholas, “China’s Espionage Plans for the 2022 Winter Olympics: What Athletes Should Expect”. The Diplomat, January 22, 2022.https://thediplomat.com/2022/01/chinas-espionage-plans-for-the-2022-win…

Eftimiades, Nicholas. “A Blueprint to Stop Chinese Espionage, IP Theft: Nick Eftimiades, Top Intel Expert.” Networks and Cyber, Breaking Defense, 29 July 2019, breakingdefense.com/2018/12/how-to-combat-chinese-espionage-ip-theft-nick-eftimiades-top-intel-expert/.

Eftimiades, Nicholas. “The Impact of Chinese Espionage on the United States.” The Diplomat, 4 Dec. 2018, thediplomat.com/2018/12/the-impact-of-chinese-espionage-on-the-united-states/

Eftimiades, Nicholas. “Uncovering Chinese Espionage in the United States.” The Diplomat, 28 Nov. 2018, https://thediplomat.com/2018/11/uncovering-chinese-espionage-in-the-us/

“Routledge Companion to Intelligence Studies” Chapter “Systems of Intelligence: China”, Edited by Robert Dover, Michael S. Goodman, Claudia Hillebrand, 2014 – Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group

“Eulogy for Mass Media” EZine, News and Society: International, October 15, 2012

“The Coming Revolution: 3D Printing” EZine; News and Society: International, Sept 24, 2012

“Secret Intelligence in the Undiscovered Country” EZine; News and Society: International, December 15, 2011

“China's Espionage Tactics Against America's Aerospace Industry,” International Space Industry Report, McLean, VA; August 1998

Chinese Intelligence Operations (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, Mar 1994), translated editions; Japanese, Chinese, excerpts in Korean

“The Challenges of Changing National Counterintelligence Requirements,” Proceedings of the 1993 National OPSEC Conference, Washington, D.C., August 1993

“China's Ministry of State Security: Coming of Age in the International Arena,” Occasional Papers/Reprint Series in Contemporary Asian Studies, U of Maryland School of Law July 1992

M.S. Strategic Intelligence, National Defense Intelligence College

B.A. East Asian Studies, George Washington University