Ambassador Tomasz Szatkowski is a Distinguished Associate Fellow at the Centre for Security, Defence and Strategy (CSDS) and a leading expert in defence and security policy. He currently serves as Adviser to the President of the Republic of Poland.

From 2019 to 2024, he was Poland’s Permanent Representative to NATO, where he led the national delegation during a period of major strategic transformation, playing a key role in shaping the Alliance’s response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. As Deputy Minister of National Defence (2015–2019), he oversaw defence policy and led Poland’s 2017 Strategic Defence Review—an initiative that laid the groundwork for a significant national defence buildup and the institutionalization of NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence in Poland. He also negotiated pivotal agreements strengthening U.S.–Polish defence cooperation.

Ambassador Szatkowski’s prior experience spans senior roles in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, the Polish and European Parliaments, the defence industry, and the think tank sector, where he pioneered innovative approaches to defence analysis.

He holds degrees in Law and War Studies, with academic training from institutions including the University of Warsaw, King’s College London, Florida International University, the UK Defence Academy, the Naval Postgraduate School, IESE Business School, and the Polish National School of Public Administration (KSAP). He is currently completing a PhD on the epistemology of defence policy and co-organizes a postgraduate national security program at the Warsaw School of Economics.

Ambassador Szatkowski has been recognized with fellowships from the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (Chevening), the U.S. Department of State (IVLP), the German Marshall Fund (Asmus Policy Entrepreneurs), and the Munich Security Conference (Munich Young Leaders). He has been decorated by the governments of Estonia, Norway, and Ukraine for his service.