Luke Bellocchi

Luke Bellocchi serves as an Associate Professor of Practice at the Joint Advanced Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College, National Defense University. His government career includes senior executive roles such as Immigration Detention Ombudsman at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Assistant Commissioner at Customs & Border Protection (CBP), and Strategic Advisor at the U.S. Department of Transportation. He previously contributed to congressional oversight as Counsel for the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee and House Judiciary Committee, focusing on counter-terrorism, border security, and immigration reform.

Education:

• MBA, University of Virginia
• LLM, Georgetown Law School
• MSSI, National Intelligence University
• JD, State University of New York
• BA, University of Rochester (recipient of UR Ascher Award)

Research Focus: Bellocchi specializes in homeland security policy, counter-terrorism strategies, immigration/border enforcement, crisis management, and geopolitical analysis, particularly regarding US-China-Taiwan relations. His work bridges academic research and practical policy implementation.

Publication Trends: Recent works (2021-2025) emphasize military strategy, joint operations planning, and Indo-Pacific security, reflecting his expertise in campaign design and strategic risk assessment. Earlier publications addressed legal aspects of trade, cybersecurity, and counterintelligence.

Awards:

• UR Ascher Award for best senior seminar thesis in political science (game theory)

Professional Background: Includes crisis management roles at the U.S. State Department during embassy evacuations, international postings across Asia and Africa, and BAR admissions in Maryland, Hawaii, and D.C.