{{short description|Senior National Security Official}} {{Use American English|date=May 2019}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2019}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = Michael P. Mulroy.jpg | office = Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense<br/>for the Middle East | president = Donald Trump | 1blankname = Secretary | 1namedata = Jim Mattis <br /> Mark Esper | term_start = October 20, 2017 | term_end = December 1, 2019 | predecessor = | spouse = Mary Beth Mulroy | children = 2<ref name="defense.gov2">{{cite web |url=https://www.war.gov/About/Biographies/Article/1415681/michael-mick-p-mulroy/ |title=Michael (Mick) P. Mulroy > U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE > Biography View |website=United States Department of Defense |access-date=May 5, 2019}}</ref> | profession = National Security | allegiance = {{flag|United States of America}} | branch = {{Marines|United States}}<br />{{Flagicon image|Flag of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.svg}} Central Intelligence Agency<br />{{Flagicon image|Flag of the United States Secretary of Defense.svg}} Department of Defense | service_years = 1988–2016 (U.S. Marine Corps)<br />1997–2017 (CIA)<br />2017–2019 (DoD) | unit = 4th Marine Division<br />Special Activities Center<br />Secretary of Defense | rank = Marine Officer and Enlisted<br />Paramilitary Operations Officer<br />Senior Executive Service | battles = War in Afghanistan<br />Iraq War<br />War on terror | awards = {{plainlist| * Intelligence Star * Intelligence Commendation Medal * Career Intelligence Medal * National Intelligence Exceptional Achievement Medal * Superior Honor Award * Secretary of Defense Medal<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loboinstitute.org/secretary-of-defense-medal-for-outstanding-public-service-to-michael-patrick-mulroy/|title=Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service to Michael Patrick Mulroy|website=Lobo Institute|date=3 November 2019|access-date=13 March 2024}}</ref>}} | education = Augusta University (BA)<br />Samford University (JD) | party = }}
'''Michael Patrick Mulroy''' (born 1967) is the former United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Video: US points finger at Saudi prince in Jamal Khashoggi's murder|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/us-points-finger-saudi-prince-jamal-khashoggis-murder-76144834|access-date=2021-05-20|website=ABC News|language=en}}</ref> for the Middle East,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gilsinan|first=Kathy|date=2019-07-11|title=The U.S. Is Worried About China's Investments—This Time in Israel|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/07/us-concerned-about-chinese-investments-israel/593794/|access-date=2021-05-20|website=The Atlantic|language=en}}</ref> serving under Secretary James N. Mattis and Secretary Mark T. Esper. He was responsible for representing the United States Department of Defense (DoD) for defense policy and for Middle East policy in the interagency.<ref name="defense.gov">{{cite web |url=https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/1345291/senior-executive-service-announcements/ |title=Senior Executive Service Announcements |website=United States Department of Defense |access-date=27 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.afcea.org/content/mulroy-assigned-deputy-assistant-secretary-defense-middle-east |title=Mulroy Assigned Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East |date=January 12, 2018 |website=SIGNAL Magazine |access-date=May 5, 2019}}</ref><ref name="defense.gov1">{{cite web |url=https://www.war.gov/About/Biographies/Article/1415681/michael-mick-p-mulroy/ |title=Michael (Mick) P. Mulroy > U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE > Biography View |website=United States Department of Defense |access-date=27 February 2018}}</ref><ref name="auto11">{{cite web |url=http://usuaebusiness.org/u-s-u-a-e-business-council-hosts-deputy-assistant-secretary-of-defense-for-the-middle-east/ |title=U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council Hosts Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East |date=April 19, 2018 |website=usuaebusiness.org |access-date=May 5, 2019}}</ref> He is also a retired CIA Paramilitary Operations Officer and a United States Marine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sof.news/update/20171018/ |title=Special Operations News Update 20171018 |last=|first=|date=October 18, 2017 |website=sof.news |access-date=May 5, 2019}}</ref>
After leaving the Pentagon, he co-founded the Lobo Institute along with U.S. Navy SEAL Eric Oehlerich.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Seligman|first=Lara|title=Hollowed-Out Pentagon Begins to Staff Up|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/09/05/hollowed-out-pentagon-begins-to-staff-up-mark-esper-mattis-vacancies/|access-date=2021-05-20|website=Foreign Policy|date=September 5, 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref> He is a Distinguished Military Fellow for national security and defense policy with the Middle East Institute, alongside retired Marine General Anthony Zinni and retired Army General Joseph Votel.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mei.edu/press-release/distinguished-fellows|title=MEI Announces Distinguished Military and Diplomatic Fellows|website=www.mei.edu|access-date=14 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mei.edu/experts |title=Experts |website=Middle East Institute}}</ref> Mulroy is also a National Security Analyst for ABC News<ref>{{cite web|last1=Margolin|first1=Josh|last2=Ramos|first2=Stephanie|last3=Hutchinson|first3=Bill|date=December 8, 2019|title=FBI probing whether Pensacola naval base suspect watched mass-shooting videos before attack, sources say|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/fbi-probing-pensacola-naval-base-suspect-watched-mass/story?id=67578998|website=ABC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://grassrootsgroup.org/about/board-of-directors/ |title=Board of Directors - Grassrootsgroup.org | Grassroots Reconciliation Group |website=grassrootsgroup.org|date=March 11, 2021 }}</ref><ref name="foreignpolicy_2019-11-08">{{cite web|last=Seligman|first=Lara|date=November 8, 2019|title=The Child Soldier Crisis: 'Kids Are Cheap'|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/11/08/child-soldier-crisis-kids-are-cheap-yemen-isis-my-star-sky/|website=foreignpolicy.com}}</ref> and a Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center at Harvard.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-research/policy-topics/international-relations-security/pentagons-new-media-policy-raises|title=The Pentagon's new media policy raises questions about transparency and trust|date=20 October 2025|website=Harvard Kennedy School|access-date=26 November 2025}}</ref>
Mulroy's post-service efforts focus on advocating for human rights, supporting global humanitarian and disaster relief operations,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/improving-u.s.-disaster-relief-at-reduced-risk-and-cost|title=Improving U.S. Disaster Relief at Reduced Risk and Cost|date=7 January 2024|website=Lawfare|author-first1=Sam|author-last1=Mundy|author-first2=Mick|author-last2=Mulroy|author-first3=Ben|author-last3=Connable|access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref> educating people on global conflicts,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jackson hosts third annual Special Operations Conference|url=https://jackson.yale.edu/news/jackson-hosts-third-annual-special-operations-conference/|access-date=2021-05-20|website=Yale Jackson Institute for Global Affairs|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/irregular-warfare-case-study-cia-and-us-army-special-forces-operations-northern-iraq|date=12 August 2021|title=Irregular Warfare: A Case Study in CIA and US Army Special Forces Operations in Northern Iraq, 2002-03|author-first1=Andrew|author-last1=L.|author-first2=Mick|author-last2=Mulroy|author-first3=Kenneth|author-last3=Tovo|access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref> combatting extremism,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Will there be an American insurgency? - National News - ABC News Radio|url=http://abcnewsradioonline.com/national-news/will-there-be-an-american-insurgency.html|access-date=2021-05-20|website=abcnewsradioonline.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/how-to-put-out-the-fires-of-violent-political-extremism/|title=How to put out the fires of violent political extremism|date=15 August 2023|website=Atlantic Council|author-first1=Thomas|author-last1=S. Warrick|author-first2=Mick|author-last2=Mulroy|access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref> and the philosophy of stoicism.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://platosacademy.org/socrates-as-sergeant-major/|title=Socrates as Sergeant Major|author-first1=Donald|author-last1=Robertson|author-first2=Mick|author-last2=Mulroy|access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://platosacademycentre.substack.com/p/a-tale-of-two-republics|title=A Tale of Two Republics|date=13 September 2024|access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref>
==Background== Mulroy was born in San Francisco, California, in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in 1967.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Interview with Michael Mulroy|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQcK7meoGHI|access-date=2025-11-27}}</ref> He is of Irish-American descent, with family roots in several places in Ireland, including County Mayo.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mick Mulroy: The Stoics' Mirror|url=https://platosacademy.org/mick-mulroy-the-stoics-mirror/|access-date=2025-11-27}}</ref>
His father, Dr. Michael Joseph Mulroy, was a Jesuit priest and neuroscientist.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Case for the Philosopher King|url=https://modernstoicism.com/a-case-for-a-philosopher-king-by-michael-patrick-mulroy/|access-date=2025-11-27}}</ref> His son, Michael Walton Mulroy, served as a U.S. Marine Sergeant in Force Reconnaissance<ref name="mei7">{{Cite web|title=Walton Mulroy profile|url=https://www.mei.edu/profile/walton-mulroy|access-date=2025-11-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Philippine Marines and US Marines share stories|url=https://www.dvidshub.net/image/5829702/philippine-marines-us-marines-japanese-soldiers-share-stories-during-kamandag-3|website=Defense Visual Information Distribution Service|access-date=2025-11-27}}</ref> and also served as an Airborne, Ranger, and Infantry Officer in the U.S. Army.<ref name="mei7"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loboinstitute.org/fellows/|title=Michael Walton Mulroy|access-date=30 November 2025}}</ref>
Mulroy lives with his wife, Mary Beth, in Whitefish, Montana.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mick Mulroy – Vandenberg Coalition|url=https://vandenbergcoalition.org/experts/mick-mulroy/|access-date=2025-11-27}}</ref>
==Career== ===Military service=== Mulroy is a retired U.S. Marine and served as a commissioned officer and an enlisted Marine on active duty and in the reserves. He served as an Armored Crewman (United States military occupation code (MOS) 1811) of a M1 Abrams tank, a Judge Advocate (MOS 4412) and an Infantry Officer (MOS 0302).<ref name="defense.gov1" /> His military awards include the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, among others.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Michael (Mick) P. Mulroy|url=https://www.war.gov/About/Biographies/Biography/Article/1415681/michael-mick-p-mulroy/|access-date=2021-05-20|website=United States Department of Defense|language=en-US}}</ref>
Mulroy was against the decision to pull all U.S. military forces out of Afghanistan. He explained that the U.S. should have kept a residual force that could have preserved everything that the coalition and Afghan partners had fought for the last 20 years.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Monday Briefing: A new round of Iranian-Saudi talks|url=https://www.mei.edu/blog/monday-briefing-new-round-iranian-saudi-talks|access-date=2021-10-31|website=Middle East Institute|language=en}}</ref>
===CIA service=== Mulroy is a retired Paramilitary Operations Officer (PMOO) from the Special Activities Center (formerly named Special Activities Division) of the CIA. PMOOs are a hybrid of a clandestine intelligence officer and a military special operator, belonging to the Special Operations Group (SOG) within SAC.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Robberson |first=Tod |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2002/021027-cia1.htm |title=CIA commandos remain covert |date=October 27, 2002 |work=Dallas Morning News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416125445/https://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2002/021027-cia1.htm |archive-date=April 16, 2023 }}</ref> They are recruited primarily from the United States Special Operations Command.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Waller |first=Douglas |date=February 3, 2003 |title=The CIA's Secret Army: The CIA's Secret Army |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1004145-1,00.html |newspaper=Time |access-date=January 28, 2018}}</ref><ref>Gup, Ted (2000). ''The Book of Honor: Covert Lives and Classified Deaths at the CIA''.</ref>
Mulroy joined the CIA in 1997. While at the CIA, Mulroy spent most of career in conflict areas.<ref name="defenseone_2019-11">{{cite web|last=Williams|first=Katie|date=November 4, 2019|title=The US Might Have Warded Off Turkey's Syria Invasion, Says DOD's Outgoing Mideast Policy Chief|url=https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2019/11/us-might-have-warded-turkeys-syria-invasion-says-dods-outgoing-mideast-policy-chief/161064/|website=Defense One|access-date=April 16, 2023|archive-date=April 16, 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230416125533/https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2019/11/us-might-have-warded-turkeys-syria-invasion-says-dods-outgoing-mideast-policy-chief/161064/|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> His positions included service as a Chief of a Department in Special Activities Center (SAC), a Chief of Station, a Chief of an Expeditionary Team, a Chief of Base in Afghanistan, a Deputy Chief of a Branch in Special Activities Division (SAD) and a PMOO in a Branch in SAD, among others.<ref name="defense_1415681">{{cite web |url=https://www.war.gov/About/Biographies/Biography/Article/1415681/michael-mick-p-mulroy/ |title=Michael (Mick) P. Mulroy > U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE > Biography |website=United States Department of Defense|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029190613/https://www.defense.gov/About/Biographies/Biography/Article/1415681/michael-mick-p-mulroy/ |archive-date=October 29, 2021 }}</ref> His awards include the Intelligence Star, the Intelligence Commendation Medal, the Career Intelligence Medal, and the National Intelligence Exceptional Achievement Medal, among others.<ref name="defense_1415681"/>
Mulroy is a godfather to four Gold Star Daughters, whose fathers, paramilitary officers, were killed in action and are honored on the CIA Memorial Wall and buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He also has two godsons, the children of former child soldiers Anthony and Florence Opoka, whose story is the subject of Mulroy's documentary "My Star in the Sky" and the book "All the Glimmering Stars" by Mark Sullivan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2023/05/memorial-day-is-more-than-just-the-start-of-summer/|title=Memorial Day Is More Than Just the Start of Summer|date=29 May 2023|website=National Review|access-date=7 November 2024}}</ref>
===Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) service=== thumb|right|Official DoD Photo Mulroy was DASD from October 20, 2017, to December 1, 2019. The DASD for the Middle East is a member of the Senior Executive Service in the Secretary of Defense's office.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/1345291/senior-executive-service-announcements/ |title=Senior Executive Service Announcements |website=U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE |access-date=May 5, 2019}}</ref> Mulroy was responsible for DoD policy and for representing the DoD in the interagency for the countries of Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.<ref name="defense.gov1"/><ref name="auto11"/> As DASD for the Middle East, Mulroy was responsible for implementing the National Defense Strategy of 2018 in that region and the Irregular Warfare Annex (IWA) to that strategy.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-04-19|title=U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council Hosts Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East|url=http://usuaebusiness.org/u-s-u-a-e-business-council-hosts-deputy-assistant-secretary-of-defense-for-the-middle-east/|access-date=2021-05-20|website=The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council|language=en-US}}</ref> Mulroy was chosen for this position by then-Defense Secretary James Mattis, who sought an individual with a "nonpartisan and apolitical background," as well as extensive experience in conflict areas, to fill senior policy positions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/09/05/hollowed-out-pentagon-begins-to-staff-up-mark-esper-mattis-vacancies/|title=Hollowed-Out Pentagon Begins to Staff Up|website=Foreign Policy|date=5 September 2019|author-first=Lara|author-last=Seligman|access-date=22 April 2024}}</ref>
At a workshop at RAND Corporation in October 2019, Mulroy officially rolled out the IWA, saying it was a critical component of the 2018 NDS. He noted that irregular warfare (IW) included counter-insurgency (COIN), counter-terrorism (CT), unconventional warfare (UW), foreign internal defense (FID), sabotage and subversion, stabilization (warfare), and information operations (IO). He continued that IW had been perceived as limited to the CT effort used to fight violent extremist organizations but should be applied to all competition areas, including the great powers of China and Russia and the rogue states of North Korea and Iran. Mulroy said that the U.S. must be prepared to respond with "aggressive, dynamic, and unorthodox approaches to IW" to be competitive across these priorities.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Monica|first1=1776 Main Street Santa|last2=California 90401-3208|title=NSRD Hosts Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, Michael Mulroy|url=https://www.rand.org/nsrd/news/2019/10/dasd-mulroy.html|access-date=2021-05-20|website=www.rand.org|language=en}}</ref>
In late 2020, during the delay in the transition between the Trump Administration to the Biden Administration, the incoming team for the DoD reached out to several former members of then-Secretary James Mattis for assistance. Mulroy was one of the former officials and one of the few that agreed to assist.<ref>{{Cite web|title=With transition stalled, Biden camp turns to former Trump administration officials for guidance|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/transition-stalled-biden-camp-turns-trump-administration-officials/story?id=74277258|access-date=2021-06-16|website=ABC News|language=en}}</ref>
===Post-government career=== ====National Security Analyst==== Since 2019, Mulroy has served as a national security and defense analyst for ABC News. He is a Distinguished Military Fellow at the Middle East Institute and a Senior Fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loboinstitute.org/mick-mulroy-becomes-a-senior-fellow-at-harvards-belfer-center/|title=Mick Mulroy becomes a senior fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center|date=5 July 2025|website=loboinstitute.org|access-date=22 July 2025}}</ref> He also sits on the Board of Advisors for the Vandenberg Coalition.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vandenbergcoalition.org/experts/mick-mulroy/|title=Mick Mulroy|website=Vandenberg Coalition|access-date=22 July 2025}}</ref>
====Other services==== Mulroy is also a member of the Atlantic Council's Counterterrorism Study Group (CTSG), which consists of individuals with experience in counterterrorism policymaking and operations. The group aims to analyze emerging trends in counterterrorism and suggest ways to enhance current practices.<ref name="atlanticcouncil.org">{{cite web | url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/programs/middle-east-programs/scowcroft-middle-east-security-initiative/counterterrorism-study-group/ | title=Counterterrorism Study Group|access-date=22 April 2024}}</ref>
==Human rights and humanitarian efforts== ===Advocacy for child soldiers=== ====''My Star in the Sky''==== Mulroy is a co-maker along with U.S. Navy SEAL Eric Oehlerich, of the documentary film, ''My Star in the Sky'', which in the Acholi dialect of Uganda and South Sudan is “Lakalatwe.” The film portrays the relationship between two former child soldiers in the Lord's Resistance Army led by Joseph Kony, who rebelled against the government of Uganda for decades. Mulroy's goal in making the film was to draw attention to the ongoing abuse of child soldiers in many countries. Foreign Policy reports that the documentary came about after Mulroy and Oehlerich met a family of former child soldiers during Operation Observant Compass (OOC).<ref name="foreignpolicy_2019-11-08" /> Mulroy called OOC a “model” for how to address child soldiers using influence operations instead of lethal force and working with Non-Government Organizations (NGOs)s who found mothers of child soldiers and had them broadcast messages over the radio to come home. Mulroy said that he hopes that OOC serves as a model for future programs to address child soldiers, as well as other operations, as it showed how the U.S. military could use “soft power, influence operations” and other aspects of so-called “irregular warfare” to fight the problem.<ref name="foreignpolicy_2019-11-08" />
This documentary has been screened at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://macmillan.yale.edu/event/screening-my-star-sky-and-qa-filmmakers |title=Screening of "My Star in the Sky" and Q&A with filmmakers |date=January 17, 2019 |website=The MacMillan Center}}</ref> the Atlantic Council, a Washington, D.C.–based think tank for international affairs,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/events/upcoming-events/detail/my-star-in-the-sky-a-movie-screening-and-reception |title=My Star in the Sky: A Movie Screening and Reception |website=www.atlanticcouncil.org |access-date=May 5, 2019}}</ref> the Enough Project, a non-profit group to end crimes against humanity,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://enoughproject.org/event/star-sky-movie-screening-reception |title=My Star in the Sky: A Movie Screening and Reception |website=enoughproject.org |access-date=May 5, 2019}}</ref> Georgetown University's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy,<ref name="auto9">{{cite web|title=Sept 24: LRA film screening in Georgetown - Grassrootsgroup.org | Grassroots Reconciliation Group|url=http://grassrootsgroup.org/2019/09/sept-24-two-grg-board-members-screen-lra-film-in-georgetown/|website=grassrootsgroup.org|access-date=September 29, 2019|archive-date=September 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929000434/http://grassrootsgroup.org/2019/09/sept-24-two-grg-board-members-screen-lra-film-in-georgetown/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the Truman National Security Project.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loboinstitute.org/film-screening-of-my-star-in-the-sky-at-truman-national-security-project/|title=Film Screening of "My Star in the Sky" at Truman National Security Project – Lobo Institute|access-date=August 11, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eventbrite.com/e/74774431337?aff=efbneb |title=Film and Panel Discussion on Lord's Resistance Army, "My Star in the Sky" |website=Eventbrite}}</ref><ref name="foreignpolicy_2019-11-08" />
In an interview for the podcast ''Frog Logic'', a podcast primarily for the special operations community, Mulroy said, "I don’t think anyone became a Marine, or a SEAL, or a [CIA] paramilitary officer with the idea that they were going to fight a child.”<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Froglogic Podcast: Froglogic Podcast EP #39 Michael Mulroy & Eric Oehlerich CIA PMCO And Navy SEAL Help Child Soldiers on Apple Podcasts|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/froglogic-podcast-ep-39-michael-mulroy-eric-oehlerich/id1071889417?i=1000475362356|access-date=2020-08-10|website=Apple Podcasts|language=en-us}}</ref>
===Grassroots Reconciliation Group=== Mulroy serves on the Board of Directors for the Grassroots Reconciliation Group (GRG).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Board of Directors|url=http://grassrootsgroup.org/about/board-of-directors/|access-date=2020-08-10|website=grassrootsgroup.org}}</ref> GRG was initiated as part of a United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded program called the Northern Uganda Peace Initiative (NUPI) to reconcile and rehabilitate former child soldiers of Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army. He also became a Special Advisor to the United Nations,<ref name="auto13">{{Cite web|url=https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawfare-podcast-yemens-ongoing-tragedy|title=The Lawfare Podcast: Yemen's Ongoing Tragedy|date=August 26, 2020|website=Lawfare|access-date=January 10, 2021}}</ref> co-director of the Yemen Steering Initiative.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Monday Briefing: A new round of Iranian-Saudi talks|url=https://www.mei.edu/blog/monday-briefing-new-round-iranian-saudi-talks|access-date=2021-05-20|website=Middle East Institute}}</ref>
===End Child Soldiering=== Mulroy co-founded End Child Soldiering and serves as co-president. The organisation works to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers and support affected children through prevention programs, and rehabilitation initiatives.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Analysis: How the US can combat the soldiering of children - World News - ABC News Radio|url=http://abcnewsradioonline.com/world-news/analysis-how-the-us-can-combat-the-soldiering-of-children.html|access-date=2021-05-20|website=abcnewsradioonline.com|language=en|archive-date=April 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420151419/http://abcnewsradioonline.com/world-news/analysis-how-the-us-can-combat-the-soldiering-of-children.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Lobo Institute=== Mulroy is co-founder of the Lobo Institute, an organization specializing in analysis of armed conflicts and humanitarian activities. The institute collaborates with international organizations including the UN and the U.S. State Department and provides training for specialists including journalists working in conflict zones.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/political-risk-vs-risk-force-how-policy-decisions-impact-risk-and-capability-partner|title=Political risk vs. risk to force: How policy decisions impact risk and capability in partner operations|date=29 March 2021|website=mei.edu|access-date=22 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/audio/2023-11-10/jay-powell-polestar-markets-and-veterans-podcast|title=Jay Powell, Polestar, Markets, and Veterans|date=10 November 2023|website=Bloomberg News|access-date=22 July 2025}}</ref>
===Fogbow=== Mulroy leads the advisory group Fogbow, focused on delivering aid to conflict regions. Fogbow does not engage in military activity but specializes in logistics and coordination of humanitarian operations.<ref name="washingtonpost9">{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/07/08/fogbow-aid-delivery-gaza-sudan/|title=U.S. entrepreneurs want to tear up the international aid system's rule book|date=8 July 2025|website=The Washington Post|access-date=22 July 2025}}</ref>
Mulroy is president of the company, and Eric Oehlerich serves as chief operating officer.<ref name="reuters9">{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-south-sudan-private-firms-deliver-aid-face-questions-2025-06-13/|title=From Gaza to South Sudan, private firms deliver aid and face questions|date=13 June 2025|website=Reuters|author-first=Aaron|author-last=Ross|access-date=2 July 2025}}</ref> Individuals affiliated with this effort include David Beasley, former Executive Director of the World Food Programme and Governor of South Carolina; Dana Shell Smith, former U.S. Ambassador and career diplomat; and Carl E. Mundy, retired Lieutenant General in the U.S. Marine Corps.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fogbow.com/team/|title=Team — Fogbow|access-date=14 May 2025}}</ref> The Lobo Institute and Fogbow bring together U.S. military veterans, primarily from special operations, and the international humanitarian community to conduct humanitarian operations in various countries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Knickmeyer |first=Ellen |last2=Mednick |first2=Stan |last3=Miettaux |first3=Florence |date=2025-06-18 |title=Firms led by US military veterans deliver aid in Africa and Gaza, alarming humanitarian groups |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/firms-led-us-military-veterans-044259796.html |access-date= |website=Yahoo News |language=en-US |agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/biden-to-announce-creation-of-gaza-port-to-receive-aid-5fc131b8|title=Biden Seeks to Boost Emergency Aid to Gaza With Offshore Pier|date=7 March 2024|author-first1=Nancy|author-last1=A. Youssef|author-first2=Vivian|author-last2=Salama|website=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=7 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/private-us-firm-coordinate-aid-boats-gaza/story?id=108269685|title=Private US firm wants to coordinate aid boats to Gaza|date=20 March 2024|website=ABC News (United States)|author-first=Anne|author-last=Flaherty|access-date=7 November 2024}}</ref>
Commenting on Fogbow's work in South Sudan, Mulroy stated, "We've worked for careers, collectively, in conflict zones. And we know how to essentially make very difficult situations work."<ref name="apnews7"/>
===Humanitarian operations=== ====Gaza==== Fogbow designed the original maritime corridor and secured ocean barges to ship food from Cyprus to Gaza.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68534370|title=How the US military plans to construct a pier and get food into Gaza|date=13 March 2024|website=BBC News|author-first=Bernd|author-last= Debusmann Jr|location=Washington, D.C., USA|access-date=13 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/u-s-sends-military-ship-to-help-build-pier-for-gaza-aid-d78eee6b|title=Bid to Pause Israel-Hamas War Falters Before Ramadan Starts|date=10 March 2024|website=The Wall Street Journal|author-first1=Dov|author-last1=Lieber|author-first2=Nancy|author-last2=A. Youssef|author-first3=Vivian|author-last3=Salama|url-access=subscription|access-date=13 March 2024}}</ref> But once the Biden Administration decided the U.S. military would construct a pier off the coast of Gaza, Fogbow shifted operations, moving 1,100 metric tons of food across the pier on behalf of Global Communities and other aid agencies.<ref name="washingtonpost9"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/biden-pier-deliver-aid-gaza-slow-start/story?id=110468573|title=Biden's military pier to deliver aid to Gaza off to slow start|date=22 May 2024|website=ABC News (United States)|author-first=Anne|author-last=Flaherty|access-date=22 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/19/politics/biden-administration-gaza-pier-distribution-agreement|title=Biden administration secures key agreement for aid distribution from US military pier being built off Gaza coast|date=20 April 2024|website=CNN|author-first1=Natasha|author-last1=Bertrand|author-first2=Jennifer|author-last2=Hansler|author-first3=Kylie|author-last3=Atwood|author-first4=Alex|author-last4=Marquardt|access-date=22 July 2025}}</ref>
====Sudan==== In 2024, Fogbow delivered 1,185 tons of food aid to the Kordofan region with support from USAID, targeting populations at IPC 5— the highest level of famine risk.<ref name="washingtonpost9"/><ref name="apnews7">{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-aid-south-sudan-gaza-military-contractors-b03e84e4330b219f1b2ed965ffda4448|title=Firms led by US military veterans deliver aid in Africa and Gaza, alarming humanitarian groups|date=18 June 2025|website=Associated Press|author-first1=Ellen|author-last1=Knickmeyer|author-first2=Sam|author-last2=Mednick|author-first3=Florence|author-last3=Miettaux|access-date=22 July 2025}}</ref>
====South Sudan==== Fogbow continued their operations in South Sudan, which included air dropping 600 metric tons of aid to a group of people in IPC 4 famine.<ref name="washingtonpost9"/><ref name="reuters9"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/airdrops-south-sudan-deliver-food-amid-conflict-us/story?id=123649906|title=Airdrops in South Sudan deliver food amid conflict as US shifts approach to foreign aid|date=23 July 2025|author-first=Chris|author-last=Boccia|website=ABC News (United States)|access-date=25 July 2025}}</ref><ref name="apnews7"/>
==Philosophy== Mulroy is a proponent of Stoic philosophy. In an essay in modern Stoicism entitled, “A Case for the Philosopher King,” Mulroy advocated for a return of teaching virtue ethics in school and modeling examples of those that should be emulated like Marcus Aurelius, James Stockdale, John Lewis, among others. He did this after citing the precipitous decline in the confidence Americans have in one another.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Patrick Mulroy|first=Michael|date=2020-09-26|title=A Case for a Philosopher-King by Michael Patrick Mulroy|url=https://modernstoicism.com/a-case-for-a-philosopher-king-by-michael-patrick-mulroy/|access-date=2021-05-26|website=Modern Stoicism|language=en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Mick Mulroy, Philosopher Kings, Ethics, and Wisdom - Modern Stoicism Podcast|date=October 8, 2020 |url=https://www.buzzsprout.com/882808/5811064-mick-mulroy-philosopher-kings-ethics-and-wisdom|access-date=2021-05-26}}</ref>
In an article for ABC News essay entitled, “Where philosophy intersects with war training: stoic soldiers,” Mulroy and Donald Robertson advocated for using stoicism as a philosophy in the military because of its focus on wisdom, justice, temperance, and courage.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Where philosophy intersects with war training: stoic soldiers - World News - ABC News Radio|url=http://abcnewsradioonline.com/world-news/where-philosophy-intersects-with-war-training-stoic-soldiers.html|access-date=2021-05-26|website=abcnewsradioonline.com|language=en|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501164225/http://abcnewsradioonline.com/world-news/where-philosophy-intersects-with-war-training-stoic-soldiers.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Piercey|first=Adam|date=2020-12-11|title=Podcast #16: Mick Mulroy, and Where Philosophy and Soldiering Intersect|url=https://modernstoicism.com/podcast-16-mick-mulroy-and-where-philosophy-and-soldiering-intersect/|access-date=2021-05-26|website=Modern Stoicism|language=en-CA}}</ref> He advocated for the U.S. military to incorporate stoicism into its basic training at a conference hosted by the U.S. Army National Guard in January 2021 and in a conference hosted by Modern Stoicism as one of the keynote speakers, along with retired National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and Georgetown University Professor Nancy Sherman.<ref>{{Citation|title=Mick Mulroy – Stoicism for the Military| date=January 12, 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rjtHeZq8Bo|language=en|access-date=2021-05-26}}</ref>
In an interview with The Daily Stoic website, Mulroy discussed the importance of philosophy, the simplicity of Stoicism, and the challenges of practicing it. He also highlighted the leadership qualities of Marcus Aurelius that continue to be admired in contemporary times, among other topics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dailystoic.com/mick-mulroy-on-the-beauty-of-marcus-aurelius-meditations-and-the-collective-need-for-philosophy/|title=Mick Mulroy on the Beauty of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations and the Collective Need For Philosophy|website=The Daily Stoic|date=February 17, 2024|access-date=13 March 2024}}</ref>
Mulroy is the co-founder of the podcast ''Pub and Porch: Applied Stoicism'' together with Adam Piercey, an engineer at the Canadian Space Agency.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pub and Porch YouTube Channel|url=https://youtube.com/@pubporch?si=SghwANWlkKXZLKmg|access-date=2025-11-27}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{commons category-inline}} * [https://www.loboinstitute.org Lobo Institute] * [https://www.loboinstitute.org/publications/publications-of-michael-mick-patrick-mulroy/ Publications by Michael "Mick" Patrick Mulroy]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mulroy, Michael Patrick}} Category:United States Department of Defense officials Category:Living people Category:People of the Central Intelligence Agency Category:First Trump administration personnel Category:Counterinsurgency theorists Category:Guerrilla warfare theorists Category:United States Marine Corps officers Category:Augusta University alumni Category:1967 births Category:Recipients of the Intelligence Star Category:American documentary film directors Category:American people of Irish descent Category:Documentary war filmmakers Category:People in counterterrorism