Dr. Ralph L. DeFalco III is a historian, a writer, a lecturer, and a retired national security intelligence professional whose career spanned five decades. He achieved the rank of captain during 25 years in the United States Navy and later served as a civilian intelligence professional on the Pentagon staff of the director of naval intelligence. Ralph is a graduate and former faculty member of the National Intelligence University and the College of Naval Command and Staff of the U.S. Naval War College, where he served as Fleet Professor. He earned his doctoral degree at Georgetown University.

Ralph has studied and published widely on topics ranging from military history and geopolitics to foreign affairs and applied ethics.  He is a contributing author to the two-volume work, The Central Intelligence Agency: An Encyclopedia of Covert Ops, Intelligence Gathering, and Spies and his numerous essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in various websites and publications, including Naval History Magazine, International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, National Strategy Forum Review, and H-net.