Susanna Blume

Biography

Susanna Blume is an operating advisor and the founder of Route 190 LLC, where she focuses on helping innovative companies succeed with the Department of Defense to field game changing military capabilities at scale. With extensive experience in defense strategy, budgeting, and policy, Susanna has a proven track record of aligning resources with strategic priorities to enhance national security.​

Prior to founding Route 190, Susanna most recently served as the Department of Defense’s Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE), a presidentially appointed, senate confirmed 4-star equivalent position. In this role she led an organization of more than 400 government and contract staff overseeing allocation of $850 billion per year. Over a period of four years, she developed and executed a data-led analytic agenda to drive strategic application of defense resources, resulting in an increase to defense spending of over $100 billion, which delivered increased production of weapons systems, investment in next generation technologies, and improved quality of life for service members and their families.

Prior to that role, Susanna was a Senior Fellow and Director of the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security, where she increased the program’s revenue by over 50 percent in a single year. She also served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Programs and Plans to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, advising on critical issues such as budgeting, force management, strategic planning, and acquisition policy. Her previous experience includes roles in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Plans and Posture.

Susanna holds a master’s degree in international studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, a law degree from the George Washington University Law School, and a bachelor’s degree in the history of art from Johns Hopkins University.