Thomas L Lankford

Thomas L. Lankford serves as Vice President at Van Scoyoc Associates, Inc. (VSA). Lankford came to VSA after more than nine years service in the United States Senate, including seven years with Senator Bob Smith of New Hampshire. Most recently, he served as acting legislative director and senior policy advisor to Senator Smith, where he managed daily legislative operations, including floor and committee activity, and coordinated the formulation and implementation of the senator's legislative agenda. Lankford is best known for his work as Senator Smith's personal representative to the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he served as principal national security advisor and liaison to committee staff, the Defense Department, the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the aerospace industry. He was Senator Smith's lead staff representative through seven complete defense authorization and appropriations cycles. Prior to his service with Senator Smith, he served as legislative assistant for Defense to Senator Gordon Humphrey of New Hampshire. Lankford's areas of specialization include defense acquisition, research and development, base closure, intelligence, foreign policy, and science and technology. During his tenure representing Senator Smith on the Armed Services Committee, Lankford was lead policy advisor to the senator on all strategic, seapower, air-land, readiness, acquisition policy, and personnel issues. He is a recognized expert in ballistic missile defense and arms control issues, and was instrumental in drafting the Missile Defense Act of 1991, the Defend America Act, and the National Missile Defense Act of 1997. A native of Penfield, New York, Lankford earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the State University of New York at Geneseo, and a master of arts in international transactions from George Mason University.