Cristian de la Maza
2022 ALI Fellow
Cristian de la Maza brings to ALI a career of significant, high-level public service. As Chile’s undersecretary of defense, he was responsible for national defense plans and policies, international relations, cyber defense, and defense industry research and development, and in which capacity he authored the country’s first national defense policy. Cristian previously served for nearly 40 years in the Chilean Navy, culminating as a three-star admiral and chief of general staff and deputy commander-in-chief, the #2 leadership role in the navy. His service includes leading the navy’s humanitarian response to the 2010 earthquake and tsunami that devastated Chile, transforming the navy into today’s NATO-style organization through collaborating with other Pacific Rim countries, and modernizing Chile’s fleet.