Joshua Stiefel

Joshua Stiefel is vice president for government relations at Second Front, a public benefit, venture-backed technology company specializing in national security and accelerating government access to commercially proven software. Josh serves concurrently as the co-chair of the Commission on Cyber Force Generation, a joint initiative between the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Previously, he spent nearly seven years as a professional staff member for the U.S. House Armed Services Committee (HASC), where he was responsible for the oversight, legislation, and policy for the Department of Defense’s cyber warfare, cybersecurity, and information technology activities, a portfolio of more than $25 billion annually. He conceived, authored, and negotiated nearly 400 provisions of law enacted across seven annual National Defense Authorization Acts. Prior to Capitol Hill, Josh spent 10 years in the executive branch with the Departments of Defense and Treasury. He is a former term member at the Council on Foreign Relations and served for eight years as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He holds a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University and a B.A. with honors from Lehigh University.