Robert Joseph

Ambassador Robert Joseph serves on the board of advisors of FDD’s Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program.

Ambassador Joseph is the National Institute for Public Policy’s senior scholar. Previously, Ambassador Joseph served as U.S. special envoy for nuclear nonproliferation and under secretary of state for arms control and international Security (2005–2007). In this capacity, he was the principal State Department officer for non-and counterproliferation matters, arms control, arms transfers, regional security and defense relations, and security assistance. His management responsibilities included overseeing three major bureaus headed by assistant secretaries of state: International Security and Nonproliferation; Political and Military Affairs; and Verification, Compliance and Implementation.

Prior to his State Department positions, Dr. Joseph served in the National Security Council from 2001 through 2004 as special assistant to the president and senior director for proliferation strategy, counterproliferation and homeland defense. He was responsible, under the supervision of the national security advisor, for developing and coordinating U.S. policies and strategies for preventing, deterring, and defending against threats to the United States from weapons of mass destruction.

From 1992 to 2001, Dr. Joseph was professor of national security studies and director/founder of the Center for Counterproliferation Research at the National Defense University. Earlier, he was U.S. commissioner to the Standing Consultative Commission and ambassador to the U.S.-Russian Commission on Nuclear Testing; principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for international security policy; deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear forces and arms control policy; nuclear policy/planning officer at the U.S. Mission to NATO; and assistant professor of international relations/strategic studies at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tulane University, and Carleton College.

Dr. Joseph received his B.A. from Saint Louis University, his M.A. from the University of Chicago, and his PhD from Columbia University.