“Weapons of mass destruction in the possession of state adversaries and terrorist groups represent a major threat to our security today and in the future. PEL provides a sound basis for understanding the spectrum of WMD challenges and the required responses. Bringing together future leaders across the interagency, the program emphasizes the need for a government-wide approach to countering WMD threats.”
– Ambassador Robert G. Joseph, Ph.D.
Ambassador Robert Joseph, Ph.D. is a Senior Scholar at the National Institute for Public Policy. From 2005 through 2007, he was Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security and Special Envoy for Nonproliferation. In this capacity, he reported directly to the Secretary of State as the principal State Department officers for non- and counterproliferation matters, arms control, arms transfers, regional security and defense relations, and security assistance. His management responsibilities included oversight of three major bureaus headed by Assistant Secretaries of State: International Security and Nonproliferation; Political and Military Affairs; and Verification, Compliance and Implementation.
From 2001 through 2004, Ambassador Joseph served in the National Security Council as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Proliferation Strategy, Counterproliferation and Homeland Defense. In this capacity, 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. Earlier, he was Principal Deputy Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Forces and Arms Control. Dr. Joseph was also the founder and Director of the Center for Counterproliferation Research at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. He holds graduate degrees from the University of Chicago (M.A.) and Columbia University (Ph.D.).