Joseph Federici serves as a Senior Policy Analyst on the Security and Foreign Affairs team where he brings over a decade of national security and foreign policy experience to the Commission.
Most recently, Joe served in a number of roles in the Biden administration at the Department of Defense (DoD). He was the Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary of the Air Force where he focused on executing key strategic priorities for the Under Secretary. Prior to that, Joe was a Special Assistant and then Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense of Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs where he was the lead writer in drafting the classified “Homeland Defense Policy Guidance” – the first DoD-wide homeland defense strategy in nearly a decade. He also served as the Speechwriter to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, crafting over 200 speeches, remarks, and talking points that captured the essence of the Deputy Secretary’s voice and message.
Prior to his time at DoD, Joe was an Associate Director and Associate Fellow in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), focusing on national security topics ranging from national defense strategy to gray zone conflict and economic statecraft.
He received his J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law; M.S., with distinction, from Georgetown University; and B.A., with honors, from Rutgers University. While in graduate school at Georgetown University, he was a teaching assistant to Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
Joe is the recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service, the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exception Public Service, and the CSIS Baumgartner Employee Recognition Award.
Areas of Interest and Expertise
- U.S. foreign policy related to China and the Indo-Pacific
- U.S. military strategy, capabilities, and activities in the Indo-Pacific
- China’s foreign policy and diplomatic activities
- China’s military strategy and the organization, capabilities, and activities of the People’s Liberation Army