Josh Altman

Josh Altman is a Professor of the Practice in Georgia Tech’s Sam Nunn School of International Affairs. He focuses on the practice of national security policymaking and oversight within democratic institutions, particularly the United States Congress. He is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Josh previously served as acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Senate Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). In this role, he advised Department of Defense (DoD) leaders on the department’s relationship with the United States Senate and led strategic engagement with Senate leadership, the Senate Armed Services Committee, and member offices in support of DoD priorities. His efforts were recognized with the OSD Exceptional Public Service Medal.

At DoD, Josh also served as the Policy Team Chief in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs. In that role, he was the primary advisor to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy on all matters related to congressional engagement, legislation, and oversight. He managed a team that facilitated strategic legislative engagement related to several pressing national security issues, including assistance to Ukraine, AUKUS, conflict in the Middle East, U.S. security cooperation with partners and allies, and U.S. strategy in the Indo-Pacific.

Josh earlier served as National Security Advisor to United States Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia. He was Senator Ossoff’s principal policy advisor for defense, foreign affairs, homeland security, and veterans’ affairs. Josh played a key role in the development of the senator’s national security priorities, advocated for Georgia’s military and veterans communities, and led several successful legislative and oversight initiatives on behalf of the senator.

During his graduate studies, Josh was a student of former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and served as a teaching assistant for Secretary Carter's courses on national security leadership and technology policy. He worked at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, where he was a research assistant to General (Ret.) Joseph Dunford, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Josh also supported Gen. Dunford's work as co-chair of the Afghanistan Study Group at the United States Institute of Peace. 

Previously, Josh was an active-duty infantry officer and paratrooper in the United States Army and deployed to Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division. Josh began his career as a high school mathematics teacher.

Josh earned a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor’s degree in economics from George Washington University. He hails from Cherokee County, Georgia.