Anthony Convertino

Anthony (AJ) Convertino is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, where he teaches a course on space policy and diplomacy.

Mr. Convertino currently serves as a Space Policy Advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) under the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy. In this role, Mr. Convertino develops policy recommendations for senior Department of Defense (DoD) leadership on U.S. Government-wide national security space efforts, and he is the lead advisor for DoD engagements with the People’s Republic of China on space security issues. In addition to working closely with the Joint Staff, Space Command, and Space Force, Mr. Convertino coordinates national-level space policy matters with interagency officials at the White House, State Department, NASA, NOAA, and the Intelligence Community.

Mr. Convertino first joined DoD as a China Policy Advisor in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, where he led policy oversight of U.S. military operations in the Indo-Pacific. Prior to joining DoD, Mr. Convertino worked at NASA’s Office of International and Interagency Relations (OIIR), where his research focused on China's civil space program and U.S.-Japan civil space cooperation. His other previous roles include serving as a high school Mandarin Chinese teacher and as a Climate and Energy Fellow at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) China Headquarters.

Mr. Convertino is a former John S. McCain Strategic Defense Fellow and David L. Boren Scholar. He is a recipient of the OSD Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service, the OSD Group Achievement Award, and the ASD Space Policy Outstanding Service Award.