David Trachtenberg

David J. Trachtenberg is an independent consultant in national security affairs and President and CEO of Shortwaver Consulting, LLC. He has over 35 years of public policy experience in the private sector and the Executive and Legislative branches of government. As Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy, his office initiated successful efforts to restructure NATO, develop the Proliferation Security Initiative, and strengthen relationships with Russia and former Soviet states. Concurrently, he was Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Forces Policy, overseeing the office that led the development of the Nuclear Posture Review and the New Triad concept, and provided policy rationale leading to the withdrawal from the ABM Treaty and deployment of an initial national missile defense capability. As a senior professional staff member on the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), he developed Committee positions and provided policy oversight of export control and technology transfer issues, peacekeeping, terrorism, nuclear weapons and arms control, missile defense, nonproliferation, and cooperative threat reduction with the former Soviet Union. Previously, he was a member of the technical staff of The Analytical Sciences Corporation, consultant to the President's General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament, Senior Defense Analyst for the Committee on the Present Danger, and research associate with the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis, Inc. In 2003, Mr. Trachtenberg was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the highest honorary award presented by DOD to private citizens. Mr. Trachtenberg received an A.B. degree in International Relations from the University of Southern California and a Master of Science degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. He is widely published and has served on various boards, task forces, and commissions.