Joshua “Clay” Aisen is a retired U.S. Navy officer whose military specialty was facilitating the provision of defense articles to partner nations in Central Europe, including supporting U.S. efforts to aid Ukraine. His areas of expertise include Foreign Military Sales (FMS), Building Partner Capacity (BPC), Requirement Development, and Military Training Requirements.

From 2020 to 2023, Josh was the director of Navy, Space, and Rotary Wing programs at the Office of Defense Cooperation in U.S. Embassy Warsaw, managing a portfolio of programs in excess of $12 billion. Most recently he worked as a Country Portfolio Director at the Navy International Programs Office, the Department of the Navy’s implementing agency. His Navy experience also includes international engagement and global strategy for Europe on the staff of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and the Chief of Naval Operations. He served as Director of the Eurasia Partnership Program, tasked with building working relationships between members of Black and Caspian Sea naval forces by organizing and executing multinational cooperative events. Prior to working in the international arena, Josh was a P-3 aviator specializing in anti-submarine warfare and ISR missions.

Josh graduated from Brigham Young University with a B.A. in international relations and earned his master’s in public administration at Harvard Kennedy School. He maintains a broad network of contacts in government, media, and academia throughout Central and Eastern Europe. He is fluent in Polish and Bulgarian and speaks working-level German.