Mr. Denmark serves as the Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense for AUKUS. He advises the Secretary and coordinates efforts across the Department to move rapidly in delivering on the promise of this historic partnership to help Australia establish a conventionally armed, nuclear powered submarine capability and to accelerate development of advanced capabilities to serve security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Mr. Denmark previously served as Vice President of Programs at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., but he is a familiar face at the Pentagon, having served from 2015 to 2017 as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia. His published work includes U.S. Strategy in the Asian Century, Empowering Allies and Partners (Columbia University Press, 2020), which focuses on relationships in the region as an indispensable strategic asset for the United States.

Before joining the Pentagon, Mr. Denmark held analytic positions at the National Bureau of Asian Research, the Center for a New American Security, and in the U.S. Intelligence Community. A Colorado native, he received an M.A. from the University of Denver Korbel School for International Studies, and a B.A. with Honors from the University of Northern Colorado.