[2] Prior to this post, Joseph was the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, a position he held until January 24, 2007.

Joseph was nominated to, and attended the United States Naval Academy (1967–1969), at the height of the Vietnam War.

[6][better source needed] In January 2001, as George W. Bush prepared to take office, Joseph served on a panel for nuclear weapons issues sponsored by the National Institute for Public Policy, a conservative think tank.

[citation needed] He was Senior Director for Proliferation Strategy, Counterproliferation and Homeland Defense within the National Security Council (2001–2005).

In this capacity, he supervised the portion of President George W. Bush's 2003 State of the Union Address that dealt with intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.