Dustin Carmack is a research fellow for cybersecurity, intelligence, and emerging technologies at The Heritage Foundation.
Carmack studies and writes about evolving domestic and international technology trends, “Big Tech”, national security, and intelligence issues.
Before joining Heritage, Carmack worked at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) as Chief of Staff for the Director of National Intelligence, where he worked on cybersecurity and the continuing impact of the SolarWinds breach, space-based technology and intelligence threats, election security threats, IC ethics of artificial intelligence principles and framework, response from the IC to COVID-19, and the strategic national security threat of China, among other issues.
Before his time at ODNI, he worked in the House of Representatives as Chief of Staff to Congressman John Ratcliffe (TX-04) and Congressman Ron DeSantis (FL-06). In this role, he served as the principal policy, communications, and political advisor to the congressmen who served collectively on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Judiciary, Homeland Security, Oversight & Government Reform, and Ethics Committees. Before going to the Hill, Dustin worked at Heritage Action for America as the House and Senate Legislative Strategist. He also worked at The Heritage Foundation as the Deputy Executive Branch Liaison and Legislative Events Coordinator.
Carmack holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. He also studied as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar at Tel Aviv University in Israel where he pursued a Masters in Middle Eastern History, Hebrew, and Arabic.
He earned the Director of National Intelligence’s Distinguished Service Award for outstanding service and exceptional contribution to the mission of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. In addition, he was a 2019 Class Lincoln Fellow at the Claremont Institute.
He and his wife, Hannah, currently reside in Washington, D.C., with their two four-legged children.