Arkenstone Defense, the only GovCon-native platform that equips commercial technology companies with the compliance infrastructure needed to enter the federal market, today announced that Joseph Larson has joined the company's Board of Directors as Lead Independent Director.

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Larson currently serves as Vice President and Head of Government at OpenAI, where he leads the company's engagement with federal, state, local, and international government partners. He joins Arkenstone's board after a career spent at the intersection of emerging technology, defense innovation, and public service.

Larson currently serves as Vice President and Head of Government at OpenAI, where he leads the company's engagement with federal, state, local, and international government partners. He joins Arkenstone's board after a career spent at the intersection of emerging technology, defense innovation, and public service.

"The next generation of defense capability will come from commercial companies building AI, autonomy, cybersecurity, biotech, and other technologies at venture speed," said Larson. "But too many still underestimate what it takes to become a trusted government supplier. Arkenstone is solving that operational challenge at scale, making it easier for innovative companies to support national security. That's an important capability for the ecosystem, and I'm excited to help shape the company's next chapter."

Prior to OpenAI, Larson served as Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff at Anduril Industries, where he helped lead strategy for joint all-domain command and control, ISR, and battle management. From 2022 to 2024, he was the inaugural Deputy Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer for Algorithmic Warfare within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where he oversaw autonomy, AI, and machine learning initiatives across the Department of War, including the creation of Task Force Lima and leadership of the Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team, known as Project Maven. Earlier in his career, Larson was Head of Business Operations at Tulco Labs and a Deployment Strategist at Palantir Technologies, and began his legal career practicing antitrust and bankruptcy law at Sidley Austin LLP.

Larson is also a Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, where he serves as an intelligence officer with the MAGTF Staff Training Program in Quantico, Virginia. He holds a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School, a Master of Arts in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History from the University of San Diego. Larson was named a 2026 Wash100 Award recipient by Executive Mosaic in recognition of his work advancing responsible federal adoption of artificial intelligence.

"Joseph understands something few leaders do: breakthrough technology only changes national security if the government can actually adopt it," said Peter Dixon, co-founder and CEO of Arkenstone Defense. "He's helped shape AI policy inside the Pentagon, scaled one of defense's fastest-growing companies, and now works at the forefront of everything defense tech and AI. That combination of experience will help Arkenstone continue building the operational foundation that allows more commercial innovators to serve the government."

Arkenstone combines workforce operations, HR, payroll, insurance, personnel security, contracting support, compliance, and accreditation into one managed platform that scales from a company's first federal opportunity through long-term government programs. More than two dozen defense technology companies already operate on Arkenstone's platform.

"We built Arkenstone because too many talented teams were choosing not to sell to government at all, rather than deal with the compliance burden,” Dixon added. “The future defense industrial base will look very different from the last one. It will include more software companies, more AI companies, and more venture-backed innovators. Our role is to give those companies the operating infrastructure to participate, and Joseph brings exactly the strategic perspective we need as that transformation accelerates."

About Arkenstone Defense

Arkenstone Defense builds the operating system for government contracting and compliance — the infrastructure that lets commercial companies meet the full operating burden of selling to the U.S. government, from cleared workforce and payroll to personnel security, accreditation, and audit. By removing that burden, Arkenstone aims to widen the commercial defense industrial base and help the United States field capability affordably and at scale. Arkenstone is led by a team of operators who have built and run the GovCon, cybersecurity, and workforce businesses the company now brings together. It is based in Menlo Park, California, with offices in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Burr Ridge, Illinois. Learn more at arkenstonedefense.com.

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