About Me

Dennis J. Petersen has been a professional writer and editor in the federal government for nearly 20 years. He is also a U.S. Navy Reserve officer and an independent author. Writing is his passion, and at any given time, he is working on half a dozen different journals and at least a couple book ideas.

Petersen currently serves as Deputy Managing Editor for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Overseas Contingency Operations component. That’s a very long, official way of saying that he writes and edits reports to Congress on major military, diplomatic, and humanitarian operations, including Iraq, Afghanistan, and most recently Ukraine. He is currently the lead writer and editor for the quarterly Special IG report on Operation Atlantic Resolve, covering the entire whole-of-government effort to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces and bolster NATO’s eastern flank. These reports offer transparency to the American taxpayers and can be accessed at www.ukraineoversight.gov.

In 2023, Petersen published his first book, Alpha Bravo Charlie: A Child’s Guide to the NATO Phonetic Alphabet. Through rhymed meter and verse, this book teaches children their ABCs using the world’s most widely used radiotelegraphic spelling alphabet. The NATO alphabet is used by members of the military, first responders, pilots, and others who need to communicate lettered codes clearly over radio static and other audio distortions. This book was written specifically with military families in mind so that parents who serve in uniform can share this small part of their professional world with their kids.

In 2019, Petersen was sworn in as a Public Affairs Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He is currently assigned U.S. Pacific Command, where he’s supported such major operations and exercises as Pacific Partnership 25 and RIMPAC 24. He also serves on Navy Reserve Center DC’s funeral honors team and has rendered final respects for more than 120 fallen Sailors.

For the first decade of his career, Petersen served as a congressional staffer, spending most of those years in the Office of Rep. Charlie Dent (PA-15). In this capacity, he provided confidential advice and counsel to the Congressman on a wide range of policy issues, including appropriations, budget, defense, foreign affairs, taxes, trade, and international development. He wrote press releases, speeches, congressional testimony, official correspondence, and just about any written product you can think of. Additionally, Petersen managed the congressman’s legislative priorities through the committee process and on the House floor, including passage of the Synthetic Drug Control Act of 2012 and numerous amendments to the annual appropriations bills.

Dennis J. Petersen lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with his beautiful wife, Megan, their amazing kids, Annie and Joe, and their adorable pups, Chewie and Rita. He and his family are active members of St. Rita Catholic Church in Alexandria. An accomplished homebrewer, his beers have won awards in multiple BJCP-sanctioned competitions. Like many men his age, Petersen also enjoys BBQ, woodworking, and books about military history.