Michael Gancio serves as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of War (PDASW) for Space Policy. In this role, Mr. Gancio supports the Assistant Secretary on all matters related to space and missile defense policy for the Department of War (DoW). 

Prior to joining DoW, Mr. Gancio served on the staff of Chairman Tom Cotton at the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence as the Director of Analysis, where he advised the Chairman on the substance and quality of analysis produced by the intelligence Community (IC).

Previously, Mr. Gancio covered space threats as an analyst in the IC. He joined the IC as an all-source analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency and eventually served for three years as Deputy National Intelligence Officer for Space at the National Intelligence Council. 

Mr. Gancio began his career as a staffer in the House of Representatives, serving as the clerk for the Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the Committee on Armed Services. He graduated from Virginia Tech with BAs in History and Political Science and a minor in Geography.