Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
United States government position
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In the United States, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs or ASD (ISA) is the principal advisor to the under secretary of defense for policy (USD (P)) and the secretary of defense on international security strategy and policy on issues of Department of Defense (DoD) interest related to the governments and defense establishments of the nations and international organizations of Europe (including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization), the Middle East, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere. The ASD (ISA) also oversees security cooperation programs and foreign military sales programs in these regions.[2] Despite the broad title of the office, the ASD (ISA) does not develop policy related to Asia, the Pacific region, Latin America, or South America.
Reports toUnited States Secretary of Defense
AppointerThe president
with Senate advice and consent
with Senate advice and consent
Term lengthAppointed
Inaugural holderJohn H. Ohly
| United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs | |
|---|---|
Seal of the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs | |
 Flag of an assistant secretary of defense | |
| United States Department of Defense | |
| Reports to | United States Secretary of Defense |
| Appointer | The president with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | Appointed |
| Inaugural holder | John H. Ohly |
| Formation | March 27, 1949 |
| Website | Official website |
Responsibilities
According to a description provided by the Office of the USD (P),[2] the ASD (ISA) shall:
- Conduct and manage day-to-day, multilateral, regional, and bilateral defense relations with all foreign governments in assigned areas of responsibility.
- Develop regional security and defense strategy and policy, provide advice, and issue guidance to translate global and functional policies into regional-specific country strategies, and oversee their implementation in coordination with cognizant DoD officials.
- For countries in assigned areas of responsibility, develop, coordinate, and oversee the implementation of:
- Defense security policy and management of defense and military relations
- Policy, plans, and activities, as well as uses of DoD resources engaged in encouraging the development of military capabilities, constitutional democracy and respect for human rights, including civilian control of the military, institutionalizing an appropriate role for the military in a constitutional democracy, and encouraging the development of standards of military professionalism that promote respect for elected civilian authorities and human rights.
- DoD policy and recommendations concerning security cooperation programs and organizations, foreign military sales, military education and training, and other missions pertaining to security cooperation program relationships.
- Develop, coordinate, and oversee the implementation of policy related to NATO, Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, the Partnership for Peace, and other institutions with a security dimension including the European Union, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the African Union.
- Provide policy guidance and oversight to the defense advisor, U.S. mission to NATO, and representative of the secretary of defense representative to the OSCE on behalf of the under secretary of defense for policy. Promote coordination, cooperation, and joint planning on nuclear policy and strategy with NATO allies, in coordination with the assistant secretary of defense for special operations/low intensity conflict and interdependent capabilities.
- Support the NATO Nuclear Planning Group and its subordinate body, the High Level Group and chair the High Level Group.
- Represent the under secretary of defense for policy and the secretary of defense in interagency policy deliberations and international negotiations dealing with assigned areas of responsibility.
- Monitor and provide policy recommendations related to the conduct of U.S. military operations in the countries or regions of focus or on the participation of such countries in operations outside of the region.
- Perform such other functions as the under secretary of defense for policy or the secretary of defense may prescribe.
Officeholders
The table below includes both the various titles of this post over time, as well as all the holders of those offices.
| Name | Tenure | SecDef(s) served under | President(s) served under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (International Security Affairs) | |||
| John H. Ohly | March 27, 1949 – December 1, 1949 | Louis A. Johnson | Harry S. Truman |
| Maj. Gen. James H. Burns (USA) | December 6, 1949 – August 27, 1951 | Louis A. Johnson George Marshall | Harry S. Truman |
| Frank C. Nash | August 28, 1951 – February 10, 1953 | George Marshall Robert A. Lovett Charles E. Wilson | Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Assistant Secretary of Defense (International Security Affairs) | |||
| Frank C. Nash | February 11, 1953 – February 28, 1954 | Charles E. Wilson | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| H. Struve Hensel | March 5, 1954 – June 30, 1955 | ||
| Gordon Gray | July 14, 1955 – February 27, 1957 | ||
| Mansfield D. Sprague | February 28, 1957 – October 3, 1958 | Charles E. Wilson Neil H. McElroy | |
| John N. Irwin II | October 4, 1958 – January 20, 1961 | Neil H. McElroy Thomas S. Gates Jr. | |
| Paul Nitze | January 29, 1961 – November 29, 1963 | Robert McNamara | John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson |
| William Bundy | November 29, 1963 – March 14, 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
| John T. McNaughton | July 1, 1964 – July 19, 1967 | ||
| Paul Warnke | August 1, 1967 – February 15, 1969 | Robert McNamara Clark Clifford Melvin Laird | Lyndon B. Johnson Richard Nixon |
| G. Warren Nutter | March 4, 1969 – January 30, 1973 | Melvin Laird Elliot Richardson | Richard Nixon |
| Lawrence Eagleburger (Acting) | January 31, 1973 – May 10, 1973 | Elliot Richardson | |
| Robert C. Hill | May 11, 1973 – January 5, 1974 | Elliot Richardson James R. Schlesinger | |
| Vice Adm. Raymond E. Peet (Acting) | January 6, 1974 – April 1, 1974 | James R. Schlesinger | |
| Amos Jordan (Acting) | April 2, 1974 – June 4, 1974 | ||
| Robert Ellsworth | June 5, 1974 – December 22, 1975 | James R. Schlesinger Donald Rumsfeld | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford |
| Amos Jordan (Acting) | December 23, 1975 – May 5, 1976 | Donald Rumsfeld | Gerald Ford |
| Eugene V. McAuliffe | May 6, 1976 – April 1, 1977 | Donald Rumsfeld Harold Brown | Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter |
| David E. McGiffert | April 4, 1977 – January 20, 1981 | Harold Brown | Jimmy Carter |
| Bing West | April 4, 1981 – April 1, 1983 | Caspar Weinberger | Ronald Reagan |
| Richard Armitage | April 2, 1983 – June 5, 1983 (Acting) June 5, 1983 – June 5, 1989 | Caspar Weinberger Frank Carlucci William Howard Taft IV (Acting) Dick Cheney | Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush |
| Harry Rowen | June 26, 1989 – July 31, 1991 | Dick Cheney | George H. W. Bush |
| James R. Lilley | December 12, 1991 – January 20, 1993 | ||
| Assistant Secretary of Defense (Regional Security Affairs) | |||
| Charles W. Freeman Jr. | July 6, 1993 – April 11, 1994 | Les Aspin William Perry | Bill Clinton |
| Assistant Secretary of Defense (International Security Affairs) | |||
| Charles W. Freeman Jr. | April 11, 1994 – September 14, 1994 | William Perry | Bill Clinton |
| Joseph Nye | September 15, 1994 – December 16, 1995 | ||
| Franklin D. Kramer | March 29, 1996 – February 16, 2001 | William Perry William Cohen Donald Rumsfeld | Bill Clinton George W. Bush |
| Peter Rodman[4] | July 16, 2001 – March 2, 2007 | Donald Rumsfeld Robert Gates | George W. Bush |
| Mary Beth Long[5] | March 3, 2007 – December 21, 2007 (Acting) December 21, 2007 – January 20, 2009 | Robert Gates | |
| Michael W. Coulter (Acting) | January 20, 2009 – April 3, 2009 | Barack Obama | |
| Alexander Vershbow | April 3, 2009 – February 10, 2012 | ||
| Derek Chollet[6] | June 1, 2012 – January 15, 2015 | Chuck Hagel | |
| Elissa Slotkin (Acting) | January 15, 2015 – January 20, 2017 | Chuck Hagel | |
| Kenneth B. Handelman (Acting) | January 20, 2017 – June 7, 2017[7] | Jim Mattis | Donald Trump |
| Robert Karem | June 7, 2017 – October 31, 2018 [8] | ||
| Kathryn L. Wheelbarger (Acting) | October 31, 2018 – July 4, 2020 | Jim Mattis Mark Esper | |
| Michael C. Ryan (Acting) | July 5, 2020 – August 31, 2020 | Mark Esper | |
| Michael Cutrone (Acting) | September 1, 2020 – January 20, 2021 | ||
| Laura Cooper (Acting) | January 20, 2021 – February 9, 2021 | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| Mara Karlin (Acting)[9] | February 9, 2021 – August 17, 2021 | ||
| Laura Cooper (Acting) | August 17, 2021 – December 17, 2021 | ||
| Ilan Goldenberg (Acting) | December 17, 2021 – February 22, 2022 | ||
| Celeste Wallander | February 22, 2022 – January 20, 2025 | ||
| Katherine Thompson (Performing The Duties Of) | January 20, 2025 - July 8, 2025 | Pete Hegseth | Donald Trump |
| Daniel Zimmerman | July 8, 2025 - Incumbent | ||
Structure
This office can trace its roots back to the early days of the modern national security establishment. It was created in 1949, two years after the National Security Act established the Department of Defense.
The ASD (ISA) is supported by seven deputy assistant secretaries (DASDs), each with coverage of a different region or international organization. The DASDs manage "principal directors" who in turn oversee "country directors" with more narrow geographic portfolios:
- Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs
- Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO
- Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Near East and Central Asia
- Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, & Eurasia
- Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere
- Secretary of Defense Representative in the U.S. Mission to NATO
- Secretary of Defense Representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
DASDs are appointed by the secretary of defense. Some are appointed from civilian life, while others are career defense officials. Once at the DASD level, the latter are considered a part of the DoD Senior Executive Service.
The ASD (ISA) is also supported by a principal deputy, or PDASD, who helps manage the day-to-day operations.
Principal deputy assistant secretaries for international security affairs
Deputy assistant secretaries of defense reporting to the ASD (ISA)
The list below details the current and former DASDs in this office.