# Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs

The Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs is a position within the U.S. Department of State that manages the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, charged with linking the Department of Defense and the Department of State by providing policy in the areas of international security, security assistance, military operations, defense strategy and policy, military use of space, and defense trade. The Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs reports to the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs.
When the Department of State originally established the Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs on September 18, 1969, the bureau had replaced a special component for politico-military affairs that had served under the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs since 1960. The head of the Bureau had the title of Director of the Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs, and was designated by the Secretary of State, but still held rank equivalent to Assistant Secretary. Later, the director became appointed by the President, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate, and the title of the head of the Bureau was changed to Assistant Secretary on April 14, 1986.

## List of directors of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, 1969–1985

| # | Name | Assumed office | Left office | President served under |
| 1 | Ronald I. Spiers | September 18, 1969 | August 2, 1973 | Richard Nixon |
| 2 | Seymour Weiss | August 6, 1973 | January 17, 1974 | Richard Nixon |
| 3 | George S. Vest | April 29, 1974 | March 27, 1977 | Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford |
| 4 | Leslie H. Gelb | February 23, 1977 | June 30, 1979 | Jimmy Carter |
| 5 | Reginald H. Bartholomew | July 1, 1979 | January 20, 1981 | Jimmy Carter |
| 6 | Richard R. Burt | January 23, 1981 | February 17, 1982 | Ronald Reagan |
| 7 | Jonathan Howe | May 10, 1982 | July 1, 1984 | Ronald Reagan |
| 8 | John T. Chain, Jr. | July 1, 1984 | June 14, 1985 | Ronald Reagan |

## List of Assistant Secretaries of State for Political-Military Affairs, 1986–present

| # | Name | Assumed office | Left office | President served under |
| 9 | H. Allen Holmes | July 19, 1985 | August 8, 1989 | Ronald Reagan |
| 10 | Richard A. Clarke | August 8, 1989 | July 10, 1992 | George H. W. Bush |
| 11 | Robert Gallucci | July 13, 1992 | October 11, 1994 | George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton |
| 12 | Thomas E. McNamara | October 12, 1994 | January 9, 1998 | Bill Clinton |
| 13 | Eric D. Newsom | November 2, 1998 | December 31, 2000 | Bill Clinton |
| 14 | Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr. | May 31, 2001 | January 20, 2005 | George W. Bush |
| 15 | John Hillen | October 11, 2005 | January 11, 2007 | George W. Bush |
| - | Stephen D. Mull (Acting) | January 11, 2007 | August 8, 2008 | George W. Bush |
| 16 | Mark Kimmitt | August 8, 2008 | January 20, 2009 | George W. Bush |
| 17 | Andrew J. Shapiro | June 22, 2009 | April 19, 2013 | Barack Obama |
| - | Thomas P. Kelly III (Acting) | April 19, 2013 | April 9, 2014 | Barack Obama |
| 18 | Puneet Talwar | April 9, 2014 | November 2015 | Barack Obama |
| 19 | R. Clarke Cooper | May 2, 2019 | January 20, 2021 | Donald Trump |
| - | Timothy Alan Betts (Acting) | January 20, 2021 | September 30, 2021 | Joe Biden |
| 20 | Jessica Lewis | September 30, 2021 | July 16, 2024 | Joe Biden |
| - | Stanley L. Brown (Acting) | July 16, 2024 | January 20, 2025 | Joe Biden |
| - | James W. Holtsnider (Acting) | January 20, 2025 | Incumbent | Donald Trump |