# Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs

The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, or ASD (IPSA), 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 DoD interest that relate to the governments and defense establishments of the nations and international organizations within the Indo-Pacific region. It primarily includes the entire region from India to Japan, and the region where ASEAN is located. The position was originally titled Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs but was renamed by the first Trump Administration alongside the renaming of the United States Indo-Pacific Command.

## Office holders

Assistant Secretaries of Defense (Asian and Pacific Security Affairs/Indo-Pacific Security Affairs) :
| Name | Tenure | SecDef(s) served under | President(s) served under |
| James J. Shinn | December 19, 2007 – November 14, 2008 | Robert M. Gates | George W. Bush |
| Mitchell Shivers (Acting) | November 14, 2008 – January 20, 2009 | Robert M. Gates | George W. Bush |
| Derek Mitchell (Acting) | April 1, 2009 – May 12, 2009 | Robert M. Gates | Barack Obama |
| Lieutenant General Wallace "Chip" Gregson (Ret.) | May 13, 2009 – April 1, 2011 | Robert M. Gates | Barack Obama |
| Derek Mitchell (Acting) | April 2, 2011 – August 12, 2011 | Robert M. Gates Leon Panetta | Barack Obama |
| Peter R. Lavoy (Acting) | August 15, 2011 – May 8, 2012 | Leon Panetta | Barack Obama |
| Mark Lippert | May 9, 2012 – April 24, 2013 | Leon Panetta Chuck Hagel | Barack Obama |
| Peter R. Lavoy (Acting) | May 1, 2013 – January 10, 2014 | Chuck Hagel | Barack Obama |
| David B. Shear | July 17, 2014 – June 10, 2016 | Chuck Hagel Ashton Carter | Barack Obama |
| Kelly E. Magsamen (Acting) | June 10, 2016 – January 20, 2017 | Ashton Carter | Barack Obama |
| David F. Helvey (Acting) | January 20, 2017 – December 29, 2017 | James Mattis | Donald Trump |
| Randall Schriver | December 29, 2017 – December 31, 2019 | James Mattis Mark Esper | Donald Trump |
| David F. Helvey (Acting) | January 1, 2020 – July 2021 | Mark Esper | Donald Trump |
| David F. Helvey (Acting) | January 1, 2020 – July 2021 | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| Kenneth Handelman (acting) | July 2021 - July 25, 2021 | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| Ely Ratner | July 25, 2021 – January 20, 2025 | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| Jedidiah Royal (acting) | January 20, 2025 - January 22, 2025 | Robert G. Salesses (acting) | Donald Trump |
| John Noh (acting) | January 22, 2025 - Present | Pete Hegseth | Donald Trump |

## Role and responsibilities

Like the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, the ASD (IPSA) is responsible for oversight of security cooperation programs and foreign military sales programs within the regions under its supervision. The ASD (IPSA) also works closely with the United States Indo-Pacific Command, United States Central Command, and the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. Finally, the ASD (IPSA) represents the USD(P) and the Secretary of Defense in interagency policy deliberations and international negotiations related to the Asia-Pacific region. The Office of the ASD (IPSA) is an entity of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

## Structure

This office was created in 2007. It is composed of at least six country/sub-regional desks, each staffed by a Senior Country Director. Most desks are also supported by an Assistant Country Director or group of Country Directors. As of February 2011, the desks listed on the APSA website included:
* Australia, New Zealand, and South Pacific Islands
* Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam
* China, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Taiwan
* Japan
* Korea
* Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, East Timor
However, this list must be incomplete, since the office also has oversight of programs in Central Asia, Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as India and other Asian nations.
Depending on their areas of coverage, the country/sub-regional desks report to four different Deputy Assistant Secretaries:
* DASD East Asia
* DASD China
* DASD South & Southeast Asia
* DASD Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia.
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 (APSA) is also supported by a Principal Deputy, or PDASD, who helps oversee the DASDs and the office's country/sub-regional desks.

### Principal Deputy Assistant Secretaries for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs/Indo-Pacific Security Affairs

| Name | Tenure | ASD (APSA) Served Under | USD(P) Served Under | SecDef(s) Served Under | President(s) Served Under |
| Mitchell Shivers | June 2008 – January 2009 | James J. Shinn | Eric S. Edelman | Robert M. Gates | George W. Bush |
| Derek Mitchell | April 2009 – August 2011 | Wallace "Chip" Gregson | Michèle Flournoy | Robert M. Gates Leon Panetta | Barack Obama |
| Dr. Peter R. Lavoy | August 2011 – February 2014 | Mark Lippert | Michèle Flournoy James N. Miller | Leon Panetta | Barack Obama |
| Kelly E. Magsamen | February 2014 – January 2017 | David B. Shear | Michael D. Lumpkin Christine E. Wormuth Brian P. McKeon | Ashton Carter | Barack Obama |
| David F. Helvey (acting) | June 2016 – January 2017 | Kelly E. Magsamen (acting) | Brian P. McKeon | Ashton Carter | Barack Obama |
| David F. Helvey | January 2017 – May 2021 | David F. Helvey (acting) Randall G. Schriver | Robert Karem (acting) David Trachtenberg (acting) John C. Rood | James Mattis | Donald Trump |
| David F. Helvey | January 2017 – May 2021 | | Colin Kahl | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |

### Deputy Assistant Secretaries of Defense Reporting to the ASD (APSA)

The list below details both the current DASD and previous DASD posts in this office.
| Name | Tenure | ASD (APSA) Served Under | USD(P) Served Under | SecDef(s) Served Under | President(s) Served Under |
| Active Offices ||||||
| DASD (APSA), East Asia ||||||
| David Samuel Sedney | 2007–2009 | James J. Shinn Derek Mitchell | Eric S. Edelman | Robert M. Gates | George W. Bush |
| R. Michael Schiffer | May 6, 2009 – 2012 | Wallace "Chip" Gregson Derek Mitchell | Michele Flournoy | Robert M. Gates | Barack Obama |
| David Helvey | 2013–2015 | David Shear | James N. Miller Michael D. Lumpkin Christine E. Wormuth | Chuck Hagel Ash Carter | Barack Obama |
| Abraham M. Denmark | 2015 – January 2017 | David Shear Kelly E. Magsamen | Brian P. Mckeon | Ashton Carter | Barack Obama |
| BGen Roberta L. Shea | July 2017 – May 2019 | David F. Helvey | Robert Karem Joseph D. Kernan | James Mattis Mark Esper | Donald Trump |
| Heino Klinck | August 2019 – january 2021 | Randall Schriver David F. Helvey | Joseph D. Kernan | Mark Esper | Donald Trump |
| Siddharth Mohandas | 2021 - Present | David F. Helvey Ely Ratner | Colin Kahl | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| DASD (APSA), China ||||||
| Chad Sbragia | June 2019 – January 2021 | Randall Schriver David F. Helvey | Joseph D. Kernan | Mark Esper | Donald Trump |
| Michael S. Chase | February 2021 - Present | David F. Helvey Ely Ratner | Colin Kahl | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| DASD (APSA), South and Southeast Asia ||||||
| James Clad | March 2007 – January 2009 | James J. Shinn | Eric S. Edelman | Robert M. Gates | George W. Bush |
| Robert Scher | May 6, 2009 – April 2012 | Wallace "Chip" Gregson Derek Mitchell | Michele Flournoy | Robert M. Gates | Barack Obama |
| Joseph Felter | July 2017 – September 2019 | David F. Helvey Randall Schriver David F. Helvey | Robert Karem Joseph D. Kernan | James Mattis Mark Esper | Donald Trump |
| Lindsey W. Ford | 2021 - Present | David F. Helvey Ely Ratner | Colin Kahl | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| DASD (APSA), Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia ||||||
| David Samuel Sedney | 2009 – May 2013 | Wallace "Chip" Gregson Derek Mitchell | Michele Flournoy | Robert M. Gates | Barack Obama |
| Thomas Croci | February 3, 2020 – January 19, 2021 | David F. Helvey | Joseph D. Kernan | Mark Esper | Donald Trump |
| Rebecca Zimmerman | February 16, 2021 - Present | David F. Helvey Ely Ratner | Colin Kahl | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| Defunct Offices ||||||
| DASD (APSA), Central Asia ||||||
| Mitchell Shivers | 2007 – June 2008 | James J. Shinn | Eric S. Edelman | Robert M. Gates | George W. Bush |