# Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs

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 United States 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. 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.

## Responsibilities

According to a description provided by the Office of the USD (P), 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.

## Office holders

The table below includes both the various titles of this post over time, as well as all the holders of those offices.
Assistant Secretaries of Defense (International Security Affairs) :
| 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 | Charles E. Wilson | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Gordon Gray | July 14, 1955 – February 27, 1957 | Charles E. Wilson | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Mansfield D. Sprague | February 28, 1957 – October 3, 1958 | Charles E. Wilson Neil H. McElroy | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| John N. Irwin II | October 4, 1958 – January 20, 1961 | Neil H. McElroy Thomas S. Gates Jr. | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Paul Nitze | January 29, 1961 – November 29, 1963 | Robert McNamara | John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson |
| William Bundy | November 29, 1963 – March 14, 1964 | Robert McNamara | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| John T. McNaughton | July 1, 1964 – July 19, 1967 | Robert McNamara | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 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 | Richard Nixon |
| Robert C. Hill | May 11, 1973 – January 5, 1974 | Elliot Richardson James R. Schlesinger | Richard Nixon |
| Vice Adm. Raymond E. Peet (Acting) | January 6, 1974 – April 1, 1974 | James R. Schlesinger | Richard Nixon |
| Amos Jordan (Acting) | April 2, 1974 – June 4, 1974 | James R. Schlesinger | Richard Nixon |
| 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 | Dick Cheney | George H. W. Bush |
| 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 | William Perry | Bill Clinton |
| Franklin D. Kramer | March 29, 1996 – February 16, 2001 | William Perry William Cohen Donald Rumsfeld | Bill Clinton George W. Bush |
| Peter Rodman | July 16, 2001 – March 2, 2007 | Donald Rumsfeld Robert Gates | George W. Bush |
| Mary Beth Long | March 3, 2007 – December 21, 2007 (Acting) December 21, 2007 – January 20, 2009 | Robert Gates | George W. Bush |
| Michael W. Coulter (Acting) | January 20, 2009 – April 3, 2009 | Robert Gates | Barack Obama |
| Alexander Vershbow | April 3, 2009 – February 2012 | Robert Gates | Barack Obama |
| Derek Chollet | June 1, 2012 – November 14, 2014 | Chuck Hagel | Barack Obama |
| Elissa Slotkin (Acting) | November 14, 2014 – January 20, 2017 | Chuck Hagel Ash Carter | Barack Obama |
| Kenneth B. Handelman (Acting) | January 20, 2017 – June 7, 2017 | Jim Mattis | Donald Trump |
| Robert Karem | June 7, 2017 – October 31, 2018 | Jim Mattis | Donald Trump |
| Kathryn L. Wheelbarger (Acting) | October 31, 2018 – July 4, 2020 | Jim Mattis Mark Esper | Donald Trump |
| Michael C. Ryan (Acting) | July 5, 2020 – August 31, 2020 | Mark Esper | Donald Trump |
| Michael Cutrone (Acting) | September 1, 2020 – January 20, 2021 | Mark Esper | Donald Trump |
| Laura Cooper (Acting) | January 20, 2021 – December 17, 2021 | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| Ilan Goldenberg (Acting) | December 17, 2021 – February 22, 2022 | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| Celeste Wallander | February 22, 2022 – January 20, 2025 | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| Katherine Thompson (Acting) | January 20, 2025 - Present | Pete Hegseth | Donald Trump |

## 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 Middle East
* 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

| Name | Tenure | ASD (ISA) Served Under | USD(P) Served Under | SecDef(s) Served Under | President(s) Served Under |
| Lincoln P. Bloomfield Jr. | 1988–1989 | Richard Armitage | vacant | Frank Carlucci | Ronald Reagan |
| Carl W. Ford Jr. | April 1989 – February 1993 | Henry S. Rowen James R. Lilley | Paul Wolfowitz | Dick Cheney | George H. W. Bush |
| Frederick C. Smith | ? – ? | Charles W. Freeman, Jr. Joseph Nye Franklin D. Kramer | Frank G. Wisner Walter B. Slocombe | Les Aspin William Perry William Cohen | Bill Clinton |
| Peter C. W. Flory | July 2001 – August 2005 | Peter Rodman | Douglas Feith | Donald Rumsfeld | George W. Bush |
| Mary Beth Long | August 2005 – December 2007 | Peter Rodman | Eric Edelman | Donald Rumsfeld Robert Gates | George W. Bush |
| Michael W. Coulter | ? – 2009 | Mary Beth Long | Eric Edelman | Robert Gates | George W. Bush |
| Joseph McMillan | May 2009 – October 2012 | Alexander R. Vershbow Derek Chollet | Michele Flournoy James Miller | Robert M. Gates Leon Panetta | Barack Obama |
| Elissa Slotkin | October 2012 – January 2015 | Derek Chollet | Christine Wormuth | Ash Carter | Barack Obama |
| Kenneth B. Handelman | July 2015 – ? | Elissa Slotkin | Christine Wormuth Brian P. McKeon Theresa Whelan (acting) Robert S. Karem (acting) | Ash Carter James Mattis | Barack Obama Donald Trump |
| Kathryn L. Wheelbarger | July 2017 – July 2020 | Robert S. Karem | John Rood | James Mattis Mark Esper | Donald Trump |
| Michael Cutrone | September 2020 – January 2021 | vacant | James H. Anderson (acting) | Mark Esper | Donald Trump |
| Ilan Goldenberg | December 2021 – September 2022 | Celeste A. Wallander | Colin Kahl | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| Tressa Guenov | October 2022 – January 20, 2025 | Celeste A. Wallander | Colin Kahl | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| Jennifer Zakriski (Acting) | January 20, 2025 - Present | Kathrine Thompson (Acting) | Alexander Velez-Green (Acting) | Robert G. Salesses (Acting) | Donald Trump |

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

The list below details the current and former DASDs in this office.
| Name | Tenure | ASD (ISA) served under | USD(P) served under | SecDef(s) served under | President(s) served under |
| Active offices ||||||
| DASD (ISA), African Affairs ||||||
| Vicki J. Huddleston | June 2009 – December 2011 | Alexander Vershbow | Michèle Flournoy | Robert Gates Leon Panetta | Barack Obama |
| Alan Patterson | December 2017 – October 31, 2018 | Robert Karem | John Rood | James Mattis | Donald Trump |
| Chidi Blyden | May 2021 – present | Celeste Wallander | Colin Kahl | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| DASD (ISA), European & NATO Policy ||||||
| Thomas Goffus | May 2017 – October 31, 2018 | Robert Karem | John Rood | James Mattis | Donald Trump |
| Spencer Boyer | February 2021 – present | Celeste Wallander | Colin Kahl | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| DASD (ISA), Middle East ||||||
| Andrew Exum | 2015–2016 | Elissa Slotkin | Christine Wormuth Brian P. McKeon | Ash Carter | Barack Obama |
| Michael Patrick Mulroy | November 2017 – December 2019 | Robert Karem | John Rood | James Mattis Mark Esper | Donald Trump |
| Dana Stroul | February 2021 – present | Celeste Wallander | Colin Kahl | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
| DASD (ISA), Russia, Ukraine & Eurasia ||||||
| Evelyn Farkas | 2012 – September 2015 | Derek Chollet Elissa Slotkin | James Miller Michael D. Lumpkin Christine Wormuth | Leon Panetta Chuck Hagel Ash Carter | Barack Obama |
| Michael Carpenter | 2016–2017 | Elissa Slotkin | Christine Wormuth | Ash Carter | Barack Obama |
| Laura K. Cooper | January 20, 2017 – present | Robert Karem Celeste Wallander | John Rood Colin Kahl | James Mattis Mark Esper Lloyd Austin | Donald Trump Joe Biden |
| DASD (ISA), Western Hemisphere ||||||
| Daniel P. Erikson | March 2021 – February 2024 | Celeste Wallander | Colin Kahl | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |