serviceyears branch allegiance alt residence term_end alma_mater battles term_start image name predecessor birth_place president unit party awards office successor article_title birth_name
2005 -- present united states navy united states united states navy reserve seal u.s. navy reserve american embassy residence seoul , south korea october 2014 may 2013 stanford university iraq war operation iraqi freedom november 21 , 2014 may 2013 april 2012 mark lippert secretary.jpg mark lippert sung kim jeremy bash chip gregson cincinnati , ohio , u.s. barack obama barack obama barack obama 25px democratic 23px united to the secretary of defense assistant secretary of defense for states asian and pacific security affairs ambassador to south korea chief of staff peter lavoy mark lippert
 mark william lippert
mark lippert

mark william lippert -lrb- born february 28 , 1973 -rrb- is the current united states ambassador to south korea .
prior to his tour as ambassador , lippert had served as chief of staff for secretary of defense chuck hagel , chief of staff for the national security council , and assistant secretary of defense for asian and pacific security affairs in the department of defense .
on march 5 , 2015 , he was attacked by a man wielding a knife in south korea .
