Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs explained

Post:	United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
Insignia:	Emblem_of_the_Assistant_Secretary_of_Defense_for_International_Security_Affairs.png
Insigniasize:	120
Insigniacaption:	Seal of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
Flagsize:	170
Flagborder:	yes
Department:	United States Department of Defense
Incumbent:	Celeste A. Wallander
Incumbentsince:	February 22, 2022
Appointer:	The President
Appointer Qualified:	with Senate advice and consent
Termlength:	Appointed
Reports To:	United States Secretary of Defense
Website:	https://policy.defense.gov/OUSDP-Offices/ASD-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.^[1] 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),^[1] 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)^[2]

Name	Tenure	SecDef(s) Served Under	President(s) Served Under
Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (International Security Affairs)
	March 27, 1949 – December 1, 1949		Harry S. Truman
	December 6, 1949 – August 27, 1951		Harry S. Truman
	August 28, 1951 – February 10, 1953		Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower
Assistant Secretary of Defense (International Security Affairs)
	February 11, 1953 – February 28, 1954		Dwight D. Eisenhower
	March 5, 1954 – June 30, 1955		Dwight D. Eisenhower
	July 14, 1955 – February 27, 1957		Dwight D. Eisenhower
	February 28, 1957 – October 3, 1958		Dwight D. Eisenhower
	October 4, 1958 – January 20, 1961		Dwight D. Eisenhower
	January 29, 1961 – November 29, 1963		John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson
	November 29, 1963 – March 14, 1964		Lyndon B. Johnson
	July 1, 1964 – July 19, 1967		Lyndon B. Johnson
	August 1, 1967 – February 15, 1969		Lyndon B. Johnson Richard Nixon
	March 4, 1969 – January 30, 1973		Richard Nixon
Lawrence Eagleburger (Acting)	January 31, 1973 – May 10, 1973		Richard Nixon
	May 11, 1973 – January 5, 1974		Richard Nixon
Vice Adm. Raymond E. Peet (Acting)	January 6, 1974 – April 1, 1974		Richard Nixon
Amos Jordan (Acting)	April 2, 1974 – June 4, 1974		Richard Nixon
	June 5, 1974 – December 22, 1975		Richard Nixon Gerald Ford
Amos Jordan (Acting)	December 23, 1975 – May 5, 1976		Gerald Ford
	May 6, 1976 – April 1, 1977		Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter
	April 4, 1977 – January 20, 1981		Jimmy Carter
	April 4, 1981 – April 1, 1983		Ronald Reagan
	April 2, 1983 – June 5, 1983 (Acting) June 5, 1983 – June 5, 1989		Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush
	June 26, 1989 – July 31, 1991		George H. W. Bush
	December 12, 1991 – January 20, 1993		George H. W. Bush
Assistant Secretary of Defense (Regional Security Affairs)
	July 6, 1993 – April 11, 1994		Bill Clinton
Assistant Secretary of Defense (International Security Affairs)
	April 11, 1994 – September 14, 1994		Bill Clinton
	September 15, 1994 – December 16, 1995		Bill Clinton
	March 29, 1996 – February 16, 2001		Bill Clinton George W. Bush
Peter Rodman^[3]	July 16, 2001 – March 2, 2007		George W. Bush
Mary Beth Long^[4]	March 3, 2007 – December 21, 2007 (Acting) December 21, 2007 – January 20, 2009		George W. Bush
Michael W. Coulter (Acting)	January 20, 2009 – April 3, 2009		Barack Obama
	April 3, 2009 – February 2012		Barack Obama
Derek Chollet^[5]	June 1, 2012 – November 14, 2014		Barack Obama
Elissa Slotkin (Acting)	November 14, 2014 – January 20, 2017	Chuck HagelAsh Carter	Barack Obama
Kenneth B. Handelman (Acting)	January 20, 2017 – June 7, 2017^[6]	Jim Mattis	Donald Trump
Robert Karem	June 7, 2017 – October 31, 2018 ^[7]	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 – present	Lloyd Austin	Joe Biden

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.^[8]	1988–1989		vacant		Ronald Reagan
Carl W. Ford Jr.^[9]	April 1989 – February 1993				George H. W. Bush
Frederick C. Smith^[10]	? – ?				Bill Clinton
Peter C. W. Flory^[11]	July 2001 – August 2005				George W. Bush
Mary Beth Long^[12]	August 2005 – December 2007				George W. Bush
Michael W. Coulter^[13]	? – 2009				George W. Bush
Joseph McMillan^[14]	May 2009 – October 2012				Barack Obama
Elissa Slotkin^[15] ^[16]	October 2012 – January 2015				Barack Obama
Kenneth B. Handelman	July 2015 – ?		Christine Wormuth Brian P. McKeon Theresa Whelan (acting) Robert S. Karem (acting)		Barack Obama Donald Trump
Kathryn L. Wheelbarger^[17]	July 2017 – July 2020				Donald Trump
Michael Cutrone	September 2020 – January 2021	vacant	James H. Anderson (acting)
Ilan Goldenberg^[18]	December 2021 – September 2022				Joe Biden
Tressa Guenov^[19]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. Policy.defense.gov. 2012-08-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20110721035240/http://policy.defense.gov/isa/. July 21, 2011. dead.
2. Web site: Department of Defense Key Officials . Historical Office, OSD . 2004 . 2011-02-01 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110721034250/http://osdhistory.defense.gov/docs/DOD%20Key%20Officials%201947-2004.pdf . 2011-07-21 .
3. Web site: Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs . Policy.defense.gov . 2011-09-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100909023511/http://policy.defense.gov/isa/history.aspx . September 9, 2010 . dead .
4. Web site: John Pike . DoD News: Mary Beth Long Sworn in as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs . Globalsecurity.org . 2011-09-17.
5. Web site: Derek Chollet: Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. Department of Defense. 7 December 2013.
6. Web site: Kenneth B. Handelman. defense.gov. U.S. Department of Defense. 25 July 2017.
7. Web site: Three Senior Pentagon Officials Leave in Quick Succession. December 18, 2023 .
8. Web site: Biography: Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr . 2001-09-30 . U.S. Department of State . 2021-05-31.
9. Web site: Biography: Carl W. Ford, Jr . 2003-10-16 . U.S. Department of State . 2021-06-01.
10. Web site: An Interview with Frederick C. Smith . 2010-04-02 . Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library . Springfield, Illinois . 2021-06-01.
11. Web site: Peter C. W. Flory . 2009-02-12 . North Atlantic Treaty Organization . 2021-05-31.
12. Book: Nominations Before the Senate Armed Services Committee, First Session, 110th Congress . Biographical Sketch of Mary Beth Long . 2008 . 1233 . U.S. Government Printing Office . Washington, D.C. . 2021-05-31.
13. Book: United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions (Plum Book) . 2008-11-12 . U.S. Government Printing Office . Washington, D.C. . 2021-06-01.
14. Web site: Senior Executive Service Appointments . DoD Public Affairs . 2009-05-06 . 2011-08-29.
15. Web site: Elissa Slotkin. LinkedIn. 25 July 2017.
16. Web site: Elissa Slotkin . U.S. House of Representatives Document Repository.
17. Web site: Biographies.
18. Web site: CNAS's Ilan Goldenberg Named Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs.
19. Web site: https://www.defense.gov/About/Biographies/Biography/Article/3201396/principal-deputy-assistant-secretary-of-defense-for-international-security-affa/.