The Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs is a position within the American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Department of State that manages the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs

Bureau of Political-Military Affairs

The Bureau of Political-Military Affairs is an agency within the United States Department of State that bridges the Department of State with the Department of Defense. It provides policy in the areas of international security, security assistance, military operations, defense strategy and policy,...

, charged with linking the Department of Defense

United States Department of Defense

The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...

 and the Department of State by providing policy in the areas of international security

International security

International security consists of the measures taken by nations and international organizations, such as the United Nations, to ensure mutual survival and safety. These measures include military action and diplomatic agreements such as treaties and conventions. International and national 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

Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs

The Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs is a position within the U.S. Department of State that serves as Senior Adviser to the President and the Secretary of State for Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Disarmament...

.

The current Assistant Secretary is Andrew J. Shapiro

Andrew J. Shapiro

Andrew J. Shapiro is the current United States Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs.-Biography:Andrew J. Shapiro was raised in Chestnut Ridge, New York. His father headed the Westchester Medical Center's regional genetics program, and his mother ran a liquor store. Shapiro...

, who was sworn into office on June 22, 2009, after being appointed by the President

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 and confirmed by the Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

. Shapiro is a 1994 graduate of Columbia Law School

Columbia Law School

Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...

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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

United States Secretary of State

The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...

, but still held rank equivalent to Assistant Secretary. Later, the Director became appointed by the President

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

, 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 Politico-Military Affairs, 1969-1985

Name	Assumed Office	Left Office	President President of the United States The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....  served under
Ronald I. Spiers Ronald I. Spiers Ronald Ian “Ron” Spiers was a former career diplomat and United States Ambassador.-Early life and military career:Spiers was born in Orange, New Jersey July 9, 1925 but grew up in Peru, London, Paris and Brussels. During World War II, he served as an Ensign in the United States Navy in the war's...	September 18, 1969	August 2, 1973	Richard Nixon Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
Seymour Weiss Seymour Weiss (diplomat) Seymour Weiss was a United States diplomat and a high-ranking official at the United States Department of State.-Biography:...	August 6, 1973	January 17, 1974	Richard Nixon Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
George S. Vest George S. Vest George Southall Vest is a former United States diplomat and State Department official.-Biography:George S. Vest was born in Columbia, Virginia, and educated at the University of Virginia, graduating with a B.A. in 1941. Upon leaving college, Vest joined the United States Army to serve as a...	April 29, 1974	March 27, 1977	Richard Nixon Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...  and Gerald Ford Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
Leslie H. Gelb	February 23, 1977	June 30, 1979	Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
Reginald H. Bartholomew	July 1, 1979	January 20, 1981	Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
Richard R. Burt	January 23, 1981	February 17, 1982	Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
Jonathan Howe Jonathan Howe Jonathan Trumbull Howe is a retired four-star United States Navy Admiral, and was the Special Representative for Somalia to United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali from March 9, 1993, succeeding Ismat Kittani from Iraq, until his resignation in February 1994. Howe was also the...	May 10, 1982	July 1, 1984	Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
John T. Chain, Jr. John T. Chain, Jr. John Thomas Chain, Jr. is a retired U.S. Air Force General. He is also a director of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, ConAgra Foods, Inc., and Kemper Insurance Co., as well as holding other corporate offices.-Early life:...	July 1, 1984	June 14, 1985	Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

List of Assistant Secretaries of State for Political-Military Affairs, 1986-Present

Name	Assumed Office	Left Office	President President of the United States The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....  served under
H. Allen Holmes H. Allen Holmes Henry Allen Holmes was the United States Ambassador to Portugal from 1982 to 1985 and a career diplomat.-Biography:Born in Bucharest, Romania to American parents, Holmes earned his A.B. in 1954 at Princeton University, where he was a classmate of Donald Rumsfeld...	July 19, 1985	August 8, 1989	Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
Richard A. Clarke Richard A. Clarke Richard Alan Clarke was a U.S. government employee for 30 years, 1973–2003. He worked for the State Department during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush appointed him to chair the Counter-terrorism Security Group and to a seat on the United States National...	August 8, 1989	July 10, 1992	George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
Robert Gallucci Robert Gallucci Robert L. Gallucci is an Italian American academic and diplomat, who currently works as President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. He previously served as Dean of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University from 1996 to June 2009...	July 13, 1992	October 11, 1994	George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...  and Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
Thomas E. McNamara Thomas E. McNamara Thomas E. "Ted" McNamara is a United States diplomat and State Department official.-Biography:Thomas E. McNamara was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1940. He was educated at Manhattan College, graduating with a B.A. in 1962. He then attended the University of Notre Dame, receiving an M.A.In...	October 12, 1994	January 9, 1998	Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
Eric D. Newsom Eric D. Newsom Eric David Newsom is a United States diplomat and State Department official.-Biography:Eric D. Newsom was born in Oklahoma, but mainly raised in Modesto, California. He graduated from Modesto High School in 1961. After high school, he attended the University of California, Berkeley, receiving a...	November 2, 1998	December 31, 2000	Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr. Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr. Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr. is a United States Defense Department and State Department official.-Biography:Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr. is the son of Lincoln P. Bloomfield, a political scientist widely respected as an expert on foreign affairs. Bloomfield was educated at Harvard University,...	May 31, 2001	January 20, 2005	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
John Hillen John Hillen John Hillen is the former Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, nominated by President George W. Bush, who served from October 11, 2005 until January 11, 2007. He currently serves as the President and CEO of formerly Global Defense Technology & Systems, Inc...	October 11, 2005	January 11, 2007	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
Mark Kimmitt Mark Kimmitt Mark Traecey Patrick Kimmitt was the 16th Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, serving under George W. Bush from August 2008 to January 2009. Prior to joining the State Department, he was a Brigadier General in the United States Army, and served as the Deputy Assistant...	August 8, 2008	January 20, 2009	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
Andrew J. Shapiro Andrew J. Shapiro Andrew J. Shapiro is the current United States Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs.-Biography:Andrew J. Shapiro was raised in Chestnut Ridge, New York. His father headed the Westchester Medical Center's regional genetics program, and his mother ran a liquor store. Shapiro...	June 22, 2009	Current	Barack Obama Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...