Kurt M. Campbell

Kurt Michael Campbell (born August 27, 1957 ) is an American diplomat and businessman serving as the United States deputy secretary of state since 2024. He previously served as National Security Council coordinator for the Indo-Pacific from 2021 to 2024. In this capacity, Campbell had been referred to as the Biden administration's "Asia coordinator" or "Asia czar"—chief architect of Joe Biden's Asia strategy.

He formerly served as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs in the Obama administration. He was the chairman and CEO of The Asia Group, LLC, which he founded in February 2013. On January 20, 2021, he was appointed as the NSC Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific by Joe Biden.

Education
Kurt Michael Campbell was born on August 27, 1957. He received a BA from the University of California, San Diego, a certificate in music and political philosophy from the University of Yerevan in Soviet Armenia, and a doctorate in international relations from Brasenose College, Oxford, on a Marshall Scholarship.

Career
Campbell served in several capacities in government, including as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asia and the Pacific, director on the National Security Council Staff, deputy special counselor to the president for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and as a White House Fellow at the United States Department of the Treasury.

Campbell served as an officer in the U.S. Navy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff and in the Chief of Naval Operations Special Intelligence Unit. He was also associate professor of public policy and international relations at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and assistant director of the Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University.

In 2000, Campbell was hired at the Center for Strategic and International Studies as one of its senior vice-presidents, as director of its International Security Program, and as its Henry A. Kissinger Chair in National Security Policy.

Campbell went on to become the CEO and co-founder of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), a national security think tank launched in January 2007.

Obama administration
On June 26, 2009, Campbell was confirmed by the Obama administration as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs. His last day in office was February 8, 2013.

Outside of government
Campbell also served as director of the Aspen Strategy Group and the chairman of the editorial board of the Washington Quarterly, and was the founder and principal of StratAsia, a strategic advisory company focused on Asia.

Campbell was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Wasatch Group, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

In 2018-2019, Campbell was Kissinger Fellow at the McCain Institute.

Biden administration
Campbell was appointed as the National Security coordinator for the Indo-Pacific on January 20, 2021, the first day of President Joe Biden's administration. He has been referred to as the Biden administration's "Asia coordinator" or "Asia czar."

On November 1, 2023, Campbell was nominated by President Biden to become the United States deputy secretary of state, and his nomination was sent to the United States Senate the same day. His nomination was confirmed by a 92–5 vote on February 6, 2024. He was sworn in on February 12, 2024. The Biden administration does not plan to nominate a replacement for Campbell as the Indo-Pacific coordinator. A White House spokesperson shared that the role had been created specifically for Campbell and was not a permanent post.

As author

 * The China Reckoning: How Beijing Defied American Expectations, Foreign Affairs, April 2018 (co-authored with Ely Ratner)
 * The Pivot: The Future of American Statecraft in Asia, Kurt M. Campbell, (NYC: Twelve, 2016) ISBN 978-1455568956
 * Difficult Transitions: Foreign Policy Troubles at the Outset of Presidential Power, Kurt M. Campbell and James Steinberg, (Washington, D.C.: Brookings, 2008)
 * Hard Power: The New Politics of National Security, Kurt M. Campbell and Michael E. O'Hanlon, (Washington, D.C.: Basic Books, 2006)
 * To Prevail: An American Strategy for the Campaign against Terrorism, Kurt M. Campbell and Michèle Flournoy, Principal Authors, Center for Strategic and International Studies (Washington, D.C.: CSIS Press, 2001)

As editor

 * Mentioned in Is this what the World is Coming to? (Nature.com)
 * The Nuclear Tipping Point, Kurt M. Campbell, Robert J. Einhorn, Mitchell Reiss, eds., (Washington, D.C.: Brookings, 2004)

As opinionist

 * At the outset of his influence on the Biden administration, he saw the D10 club of countries as "most urgent for questions of trade, technology, supply chains, and standards", and militarily sought to expand "the so-called Quad".

Honors and awards
Campbell received the Department of Defense Medals for Distinguished Public Service and for Outstanding Public Service.

Campbell co-chaired the executive committee of the 9-11 Pentagon Memorial Fund.

On 25 November 2013, Campbell was appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for "service to strengthening bilateral relations between Australia and the United States of America". In the 2014 New Year Honours, Campbell was appointed an honorary Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to New Zealand-United States relations. On 15 October 2013, Campbell was appointed Order of Brilliant Star with Special Grand Cordon for services to Taiwan–United States relations.