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= Mara Karlin = Mara Elizabeth Karlin is an American foreign policy and defense advisor who is the nominee to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities in the Biden Administration. She currently serves as the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs.

Education
Karlin holds a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies.

Career
Karlin began her career in government as a non-political civil servant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. She later became the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development during the Obama Administration. In that capacity, she helped develop the 2015 National Security Strategy and the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review.

In January 2021, Karlin was appointed to serve as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. The position did not require Senate confirmation, and she began service on January 20, 2021 immediately after President Biden was inaugurated. As the most senior member of the International Security Affairs Office, Karlin became the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs.

In April 2021, the White House announced that President Joe Biden had appointed Karlin as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities. The position requires Senate confirmation. If confirmed, Karlin is expected to lead the planning process for the Biden Administration's National Defense Strategy.