Kurt M. Campbell
Encyclopedia
Kurt M. Campbell is an American
diplomat and academic, currently serving as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
.
He was previously the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of the Center for a New American Security
(CNAS), a national security think tank
launched in January 2007. He 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. Prior to co-founding CNAS, he served as Senior Vice President, Director of the International Security Program, and the Henry A. Kissinger Chair in National Security Policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
.
On June 26, 2009, Dr. Campbell was confirmed as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. He is married to Lael Brainard
, the current Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, and they have three children.
, San Diego, a certificate in music and political philosophy from the University of Erevan
in Soviet Armenia
, and a doctorate in international relations from Oxford University on a Marshall Scholarship
.
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
.
Previously, Dr. 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 received the Department of Defense
Medals for Distinguished Public Service and for Outstanding Public Service. He co-chaired the executive committee of the 9-11 Pentagon Memorial Fund. Dr. Campbell is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
, the Wasatch Group, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
diplomat and academic, currently serving as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs is the head of the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs within the United States Department of State. The Assistant Secretary guides operation of the U.S...
.
He was previously the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of the Center for a New American Security
Center for a New American Security
The Center for a New American Security is a Washington, D.C.-based think tank established in 2007 by co-founders Michèle Flournoy and Kurt M. Campbell which specializes in U.S. national security issues...
(CNAS), a national security think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
launched in January 2007. He also served as Director of the Aspen Strategy Group
Aspen Strategy Group
The Aspen Strategy Group , founded in 1984, is a program of the Aspen Institute. It is a bipartisan forum composed of current and former politicians, civil servants, academics, journalists and business leaders who discuss issues of key importance in the realms of foreign policy, strategy and...
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. Prior to co-founding CNAS, he served as Senior Vice President, Director of the International Security Program, and the Henry A. Kissinger Chair in National Security Policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
The Center for Strategic and International Studies is a bipartisan Washington, D.C., foreign policy think tank. The center was founded in 1962 by Admiral Arleigh Burke and Ambassador David Manker Abshire, originally as part of Georgetown University...
.
On June 26, 2009, Dr. Campbell was confirmed as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. He is married to Lael Brainard
Lael Brainard
Lael Brainard is the United States Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs in the administration of President Barack Obama. She previously was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution from 2001 to 2009, and served as the vice president and director of the Global Economy and...
, the current Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, and they have three children.
Education and career
He received a B.A. from the University of CaliforniaUniversity of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, San Diego, a certificate in music and political philosophy from the University of Erevan
Yerevan State University
Yerevan State University is a university in Yerevan, Armenia. Founded on May 16 1919, it is the largest university in the country with 110 departments. Of its 3,150 employees, 1,190 comprise the teaching staff which includes 25 academicians, 130 professors, 700 docents , and 360 assistant lecturers...
in Soviet Armenia
Armenian SSR
The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet...
, and a doctorate in international relations from Oxford University on a Marshall Scholarship
Marshall Scholarship
The Marshall Scholarship, a postgraduate scholarships available to Americans, was created by the Parliament of the United Kingdom when the Marshall Aid Commemoration Act was passed in 1953. The scholarships serve as a living gift to the United States of America in recognition of the post-World War...
.
Campbell served as an officer in the U.S. Navy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...
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
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
and Assistant Director of the Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
United States National Security Council
The White House National Security Council in the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials and is part of the Executive Office of the...
Staff, Deputy Special Counselor to the President for the North American Free Trade Agreement
North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement...
(NAFTA), and as a White House fellow at the United States Department of the Treasury
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
. Campbell received the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
Medals for Distinguished Public Service and for Outstanding Public Service. He co-chaired the executive committee of the 9-11 Pentagon Memorial Fund. Dr. Campbell is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
, the Wasatch Group, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies
International Institute for Strategic Studies
The International Institute for Strategic Studies is a British research institute in the area of international affairs. It describes itself as "the world’s leading authority on political-military conflict"...
.
Books
- Difficult Transitions: Foreign Policy Troubles at the Outset of Presidential Power, Kurt M. Campbell and James B. Steinberg, (Washington, D.C.: Brookings, 2008)
- Climatic Cataclysm: The Foreign Policy and National Security Implications of Climate Change, Kurt M. Campbell, ed., (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)
- The Nuclear Tipping Point, Kurt M. Campbell, Robert J. Einhorn, Mitchell B. Reiss, eds., (Washington, D.C.: Brookings, 2004)
- To Prevail: An American Strategy for the Campaign against Terrorism, Kurt M. Campbell and Michèle A. Flournoy, Principal Authors, Center for Strategic and International StudiesCenter for Strategic and International StudiesThe Center for Strategic and International Studies is a bipartisan Washington, D.C., foreign policy think tank. The center was founded in 1962 by Admiral Arleigh Burke and Ambassador David Manker Abshire, originally as part of Georgetown University...
(Washington, D.C.: CSIS Press, 2001)