CNAS Co-Founder and Board Chairman Kurt Campbell Selected as Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs on the National Security Council

Washington, January 15, 2021—The Center for a New American Security congratulates Kurt Campbell, CNAS Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors, on his selection by President-elect Biden as Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs on the National Security Council.

“Kurt is one of the finest national security leaders our country has to offer and there is no better person to coordinate Indo-Pacific policy for the Biden Administration,” said CNAS CEO Richard Fontaine. “Kurt’s decades of experience and stellar record as a diplomat make him uniquely qualified to bring together the interagency and rejuvenate relationships with our allies and partners as we rise to the China challenge.”

From 2009 to 2013, Campbell served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, where he was awarded the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award (2013)—the nation’s highest diplomatic honor. In addition to co-founding CNAS in 2007, Campbell is also the Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of the Asia Group, LLC.

“Kurt Campbell's leadership, intellect, energy, and experience create an unrivaled superfecta,” said Richard Danzig, past Chairman of the CNAS Board of Directors and current board member. “He has been central to CNAS for over a decade and he has been central to the American-Chinese relationship. We are fortunate that he now assumes a crucial role in shaping that relationship.”

Campbell is one of a succession of former CNAS leaders who have served in key policymaking positions.

For media inquiries, contact CNAS Communications at comms@cnas.org.