US President Biden nominates top Asia hand Kurt Campbell to be Deputy Secretary of State

Washington: President Joe Biden has nominated his current Deputy Assistant Kurt Campbell to be the Deputy Secretary of State as part of his administration's efforts to develop a foreign policy focused more on Asia as well as the strategic Indo-Pacific region.

Campbell, 66, currently serves as Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs on the National Security Council since January 20, 2021.

A top advisor on Asian affairs, Campbell’s nomination is being seen as an elevation of one of the architects of the Biden administration’s efforts to increase focus on Asia.

The veteran American diplomat was previously founding chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Asia Group, a strategic advisory and capital management group, the White House said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Among the other positions he has held during his distinguished career, Campbell served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs, White House Fellow at the Treasury Department, and as Director of the Democracy Office at the National Security Council during the Clinton Administration,” it added.

Campbell’s nomination would need the Senate’s approval, and if confirmed, he would replace Wendy Sherman, who retired earlier this year.

Campbell is considered to have played an important role in helping the Biden administration vis-a-vis QUAD, comprising the United States, Australia, India and Japan along with his focus on Asia matters, amidst China's aggressive actions in the region.

If his nomination is accepted, Campbell, along with Richard R Verma, the former US Ambassador to India and now the other Deputy Secretary of State, would make a first time for two Asia hands at this level in the Biden administration.

From 2009 to 2013, Campbell served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Earlier, he was the CEO and Co-Founder of the Center for a New American Security and concurrently served as the Director of the Aspen Strategy Group and Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Washington Quarterly, the White House statement added.

Among his works across government, academia and business, Campbell was an Associate Professor of Public Policy at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and served in the US Navy Reserves. He is the author or editor of ten books.