Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations

{{Use American English|date = March 2019}}

{{Short description|U.S. government position}}

{{Use mdy dates|date = March 2019}}

{{Infobox Political post

| post = United States
Assistant Secretary of State
for Conflict and Stabilization Operations

| body =

| insignia = U.S. Department of State official seal.svg

| insigniasize = 120px

| insigniacaption = Seal of the United States Department of State

| imagesize = 200px

| image =

| incumbent = Neal Kringel

| acting = yes

| incumbentsince = March 3, 2025https://www.state.gov/biographies/neal-kringel/

| style =

| residence =

| termlength =

| reports_to = Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights

| nominator = President of the United States

| formation = 2011

| inaugural = Rick Barton

| website = {{official|https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-civilian-security-democracy-and-human-rights/bureau-of-conflict-and-stabilization-operations/}}

| flag = Flag of the United States Assistant Secretary of State.svg

| flagcaption = Flag of an Assistant Secretary of State

}}

The Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations is the head of the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations within the United States Department of State, supporting the department's conflict and crisis-response efforts.{{cite web|last=Serafino|first=Nina|title=In Brief: State Department Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO)|url=https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R42775.pdf|publisher=Congressional Research Service|date=October 10, 2012|access-date=April 1, 2016}} The assistant secretary reports to the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.

The first assistant secretary, Rick Barton, was nominated by President Barack Obama on November 29, 2011,{{cite web|title=President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2011/11/29/president-obama-announces-more-key-administration-posts|date=November 29, 2011|via=National Archives|work=whitehouse.gov|access-date=November 15, 2015}} and confirmed by the Senate on March 29, 2012.{{cite web|title=Senate Ends March Madness With Lots of State Dept Confirmations|url=http://diplopundit.net/2012/04/02/senate-ends-march-madness-with-lots-of-state-dept-confirmations/|publisher=Diplopundit|date=April 2, 2012|access-date=November 15, 2015}}

Responsibilities

The Assistant Secretary of CSO is the Secretary of State's senior adviser on instability, conflict, and stabilization.{{cite web|title=1 FAM 470 Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations|url=https://fam.state.gov/FAM/01FAM/01FAM0470.html|work=Foreign Affairs Manual|date=November 10, 2015|access-date=April 1, 2016}} The assistant secretary's responsibilities include:

List of Assistant Secretaries of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations

class="wikitable"

!#

!Name

!Assumed office

!Left office

!President(s) served under

1

|Rick Barton

|March 30, 2012

|September 30, 2014{{cite web|title=Departure of Assistant Secretary for Conflict and Stabilization Operations|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2014/08/230578.htm|publisher=U.S. Department of State|date=August 13, 2014|access-date=November 15, 2015}}

|Barack Obama

-

|John Hushek (acting)

|August 17, 2015

|December 30, 2015

|Barack Obama

2

|David Malcolm Robinson

|January 4, 2016

|January 31, 2017{{cite web|title=Trump's state department purge sparks worries of 'know-nothing approach' to foreign policy|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/29/state-department-purge-trump-foreign-policy|work=The Guardian|date=January 27, 2017|access-date=February 2, 2017}}

|Barack Obama

-

|Thomas J. Hushek (acting)

|August 15, 2017

|April 24, 2018

|Donald Trump

3

|Denise Natali

|October 18, 2018

|December 22, 2020

|Donald Trump

-

|Alexander Alden (acting)

|December 22, 2020

|January 20, 2021

|Donald Trump

-

|Robert J. Faucher (acting){{cite web |title=Robert J. Faucher ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY BUREAU OF CONFLICT AND STABILIZATION OPERATIONS |url=https://www.state.gov/biographies/robert-j-faucher/ |website=United States Department of State |access-date=15 April 2021}}

|January 20, 2021

|January 10, 2022

|Joe Biden

4

|Anne Witkowsky

|January 10, 2022

|January 20, 2025

|Joe Biden

-

|Neal Kringel (acting)

|March 3, 2025

|Incumbent

|Donald Trump

References

{{reflist}}