Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict

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The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict or ASD(SO/LIC), is the principal civilian advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Defense on special operations and low-intensity conflict matters. Located within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (USD(P)), the ASD(SO/LIC) is responsible primarily for the overall supervision (to include oversight of policy and resources) of special operations and low-intensity conflict activities. These activities, according to USSOCOM's 2007 Posture Statement, include counterterrorism; unconventional warfare; direct action; special reconnaissance; foreign internal defense; civil affairs, information operations, psychological operations, and counterproliferation of WMD. [nb 1]

Contents

In addition to policy oversight for special operations and stability operations capabilities, the ASD(SO/LIC) has policy oversight for strategic capabilities and force transformation and resources. This includes oversight of capability development to include general-purpose forces, space and information capabilities, nuclear and conventional strike capabilities, and missile defense. As such, ASD(SO/LIC), after the Secretary and Deputy Secretary, will be the principal official charged with oversight over all warfighting capabilities within the senior management of the Department of Defense. The ASD(SO/LIC) is considered part of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Structure

This position was mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1987 (P.L. 99-661, passed 14 November 1986). The position was officially established on 4 January 1988, by Defense Directive 5138.3. The post's responsibilities for strategic capabilities and forces transformation were added as a result of USD(P) Eric Edelman's 2006 reorganization of the DoD policy office. [1]

The ASD(SO/LIC) is supported in his/her work by three Deputy Assistant Secretaries of Defense:

In November 2020, Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller announced that Christopher Maier, director of the wide ranging DoD Defeat-ISIS Task Force had resigned, and that the task-force director’s duties and responsibilities will be absorbed by the Office of the ASD (SO/LIC) and regional staffs of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. [2]

Office holders

The table below includes both the various titles of this post over time, as well as all the holders of those offices.

Assistant Secretary of Defense (Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict) [3] [4]
NameTenureSecDef(s) Served UnderPresident(s) Served Under
Assistant Secretary of Defense (Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict)
Charles S. Whitehouse July 13, 1988 – July 12, 1989 Frank C. Carlucci III
William H. Taft IV (Acting)
Richard B. Cheney 		Ronald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
Seth Cropsey (Acting)July 13, 1989 – October 18, 1989 Richard B. Cheney George H. W. Bush
James R. Locher October 19, 1989 – June 19, 1993 Richard B. Cheney
Leslie Aspin, Jr. 		George H. W. Bush
Bill Clinton
H. Allen Holmes November 18, 1993 – April 30, 1999 Les Aspin, Jr.
William J. Perry
William S. Cohen 		Bill Clinton
Brian E. Sheridan May 7, 1999 – January 12, 2001 William S. Cohen Bill Clinton
Position vacant2001–2003 Donald H. Rumsfeld George W. Bush
Thomas W. O'Connell July 23, 2003 – April 17, 2007 [5] Donald H. Rumsfeld
Robert M. Gates 		George W. Bush
Assistant Secretary of Defense (Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict & Interdependent Capabilities)
Michael G. Vickers July 23, 2007 – March 17, 2011 Robert M. Gates George W. Bush
Barack Obama
Michael D. Lumpkin (Acting)March 18, 2011 – October 20, 2011 Robert M. Gates
Leon Panetta 		Barack Obama
Assistant Secretary of Defense (Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict)
Michael D. Lumpkin (Acting)October 21, 2011 – December 19, 2011 Robert M. Gates
Leon Panetta 		Barack Obama
Michael A. Sheehan December 20, 2011 – August 25, 2013 Leon Panetta
Chuck Hagel 		Barack Obama
Michael D. Lumpkin November 19, 2013 – July 26, 2015 Chuck Hagel Barack Obama
Theresa M. Whelan (Acting)July 26, 2015 – May 30, 2017 Ash Carter
James Mattis 		Barack Obama
Donald Trump
Caryn Hollis (Performing the Duties of)May 30, 2017 – August 1, 2017 James Mattis Donald Trump
Mark E. Mitchell (Acting)August 2, 2017 – December 20, 2017 James Mattis Donald Trump
Owen West December 20, 2017 – June 22, 2019 James Mattis Donald Trump
Mark E. Mitchell (Acting)June 23, 2019 – November 1, 2019 Mark Esper Donald Trump
Thomas A. Alexander (Acting)November 2, 2019 – January 20, 2020 Mark Esper Donald Trump
Thomas A. Alexander (Performing the Duties of)January 21, 2020 – June 18, 2020 Mark Esper Donald Trump
Christopher C. Miller (Performing the Duties of)June 19, 2020 – August 10, 2020 Mark Esper Donald Trump
Ezra Cohen Watnick (Acting)August 10, 2020 – November 10, 2020 Mark Esper Donald Trump
Joseph Tonon (Acting)November 10, 2020 - January 20, 2021 Christopher C. Miller (Acting) Donald Trump
David M. Taylor (Acting)January 20, 2021 – August 12, 2021 Lloyd Austin Joe Biden
Christopher Maier August 12, 2021 – present Lloyd Austin Joe Biden

Notes

  1. ↑ Section 167 of Title 10 USC provides a very similar but not identical list of SOF activities.

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References

  1. ↑ Garamone, Jim (29 August 2006). "Pentagon to Reorganize Policy Shop, Improve Cooperation". American Forces Information Service.
  2. ↑ Ryan Browne. "Pentagon shake-up continues as another top official departs". CNN. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  3. ↑ "Department of Defense Key Officials" (PDF). Historical Office, OSD. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
  4. ↑ "Department of Defense Key Officials" (PDF). Historical Office, OSD. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  5. ↑ "Honeywell -Investor Relations". Ems-t.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-03. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
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