The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving,on or after 5 April 1917,with the U.S. military. With its forerunner,the Badge of Military Merit,which took the form of a heart made of purple cloth,the Purple Heart is the oldest military award still given to U.S. military members. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor,New York.
The United States National Security Council (NSC) is the national security council used by the president of the United States for consideration of national security,military,and foreign policy matters. Based in the White House,it is part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States,and composed of senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials.
Michael Vincent Hayden is a retired United States Air Force four-star general and former Director of the National Security Agency,Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence,and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He currently serves as a visiting professor at the George Mason University –Schar School of Policy and Government and co-chairs the Bipartisan Policy Center's Electric Grid Cyber Security Initiative.
Tracey Ann Jacobson is an American diplomat and a former United States ambassador to Turkmenistan,Tajikistan,Kosovo and Ethiopia. She served as the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs from January 2017 through October 2017. She retired then returned to active duty in 2021 as the State Department's Director of the Afghanistan Task Force,and then as Chargéd’Affaires,ad interim,at the Embassy in Addis Ababa,Ethiopia. In January 2024,she was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as the United States ambassador to Iraq.
Bilateral relations between Samoa and the United States are considered cordial and warm.
Catherine Mary Russell is an American attorney and political adviser who is the executive director of UNICEF as of 2022. Russell was director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office,United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues,and chief of staff to then-Second Lady of the United States Jill Biden.
Peter Michael McKinley is an American diplomat. A career Foreign Service Officer,McKinley served as U.S. Ambassador to Peru (2007–2010),Colombia (2010–2013),Afghanistan (2015–2016),and Brazil (2017–2018),and then as Senior Adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State (2018–2019).
James Daniel Howard was Special Assistant to President of the United States Ronald Reagan from July 1986 to February 1988,United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs from February 1988 to May 1989 and Under Secretary of the Navy from 1989 to 1993.
Antony John Blinken is an American lawyer and diplomat who served as the 71st United States secretary of state from 2021 to 2025. He previously served as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 and deputy secretary of state from 2015 to 2017 under President Barack Obama. Blinken was previously national security advisor to then–Vice President Joe Biden from 2009 to 2013.
Richard Merrill Mills Jr. is an American diplomat serving as the United States ambassador to Nigeria since July 2024. He served as the United States deputy ambassador to the United Nations from 2020 to 2024 and,in that capacity,served as the U.S. Chargéd'Affaires and Acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations between January 20,2021,and February 25,2021,when Linda Thomas-Greenfield became ambassador. He previously served as the U.S. Chargéd'Affaires for Canada.
Larry Edward AndréJr. is a retired American diplomat and career member of the Senior Foreign Service who had served as the United States ambassador to Somalia from February 2022 to May 2023. He previously served as the United States ambassador to Djibouti from 2018 to 2021,and as the United States ambassador to Mauritania from 2014 to 2017.
Daniel Lewis Foote is an American diplomat and career member of the Senior Foreign Service who was the United States Special Envoy for Haiti from July to September 2021. He formerly served as the United States Ambassador to Zambia.
John Charles Demers is an Italian-born American lawyer who served as United States Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division (NSD) from 2018 to 2021. Following the resignation of Jeffrey A. Rosen,Demers also served as acting United States Attorney General for a few hours on January 20,2021 until President Joe Biden signed an executive order naming Monty Wilkinson as acting United States Attorney General later that day.
Sarah-Ann Lynch is an American diplomat who served as United States ambassador to Guyana from 2019 to 2023. She was nominated by President Donald Trump on September 13,2018,and presented her credentials on March 13,2019,to President David Granger. Lynch was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 2,and was sworn in on January 11,2019.
Jessica Davis Ba is an American diplomat who serves as the United States ambassador to Ivory Coast in the Biden administration. She previously served as Senior Coordinator and Special Advisor for Africa in the Office of the Vice President. Davis Ba previously served as the Chargéd’Affaires,ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in N’Djamena,Chad.
Robert J. Faucher is an American diplomat who has served as the United States ambassador to Suriname since January 31,2023.
Ann Marie Yastishock is an American diplomat who is serving as the United States ambassador to Papua New Guinea,along with the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
David J. Kostelancik is an American diplomat who is the nominee to be the United States ambassador to Albania.
Joel Ehrendreich is an American diplomat who has served as the United States ambassador to Palau since September 2023. He previously served as the director of the Office of Japanese Affairs at the State Department from 2022 to 2023.
Richard H. Riley IV is an American diplomat who is serving United States ambassador to Somalia.
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United States Army