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.
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.
The ASD(SO/LIC) is supported in his/her work by three Deputy Assistant Secretaries of Defense:
- DASD, Special Operations and Combating Terrorism
- DASD, Partnership Strategy and Stability Operations
- DASD, Counternarcotics and Global Threats
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.
Office holders
The table below includes both the various titles of this post over time, as well as all the holders of those offices.
| Name | Tenure | SecDef(s) Served Under | President(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 vacant | 2001–2003 | Donald H. Rumsfeld | George W. Bush |
| Thomas W. O'Connell | July 23, 2003 – April 17, 2007 | 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
- Section 167 of Title 10 USC provides a very similar but not identical list of SOF activities.
References
- Garamone, Jim (29 August 2006). "Pentagon to Reorganize Policy Shop, Improve Cooperation". American Forces Information Service.
- Ryan Browne. "Pentagon shake-up continues as another top official departs". CNN. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- "Department of Defense Key Officials" (PDF). Historical Office, OSD. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
- "Department of Defense Key Officials" (PDF). Historical Office, OSD. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
- "Honeywell -Investor Relations". Ems-t.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-03. Retrieved 2013-06-17.