Andrea L. Thompson was confirmed as Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security on April 26, 2018. Before her arrival at the Department of State, Under Secretary Thompson served as the Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President.
Prior to her tenure at the White House, Under Secretary Thompson served as the Director of the McChrystal Group Leadership Institute. She brings more than 25 years of service in the United States military to her role, including deployments on multiple combat tours, such as: Intelligence Directorate/J2 Chief of Staff in Afghanistan, Senior Intelligence Officer for MultiNational Division (North) in Iraq, as well as tours in Iraq, Bosnia, and operational and strategic deployments around the world.
Under Secretary Thompson also served as the National Security Advisor for the Chairman, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security and Senior Military Advisor to the Chairman, U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.
She graduated with honors from the University of South Dakota (Phi Beta Kappa), and received her Masters’ Degrees from Long Island University and National Defense University. Under Secretary Thompson is the co-author of the book Achieving Victory in Iraq: Countering an Insurgency.
A native South Dakotan, Under Secretary Thompson lives in Alexandria with her family.
