Under Secretary of Defense for Policy > OUSDP Offices > ASD for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs

The regions and countries of focus for the ASD (IPSA) are:

Afghanistan/Pakistan/Central Asia (APC): Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
China (CHN): China.
East Asia (EAS): Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Japan, South Korea, and North Korea.
South and Southeast Asia (SSEA): India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Diego Garcia (in conjunction with ASD(ISA)), Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and the Pacific Island nations.

Leadership

Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs

Mr. David F. Helvey is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs (IPSA), and is currently performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense/IPSA. Mr. Helvey has served in this position since 2017, during which time he also served twice as Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense/IPSA for extended periods. He is responsible for developing and overseeing the execution of the United States’ defense and security policy in the Indo-Pacific region.

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Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China

Mr. Chad Sbragia currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In this capacity, he is responsible for advising senior leadership within the Department of Defense on all policy matters pertaining to the development and implementation of defense strategies, plans, policies, and bilateral security relations for China.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia

Heino Klinck was sworn in as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia on August 12, 2019. In this role, he oversees all U.S. defense policy throughout the region, advancing U.S. national security interests through defense strategy development, security cooperation, contingency planning, and program oversight. He brings more than three decades of private sector and military experience to this position including 8 years living and working in the Indo-Pacific Region.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia

Reed Werner is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia. In this role, he is responsible for advising Department leadership on matters pertaining to the development and implementation of defense policies, strategies and plans in the region.

Previously, Mr. Werner was in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman, Sachs & Co. in Hong Kong, where he worked on strategic and financing transactions across China and Southeast Asia. Mr. Werner also worked in Goldman Sachs’ Asia Executive Office, where he held regional business development responsibilities and worked on a number of transactions, including the restructuring of Goldman Sachs’ China joint venture. Mr. Werner started at Goldman Sachs in the winter of 2009 in the Investment Banking Division in New York.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia

Thomas D. Croci was sworn in as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia on February 3, 2020. In this capacity, Mr. Croci oversees all U.S. defense policy throughout the region, advancing U.S. national security interests through defense strategy development, security cooperation, contingency planning, and program oversight.

Contact Information

Office of the Assistant Secretary of Indo-Pacific Security Affairs
2700 Defense Pentagon, Room 5D688
Washington, DC 20301-2700
(703) 695-4175