The assistant secretary of defense for special operations/low-intensity conflict or ASD(SO/LIC), is the principal civilian advisor to the 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.Section 167 of Title 10 USC provides a very similar but not identical list of SOF activities.
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, the 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 Executive Director for the Office of Information Operations Policy 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.
Officeholders 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) 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 Joseph J. McMenamin (Acting) January 20, 2021 – August 12, 2021 Lloyd Austin Joe Biden Christopher Maier August 12, 2021 – January 20, 2025 Lloyd Austin Joe Biden Colby Jenkins (Acting) January 20, 2025 – August 25, 2025 Pete Hegseth Donald Trump Richard Tilley (Acting) August 25, 2025https://www.linkedin.com/in/richarddtilley – December 29, 2025 Pete Hegseth Donald Trump Derrick Anderson December 29, 2025 – Present Pete Hegseth Donald Trump
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References
External links policy.defense.gov