Bg. Gen. Mark KIMMITT

(USA), Former Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, and Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East

Mark Kimmitt is a retired U.S. Army brigadier general and former diplomat with a career spanning military strategy and high-level government policy. A West Point graduate with an MBA from Harvard, Kimmitt held extensive military commands globally, notably serving as the chief military spokesman in Iraq and deputy director for strategy at U.S. Central Command. Following his 2006 military retirement, he transitioned to civil service under the George W. Bush administration. He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Policy before becoming the 16th Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs. In this diplomatic role, he managed international security assistance, global arms sales, and pioneered critical counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia.