Joe Biden’s Department of State and Defense

ANTALL JÓZSEF RESEARCH CENTRE

JOE BIDEN’S DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND DEFENSE

RYAN BROCKHAUS–SIMON SZILVÁSI

4 Királyfürdő Street, 1027 Budapest +36 20 310 8776 ajtk@ajtk.hu | www.ajtk.hu/en

ANTALL JÓZSEF RESEARCH CENTRE

AJRC-Analyses Series of the Antall József Knowledge Centre

Publisher-in-Chief: Péter Antall Managing editor: Péter Dobrowiecki Editorial office: Antall József Knowledge Centre H-1027 Budapest, Királyfürdő street 4

Contact: H-1027 Budapest, Királyfürdő street 4 Phone: +36 20 3108776 E-mail: ajtk@ajtk.hu Web: ajtk.hu/en

© Ryan Brockhaus, Simon Szilvási, 2021 © Antall József Knowledge Centre, 2021 ISSN 2416-1705

4 Királyfürdő Street, 1027 Budapest +36 20 310 8776 ajtk@ajtk.hu | www.ajtk.hu/en

JOE BIDEN’S DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND DEFENSE RYAN BROCKHAUS–SIMON SZILVÁSI

The following policy paper aims to introduce the approved leading members of the US Department of State and Defense. It was prepared through the joint efforts of Ryan Brockhaus, senior fellow at the Budapest Fellowship Program, and Simon Szilvási, international manager at Antall József Knowledge Centre. While the former analysed the profiles of the Secretary of Defence and the Deputy Secretary, the latter was elaborating on the National Security Advisor, the Secretary of State and the Deputy Secretary, and the US Ambassador to the United Nations, as well as their possible approach to future US foreign policy. The scope of this paper only allows for important facts, and milestones from the officials’ careers and does not attempt to present their entire professional histories.

THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE “America is back, and diplomacy is back.” Those were the remarks of the new president of the United States, Joe Biden, during his first speech1 at the State Department after his inauguration on February 4, 2021.

In the US, the name of the government agency responsible for foreign affairs does not include its foreign affairs orientation. When the department was established in 1789, it was known as the Department of Foreign Affairs.2 However, several domestic, staterelated responsibilities were added to its duties, so the title of Department of State better reflected its changing profile. Those were to provide for the safekeeping of the acts, records, and other administrative tasks. Nonetheless, over time these responsibilities were transferred to other government agencies.3 Some functions remained, however, including affixing the Great Seal of the United States, performing protocol duties for the White House, and handling official diplomatic inquiries from overseas.4

Remarks by President Biden on America’s Place in the World. The White House. 4 February 2021. <https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/02/04/remarks-by-president-biden-onamericas-place-in-the-world/ > Accessed: 7 May 2021.

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2 A New Framework for Foreign Affairs. Office of the Historian. <https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/ short-history/framework > Accessed: 28 April 2021.

Mission. U.S. Department of State. <https://careers.state.gov/learn/what-we-do/mission/ > Accessed: 28 April 2021.

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4 America is Back: President Biden Outlines His Vision for U.S. Foreign Policy. U.S. Department of State.

5 February 2021. <https://www.state.gov/dipnote-u-s-department-of-state-official-blog/america-is-backpresident-biden-outlines-his-vision-for-u-s-foreign-policy/ > Accessed: 7 March 2021.

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THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR The position of the national security advisor is considered by many to be the most important foreign policy position, as the official is part of the president’s inner circle. Another crucial argument that underscores the importance of this position is that the appointment does not require the approval of Congress or the Senate. The president appoints the advisor directly. The position was created at the beginning of the Cold War, in 1947, by the National Security Act, and the first advisor was appointed in 1953.

Jake Sullivan, similar to President Biden, has Irish Catholic roots combined with Minnesota ancestry. He is the youngest (44 years old) advisor for 60 years. He has an outstanding record of studies at Yale Law School and Oxford University, previously serving as national security advisor to vice-president Joe Biden, and director of policy planning at the U.S. Department of State, in addition he also held the position of Deputy Chief of Staff to the former president-elect and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.5 He co-authored a little-noticed but unique paper, titled “Making U.S. Foreign Policy Work Better for the Middle Class,” published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.6 Sullivan argues that foreign and domestic policies are strongly intertwined and should be based on a strong American middle-class. He stressed that successful foreign policy in U.S. history was achieved when a united middle class stood behind the president; the new administration is in the process of rebuilding that community. He pointed out that America’s strength lies in renewal and improvement after hardships.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE Antony J. Blinken was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and became the 71st U.S. Secretary of State on January 26, 2021.

Blinken's grandfather was born in Kiev, then part of the Russian Empire, and later graduated from law school in New York. He founded the American Palestinian Institute, which contributed to the U.S. government’s support for the creation of the State of Israel through analysis.7 Hungary played an important role, especially in his father's lineage, as Donald Blinken served as U.S. ambassador to Hungary from March 1994 to November 1997. He was U.S. ambassador to Hungary when the country was about to join NATO. He played a key role in the establishment of a U.S. military presence at Hungary’s Taszár Air Base. The foreign minister’s parents also founded the Open Society Archive (OSA) in Budapest, which contains thousands of archival documents on 20th century history. In addition, they created the 1956 Digital Archive, the Donald and Vera Blinken Collection, which consists of more than 30,000 pages of detailed interviews originally held in the Columbia University Library in New York.

Jake Sullivan. Yale Law School. <https://law.yale.edu/jake-sullivan-0 > Accessed: 26 April 2020.

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Salman Ahmed – Wendy Cutler – Rozlyn Engel – David Gordon:– Jake Sullivan – et al. Making U.S. Foreign Policy Work Better for the Middle Class. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 23 September 2020. <https://carnegieendowment.org/2020/09/23/making-u.s.-foreign-policy-work-better-for-middle-classpub-82728 > Accessed: 28 April 2021.

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Maurice Blinken, 86; Early Backer of Israel. The New York Times Archive. 15 July 1986. <https://www.nytimes. com/1986/07/15/obituaries/maurice-blinken-86-early-backer-of-israel.html > Accessed: 26 April 2021.

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The digital collection of 1956 Hungarian refugees in the United States was also created in collaboration with the Blinken family8.

Speaking at Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Blinken stated that the United States must impose its will through diplomats who are experienced and loyal to their country.9 According to him, the involvement of the U.S. Senate in foreign policy issues, the executive orders could not be followed for the past four years, so he aims to change this measure.

The difficulties caused by the COVID-19 epidemic and then the challenges posed by climate change demand a response. Tougher action against the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China, as well as cyber warfare that meets the technological demands of the 21st century, are at the top of U.S. foreign policy goals for the next four years.

As for Washington’s attitude towards Europe, especially Central-Europe, Anthony Blinken congratulated on the 30th anniversary of the Visegrad Group (V4) cooperation and expressed hope to cooperate successfully with these four countries, including Hungary.10 Apparently, President Biden’s first trip to Europe will mark efforts to restore and improve American–European relations.11 Hopefully, it will strengthen the growing importance of the Three Seas Initiative, a Central-European initiative, that aims to improve the regional infrastructure and connectivity.

DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE: WENDY SHERMAN Sherman’s Senate hearing was held on April 13, 2021.12 She is stemming from Maryland and is part of an Orthodox Jewish community. Obtaining a master’s degree in social work at the University of Maryland she worked as a community organizer in her early career.13 In the past she served as special advisor to President Clinton and policy coordinator on North Korea. As such, she has valuable foreign policy expertise, which enabled her to play an important role in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as head of the U.S. negotiating team. President Biden’s choice to have her as Deputy State Secretary reflects his intention to rejoin the agreement commonly referred to as the Iran Nuclear Deal. After leaving the Department of State in 2015, she taught at Harvard University, at the Kennedy

Vera and Donald Blinken. Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archives. <https://www.osaarchivum.org/ node/1615 > Accessed: 2 February 2021.

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9 Antony J. Blinken: Opening Remarks by Secretary of State-Designate Antony J. Blinken. U.S. Department of State. 19 January 2021. <https://www.state.gov/opening-remarks-by-secretary-of-state-designate-antony-jblinken/ > Accessed: 1 February 2021.

10 Congratulatory Message on the 30th Anniversary of the Visegrád Group (V4). U.S. Department of State.

9 February 2021. <https://www.state.gov/congratulatory-message-on-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-visegradgroup-v4/ > Accessed: 27 April 2021.

Statement by Press Secretary Jen Psaki on the President’s Travel to the United Kingdom and Belgium.

The White House. 23 April 2021. <https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/23/ statement-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-on-the-presidents-travel-to-the-united-kingdom-and-belgium/ > Accessed: 27 April 2021.

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12 Biden's deputy secretary of state nominee OK'd by Senate committee. Al-Monitor. 11 March 2021. <https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/03/sherman-deputy-secretary-state-senate-foreign-committeeiran.html > Accessed: 19 April 2021.

Amb. Wendy Sherman's “Not for the Faint of Heart.” Harvard Kennedy School. 18 December 2019. <Amb. Wendy Sherman's "Not for the Faint of Heart" | Harvard Kennedy School > Accessed: 27 April 2021.

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School, Institute of Politics. She is the author of the book entitled, “Not for the Faint of Heart: Lessons in Courage, Power and Persistence,” in which she recalls her role during the negotiations with Iran.

AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD It is one of the most important diplomatic positions an American diplomat can hold, and people who have served in this position have always been strong, experienced, and influential. While the ambassador’s career is one of those success stories about people who come from humble beginnings.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield previously served as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in the United States Department of State's Bureau of African Affairs of the United States Department of State for four years. She has vast experience in the Foreign Service; prior to her position, she served in many countries, including Switzerland, Rwanda, Pakistan, Sudan, and was instrumental in providing U.S. support for South Sudan as an independent state in its early years. She was present at the Rwanda genocide of 1994 and personally faced the rebels. The Ambassador believes in personal persuasion, which she says saved her life14 during the genocide when militant collaborators mistook her for someone else.

She would also use this diplomatic tactic in her new position, which is also referred to as gumbo diplomacy15. This is a Louisiana specialty used as a negotiating technique with guests one wishes to persuade.

In the past she was criticized for her remarks, which became known as the “Savanna State Speech16.” As the United States’ top diplomat on Africa, she unexpectedly spoke in a positive tone about Sino–American relations and Africa. In response she had been accused17 of being a supporter of China’s interests. The speech mentioned was delivered at the University of Savanna in 2019, while she had been working in private consulting.

The event was organized within the framework of the Confucius Institute at the university.

Republicants used that event to obstruct Greenfiled’s approval by the Senate, however, she repented her former statement and she promised firm stance at the UN on the People’s Republic of China.

Opinion: Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s history with Rwanda can be put to even greater use.The Washington Post 30 November 2020. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/letters-to-the-editor/linda-thomasgreenfields-history-with-rwanda-can-be-put-to-even-greater-use/2020/11/30/b1c66d3e-30c8-11eb-9dd62d0179981719_story.html > Accessed: 11 May 2021.

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Colum Lynch –Robbie Gramer: Gumbo Diplomacy Comes to Turtle Bay. Foreign Policy. 5 February 2021. <https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/02/05/linda-thomas-greenfield-united-nations-gumbo-diplomacy-bidenadministration/ >Accessed: 11 May 2021.

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Speech for Savannah State on China-U.S.-Africa Relationships. The Washington Post. 27 January 2021. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/speech-for-savannah-state-on-china-u-s-africa-relationships/89b3cecb6ecc-41d2-b091-0e863725d07e/ > Accessed: 11 May 2021.

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17 Edith M. Lederer - Biden’s pick for UN post calls China a strategic adversary. The Associated Press.

28 January 2021. <https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-biden-cabinet-linda-thomas-greenfield-diplomacychina-ec8d520ff1a416b36603dba4e91507e2 > Accessed: 11 May 2021.

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As of March 2021, the United States holds the presidency of United Nations Security Council, which provides an opportunity for the new ambassador to effectively address newly emerging tensions, including those related to China.

THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is one of the main departments of the executive branch in the U.S. government. The job of the DOD is overseeing and supervising all agencies related to the U.S. Armed Forces and U.S. National Security. As a result, not only does the Department of the Army, Navy, and Air Force fall under the authority of the Department of Defense, but also the four national intelligence services and their subagencies. At its head is the Secretary of Defense, which is a civilian cabinet position appointed by the U.S. president and must be confirmed by the Senate. The Secretary, therefore, is the chief executive of the DOD, whose authority over the military is superseded only by the president him or herself. Directly underneath the Secretary are the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and the various offices of the main branches of the military: Army, Navy, and Air Force, and includes the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Much like the Secretary, all heads of these departments, including the Deputy Secretary of Defense, are appointed by the president and must be confirmed by the majority in the U.S. Senate.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE On December 7th, 2020, president-elect Joe Biden nominated retired four-star General Lloyd Austin to the position of Secretary of Defense. This was seen as a groundbreaking decision, since General Austin is the first African American to be appointed to head the DOD. Gen Austin had served over forty years in the U.S. Army and was Commander of US-CENTCOM from March of 2013 to April of 2016. Under his leadership at CENTCOM, he helped craft American efforts is combating ISIS, which had come under scrutiny in 2015 and 2016 from the Senate Armed Services Committee.18 He had been accused of underestimating the threat of ISIS in 2014, telling then-president Obama that the Islamic State was merely “a flash in the pan” and that America’s focus on combating ISIS should be concentrated in Iraq, not in Syria. Other national security experts have expressed concern over his lack of experience in the Indo–Pacific region, particularly on confronting China, and view Austin’s appointment as the new administration’s failure to appoint people with expertise on addressing an increasingly confrontational China.

Prior to his tenure at CENTCOM, he was commanding general of U.S. Forces in Iraq from September of 2010 to the final pullout of American troops in December 2011, although disagreed with the Obama administration’s decision for the complete withdrawal of US military presence.19

18 Bryan Bender – Lara Seligman: Questions Swirl Over Austin’s Limited Experience. Politico. 8 December 2020. <https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/09/lloyd-austin-experience-record-443818 > Accessed: 3 April 2021.

Joe Biden Picks Lloyd Austin as Defense Secretary. Deutsche Welle. 8 December 2020. <https://www.dw.com/ en/joe-biden-picks-lloyd-austin-as-defense-secretary/a-55859695 > Accessed: 2 April 2021.

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Upon his retirement from the U.S. Army, General Austin served on the boards of several major contracting companies, including: Raytheon Technologies, Nucor Steel Company, and Tenet Healthcare company. Because of his prior position at Raytheon, he has offered to recuse himself from any future decisions concerning the company, particularly regarding the new long-range standoff weapon, of which Raytheon is the primary contractor.20 Such future measures would then be taken by the Deputy Secretary as a result.

Lloyd Austin is known to have a close friendship with President Biden which began during his tenure as commander of U.S. Forces in Iraq. This friendship and close contact continued after his eventual retirement from the Army in 2016. Historically, Austin has shown a reluctance of speaking often in public, and was nicknamed “the invisible general” due to his aversion of being in the limelight.21 During his confirmation hearing, Austin was granted a waiver by Congress from the requirement for former military officials to be out of military service for a minimum of seven years. Austin became the third Secretary of Defense to obtain such a waiver; as President Trump’s Defense Secretary nominee James Mattis also received the waiver in January of 2017. On January 22nd, he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 93-2.

DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE Kathleen Hicks was nominated by President Biden for the position of Deputy Secretary of Defense on December 30th, 2020. She was confirmed by the Senate on February 9th, 2021 by a voice vote in the Senate and becomes the first female to hold the Deputy Secretary position.22 She has a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and served under the Obama administration as principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for policy.23 Under this title, Hicks was tasked with advising on U.S. National Defense Policy and Strategy. She also assisted in leading the Biden transition team after the results of the 2020 election and led the international security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.24 She had stated her support for a U.S. nuclear modernization program and the continued existence for the nuclear triad during the confirmation process.

Overall, Austin and Hicks represent a relatively centrist Defense Department, despite their breakthroughs in race and gender. It appears that both are qualified and have the overall support of the U.S. Congress.

20 Erik Lipton – Kenneth Vogel – Michael LaForgia: Biden’s Choice for Pentagon Faces Questions on Ties to Contractors. The New York Times. 15 December 2020. <https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/08/us/politics/ lloyd-austin-pentagon-military-contractors.html > Accessed: 2 April 2021.

Alex Ward. Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin Chosen as the First Black Person to Lead the Pentagon. Vox. 2020. December 8.

Accessed: 2021. April 3. <https://www.vox.com/2020/12/7/21755126/lloyd-austin-pentagon-nomination-joe-biden > 21

22 Joe Gould: Senate Confirms Hicks as DOD’s No. 2. Defense News. 8 February 2021. <https://www.defensenews. com/congress/2021/02/09/senate-confirms-kathleen-hicks-as-dods-no-2/ > Accessed: 3 April 2021.

Kate Sullivan – MJ Lee: Biden Names Kathleen Hicks as First Woman Deputy Defense Secretary. CNN Politics. 30 December 2020. <https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/30/politics/biden-defense-department-hickskahl/index.html > Accessed: 4 April 2021.

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Rebecca Kheel: Senate Confirms Biden’s Deputy Defense Secretary. The Hill. 8 February 2021. <https://thehill. com/policy/defense/537933-senate-confirms-bidens-deputy-defense-secretary > Accessed: 4 April 2021.

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