Robert Story Karem is an American policy advisor and government official who served as
in the
Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philippin ...
.
Early life and education
Karem is a native of
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
, and graduated from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in 2000.
Career
Karem was a foreign policy
legislative assistant A legislative assistant (LA) or legislative analyst is a person who works for a legislator as a legislative staffer, a government agency as a legislative affairs professional, or in the government relations and regulatory affairs industry by monitor ...
for U.S. Senator
Mitch McConnell
Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky and the Senate minority leader since 2021. Currently in his seventh term, McConne ...
.
He was also an advisor to former Vice President
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former U ...
, specifically with respect to
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
affairs. Karem was a member of Cheney's national security staff from February 2005 to January 2009 and was a researcher for Cheney's memoir.
Karem later worked as an advisor to then-
House Majority Leader
Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are ele ...
Eric Cantor
Eric Ivan Cantor (born June 6, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who represented Virginia's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2014. A Republican, Cantor served as House Minority ...
.
In August 2014, Karem left Cantor's office to serve as policy advisor for U.S. House Majority Leader
Kevin McCarthy
Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician, serving as Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, House Minority Leader in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. A member of the Rep ...
.
Karem served as a member of
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
's
transition team as an adviser to
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
Director
Mike Pompeo
Michael Richard Pompeo (; born December 30, 1963) is an American politician, diplomat, and businessman who served under President Donald Trump as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2017 to 2018 and as the 70th United State ...
during Pompeo's confirmation process.
On April 25, 2017, President Trump nominated Karem to become
in the Department of Defense.
Derek Chollet
Derek Chollet is an American foreign policy advisor and author currently serving as the Counselor of the United States Department of State. Previously, Chollet was the Executive Vice President for security and defense policy at the German Marsha ...
, who served as
in the Obama administration, praised Trump's decision in choosing Karem, stating that "
t often
oI say this, but terrific news from Trump Admin: Robert Karem nomn'd for Asst SecDef ISA . . . He’s smart, savvy, & skilled. Great pick!"
On May 18, 2017, Karem's confirmation hearing took place with the
Senate Committee on Armed Services
The Committee on Armed Services (sometimes abbreviated SASC for ''Senate Armed Services Committee'') is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defe ...
.
He was confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate on May 25, 2017.
Karem stepped down as Assistant Secretary in October 2018, along with additional Pentagon officials,
Thomas Goffus and Alan Patterson. He was succeeded by
Kathryn L. Wheelbarger in an acting capacity.
References
External links
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karem, Robert Story
Columbia College (New York) alumni
1977 births
Living people
Trump administration personnel
United States Assistant Secretaries of Defense
People from Lexington, Kentucky
United States Under Secretaries of Defense for Policy