The Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations is the head of the

Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations The Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO) is a bureau of the United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government re ...

within the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

, supporting the department's conflict and crisis-response efforts. The assistant secretary reports to the

Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights The Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights is a position within the U.S. Department of State that leads the State Department's efforts to prevent and counter threats to civilian security. The Under Secretary oversees ...

. The first assistant secretary, Rick Barton, was nominated by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

on November 29, 2011, and confirmed by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

on March 29, 2012. The current assistant secretary is Anne Witkowsky.

Responsibilities

The Assistant Secretary of CSO is the Secretary of State's senior adviser on instability, conflict, and stabilization. The assistant secretary's responsibilities include: *Formulating and implementing policies on conflict prevention, response, stabilization policies, and programs under the overall direction of and in coordination with the

; *Leading the development of a unique brand of conflict prevention and mitigation analysis, programming, and operations in coordination with relevant department bureaus and other agencies; *Working with other U.S. government agencies such as 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 (Philipp ...

to strengthen the U.S. government's analysis and planning to conduct operations that prevent political violence, atrocities, and the spread or emergence of

violent extremism Violent extremism is a form of extremism that condones and enacts violence with ideological or deliberate intent, such as religious or political violence. Violent extremist views can manifest in connection with a range of issues, including politics ...

such as White Supremacy, White Nationalism, Radical Islam, Mafia, etc. *Engaging with the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

in coordination with the

Bureau of Legislative Affairs The Bureau of Legislative Affairs, also known as the "H Bureau", is the office of the United States Department of State that coordinates legislative activity for the Department of State and advises the Secretary, the Deputy, as well as the under ...

on conflict prevention, response, and stabilization capabilities and operations; *Strengthening staff expertise to serve as an early warning, analysis, planning, and monitoring capability for conflict prevention and response for the

Atrocities Prevention Board The Atrocities Prevention Board (APB) is an interagency committee consisting of U.S. officials from the National Security Council, the Departments of State, Defense, Justice, and Treasury, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the ...

(APB), as well as the department, Chiefs of Mission, and other USG agencies; *Working with relevant partners, including

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nongovernmental organizations A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

, foreign governments, international/regional organizations, the

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, and the public to harmonize civilian and military plans.

List of Assistant Secretaries of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations

References

External links

Official website
2011 establishments in Washington, D.C. {{US-gov-stub