United States Assistant Secretary of State
title used for many executive positions in the United States State Department
Assistant Secretary of State (A/S) is a title used for many executive positions in the United States Department of State, ranking below the under secretaries. A set of six assistant secretaries reporting to the under secretary of state for political affairs manage diplomatic missions within their designated geographic regions, plus one assistant secretary dealing with international organizations and one equivalent as the coordinator/ambassador at large for counterterrorism. Assistant secretaries usually manage individual bureaus of the Department of State. When the manager of a bureau or another agency holds a title other than assistant secretary, such as "director," it can be said to be of "assistant secretary equivalent rank." Assistant secretaries typically have a set of deputies, referred to as deputy assistant secretaries (DAS).
History
From 1853 until 1913, the assistant secretary of state was the second-ranking official within the U.S. Department of State. Prior to 1853, the chief clerk was the second-ranking officer, and after 1913, the counselor was the second-ranking position, though the assistant secretary continued to be a position until 1924. From 1867, the assistant secretary of state was assisted by a second assistant secretary of state, and from 1875, by a third assistant secretary of state. Specific duties of the incumbents varied over the years and included such responsibilities as supervising the Diplomatic and Consular Bureaus, general supervision of correspondence, consular appointments, administration of the Department, and supervision of economic matters and various geographic divisions.
Overview
Today, the title of the second-ranking position at the department is the deputy secretary of state, with the next tier of State Department officials bearing the rank of under secretary of state.
The following is a list of current offices bearing the title of "assistant secretary of state":
Reporting directly to the secretary of state:
Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research
Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs
Reporting to the under secretary of state for political affairs:
Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
Reporting to the under secretary of state for management:
Assistant Secretary of State for Administration
Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security
Reporting to the under secretary of state for economic affairs:
Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and Business Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
Reporting to the under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs:
Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs
Reporting to the under secretary of state for arms control and international security:
Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation
Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for Emerging Threats
Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
Reporting to the under secretary of state for foreign assistance, humanitarian affairs and religious freedom:
Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
Assistant Secretary of State for Global Health Security and Diplomacy
The following roles also possess a rank equivalent to assistant secretary:
Chief of Protocol of the United States, with the rank of ambassador
Coordinator for Counterterrorism, with the rank and status of ambassador-at-large
Special Assistant to the Secretary and Executive Secretary of the Department
Inspector General of the Department of State
Legal Adviser
Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Global Talent
Director, Policy Planning Staff
Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy
Ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues
Ambassador at Large for Global Criminal Justice
Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom
Ambassador at Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
Ambassador at Large for Global Health Security and Diplomacy
Director of the Foreign Service Institute
Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary of State
Chief Information Officer of the Department
Director, Office of Foreign Missions, with rank of ambassador
Director of Budget and Planning
Comptroller of the Department
Chief Economist of the Department
Director Foreign Assistance
Chief Medical Officer and Designated Agency Safety and Health Official
Director, Office of Civil Rights
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
Director, Office of Management Strategy and Solutions
Director of Overseas Buildings Operations
Current assistant secretaries of state
List of assistant secretaries of state, 1853–1937
Second Assistant Secretary of State
The Consular and Diplomatic Appropriations Act for the year ending June 30, 1867 authorized the president to appoint a second assistant secretary of state.
“United States Assistant Secretary of State” enters the record as title used for many executive positions in the United States State Department. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what United, States and Assistant can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“United States Assistant Secretary of State” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, United, States and Assistant provides the most credible route into that argument.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q742482. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1853, 1913, 1924 and 1867.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “United States Assistant Secretary of State”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow United States Assistant Secretary of State primary sources, United States Assistant Secretary of State archive and United research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “United States Assistant Secretary of State”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “United States Assistant Secretary of State” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.