Dr. Andrew Exum was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Policy in May 2015. He is the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy on international security strategy and policy for the Middle East, and for oversight of security cooperation programs, including foreign military sales, in the region.
Dr. Exum joined the Department of Defense from the Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm, where he advised clients from a wide range of industries on business strategy. Dr. Exum previously served in the Department of Defense on an International Affairs Fellowship from the Council on Foreign Relations.
A native of East Tennessee, Dr. Exum was the recipient of an ROTC scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in Classical Studies and English Literature. Dr. Exum served four years on active duty in the U.S. Army. He led a platoon of light infantry in Afghanistan and was decorated for valor during Operation Anaconda in 2002. He later led Army Rangers as part of special operations task forces in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Upon leaving the Army, Dr. Exum received a master's degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the American University of Beirut and a Ph.D. in War Studies from King's College London.