Mark Lippert

Mark Lippert
Lippert in 2012
United States Ambassador to South Korea
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 20, 2014
President Barack Obama
Preceded by Sung Kim
Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense
In office
May 2013 – October 2014
President Barack Obama
Preceded by Jeremy Bash
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs
In office
April 2012 – May 2013
President Barack Obama
Preceded by Lt. Gen. Wallace Gregson (Ret)
Succeeded by Dr. Peter R. Lavoy
Personal details
Born Mark William Lippert
February 28, 1973
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Alma mater Stanford University
Profession Foreign policy advisor
Awards Bronze Star Medal
Military service
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch  United States Navy
Years of service 2005–present
Unit United States Navy Reserve seal U.S. Navy Reserve
Battles/wars Iraq War
  • Operation Iraqi Freedom

Mark William Lippert (born February 28, 1973) is the current United States Ambassador to South Korea. Prior to his tour as Ambassador, Lippert had served as Chief of Staff for Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Chief of Staff for the National Security Council, and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs in the Department of Defense. On March 5, 2015, he was attacked by a man wielding a knife in South Korea.[1]

Early life and education

Lippert was born in and grew up in Mariemont, Ohio,[2] a suburb just outside of Cincinnati.[3] He is the son of Susan (Bridges) and James William Lippert, a lawyer.[4][5] Lippert graduated from Stanford University where he studied political science as an undergraduate and received a master's degree in international policy studies.[6] While in graduate school at Stanford, he studied Mandarin Chinese at Peking University as part of a study abroad program. As a result, Lippert is known in Mandarin as Lee Mokai (Chinese: 李模楷), the Chinese name he choose for himself during his stay in Beijing.[7]

Career

Prior to 1999, he worked at the State Department and for California Senator Dianne Feinstein. Lippert was a defense and foreign policy advisor to then Senator and Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle and the Senate Democratic Policy Committee from 1999 to October 2000. He then served as a researcher for Senator Patrick Leahy from October 2000 to February 2001. Lippert served on the professional staff of the Senate Appropriations Committee, State–Foreign Operations Subcommittee, from February 2001 to June 2005.[8] In June 2005, he became a foreign policy advisor to then Senator Barack Obama, who was then serving on the Senate Foreign Relations committee.[8] He was recruited by Senator Obama's Chief of Staff, Pete Rouse, who is currently serving as Counselor to the President.[4]

Lippert was also commissioned into the Navy Reserve in 2005 through the Navy's direct commission officer program as an intelligence officer. From August 2007 until June 2008, he served about a year[6] in what had been scheduled as a nine-month tour of duty in Iraq as an intelligence officer with the Navy SEALs. He received a Bronze Star Medal for his service in Iraq.[8]

After he returned from Iraq, Lippert served as a senior foreign policy advisor to then-Senator Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.[8] He was responsible for briefing Obama on emerging foreign policy issues throughout the campaign.[9] He helped prepare Obama on foreign policy for the presidential debates.[10] Lippert later served as deputy director for foreign policy for the Obama–Biden Transition Project.[8]

Throughout his time in the Senate and during the presidential campaign, Lippert was noted for having a close relationship with then Senator Obama.[6] He is credited for helping Obama develop his views on defense and foreign policy, particularly his support for a withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, which was completed under President Obama in December 2011 as well as Obama's emphasis on transnational security issues, such as genocide and weapons of mass destruction.[4]

Obama administration

Following Obama's inauguration in January 2009, he was appointed Deputy Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff for the National Security Council, a position which had not existed in the Bush administration, but had existed in previous administrations.[11] During his time as Chief of Staff, Lippert oversaw the merger of the staffs of the Homeland Security Council, which had been created in October 2001 by President Bush, and the National Security Council, into a single National Security Staff.[12] Unlike his recent predecessors, then-National Security Advisor General Jim Jones delegated much of the day-to-day responsibilities for the National Security Council to his deputy, Tom Donilon, and to a couple of Obama campaign veterans, including Denis McDonough and Mark Lippert.[13]

In October 2009, Lippert resigned from the National Security Council to return to active duty in the Navy.[14] There was speculation surrounding Lippert's resignation that he was pushed to leave due to significant disagreements with General Jones, especially with respect to the troop surge.[11] Jones accused Lippert of leaking information about him to Bob Woodward for Obama's Wars.[15] Lippert was succeeded by Denis McDonough, who would go on to later serve as Deputy National Security Advisor, then White House Chief of Staff. Lippert had originally recruited McDonough to serve as then-Senator Obama's foreign policy advisor during his 2007 deployment to Iraq.

Lippert spent two years serving as an intelligence officer with the Navy SEALs and the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, better known by its former name, SEAL Team Six, including deployments to Afghanistan and undisclosed locations in Africa. He continued to be on the White House payroll while on active duty, which is permitted by federal law, but caused some controversy.[16]

After completing his active duty with the Navy, Lippert was nominated by President Obama in October 2011 to succeed General Wallace Gregson as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs.[11] While Lippert's nomination was held up for several months due to holds placed on it by Senators John McCain and John Cornyn Lippert's relationship with former National Security Advisor Jim Jones,[17] and over F-16 sales to Taiwan,[18] respectively, he was confirmed by the Senate in a voice vote on April 2012.[15]

When Kurt Campbell resigned as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs in February 2013, Lippert was rumoured as a possible replacement for Campbell.[19] Lippert was named newly confirmed Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's Chief of Staff in early May 2013.[20]

Ambassador to South Korea

On May 1, 2014, President Obama announced his intention to nominate Lippert to be United States Ambassador to South Korea.[21] The United States Senate voted to confirm Lippert's nomination on September 18, 2014.[22] He was sworn in as the new ambassador by Secretary of State John Kerry in October 2014. He arrived late to his post due an issue with the transportation of his pet dog.[23]

At about 7:40 a.m. on March 5, 2015, Lippert was attacked by a knife-wielding man at a restaurant attached to Sejong Center in downtown Seoul, where Lippert was scheduled to give a speech at a meeting of the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation.[24] The assailant, who identified himself as Kim Ki-jong, inflicted wounds on Lippert's left arm as well as a four-inch cut on the right side of the ambassador's face, requiring 80 stitches.[24] Lippert underwent surgery at Yonsei University's Severance Hospital in Seoul. While his injuries were not life-threatening, doctors stated that it will take several months for Lippert to regain use of his fingers.[24] A police official said that the knife used in the attack was 10 inches (25 cm) long.[24]

During the attack and while being subdued by security, Kim screamed that the rival Koreas should be unified and told reporters that he had attacked Lippert to protest the annual United States-South Korean joint military exercises.[24] Kim has a record of militant Korean nationalist activism; he attacked the Japanese ambassador to South Korea in 2010 and was sentenced to a three-year suspended prison term.[25][26][27][28]

References

  1. ↑ Chung, Hye-min (5 March 2015). "US Ambassador Mark Lippert attacked by knife-wielding man in Seoul". The Korea Observer. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  2. ↑ Spitzer, Kirk and Welch, William M. USA TODAY 7:38 a.m. EST March 5, 2015 Attacked ambassador to S. Korea is Cincy native
  3. ↑ "- NOMINATIONS BEFORE THE SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE, FIRST SESSION, 112TH CONGRESS". gpo.gov. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "From the Campaign to the Battlefront", by Monica Langley, The Wall Street Journal, September 22, 2007
  5. ↑ http://birth-records.mooseroots.com/l/11058102/Mark-William-Lippert
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "The Aide Who Went to War", by Richard Wolffe, Newsweek, July 28, 2008
  7. ↑ "美駐韓大使李模楷 歐巴馬的麻吉" (in Traditional Chinese). Taipei: United Daily News. 2015-03-06. Retrieved 2015-03-08.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 "United States Department of Defense". defense.gov. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  9. ↑ A Cast of 300 Advises Obama on Foreign Policy", by Elisabeth Bumiller, The New York Times, July 18, 2008
  10. ↑ "Obama Team Heads to Debate", by Jeff Zeleny, The New York Times, September 25, 2008
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Obama confidant Mark Lippert nominated for top Asia post". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  12. ↑ Cooper, Helene (May 27, 2009). "In Security Shuffle, White House Merges Staffs". The New York Times.
  13. ↑ Cooper, Helene (May 7, 2009). "National Security Adviser Tries Quieter Approach". The New York Times.
  14. ↑ Kamen, Al (October 1, 2009). "Deputy National Security Adviser Is Returning to Duty With the Navy". The Washington Post.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Kamen, Al (April 27, 2012). "Senate confirms top Pentagon and Justice nominees". The Washington Post.
  16. ↑ Josh Rogin, Why is Mark Lippert still on the White House payroll?, Foreign Policy Magazine', July 21, 2011.
  17. ↑ "McCain lifts hold on Lippert". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  18. ↑ "Cornyn places hold on Obama confidant Lippert over Taiwan F-16 sales". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  19. ↑ "Campbell and Flournoy to join CNAS board". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  20. ↑ "Hagel picks Navy vet as chief of staff". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  21. ↑ "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts". The White House. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  22. ↑ "Wrap Up for Thursday, September 18, 2014". senate.gov. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  23. ↑ "The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition): Daily News from Korea - New U.S. Envoy Held Up in Tiff Over Pet Dog". chosun.com. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 Choe Sang-hun & Michael D. Shear, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Is Hospitalized After Knife Attack, New York Times, March 4, 2015.
  25. ↑ "US ambassador to SKorea slashed on face and wrist in attack". SFGate. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  26. ↑ "US Ambassador Mark Lippert attacked in Seoul". The Korea Observer. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  27. ↑ "BBC News - US ambassador to South Korea injured by attacker". BBC News. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  28. ↑ "US Ambassador to SKorea Slashed on Face and Wrist in Attack". ABC News. Mar 4, 2015.

External links

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