Ambassador Tina Kaidanow
Ambassador Tina Kaidanow was appointed on September 25, 2018 as Senior Advisor, International Cooperation in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)). In this position, Ambassador Kaidanow focuses on the development and implementation of international cooperative programs and defense exportability efforts to foster cooperation with U.S. allies on research, development, production and support of weapons systems and related equipment. Ambassador Kaidanow prepares U.S. military forces for coalition operations by facilitating the provision of interoperable defense systems to global partners in support of national security interests. She directs and monitors implementation of defense policies on international security cooperation within the Department of Defense, in close coordination with U.S. government agencies, foreign governments, and U.S. and foreign industry. Ambassador Tina Kaidanow served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs from 2016 to September 2018. As Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Ambassador Kaidanow was the Department of State’s principal liaison with the Department of Defense and managed several critical components of U.S. foreign policy, including the maintenance of the State Department’s global security relationships, the provision of more than $5 billion in international security assistance, bilateral transfers and the licensing of commercial sales of U.S.-origin defense equipment, the negotiation of international security agreements and the implementation of the President’s Export Control Reform Initiative.
Prior to joining the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Ambassador Kaidanow served from 2014-2016 as Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism, where she forged partnerships with foreign governments, multilateral organizations, and non-state actors to advance the counterterrorism objectives and national security of the United States. Previously, Ambassador Kaidanow served as Deputy Ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul from September 2012 to October 2013. Ambassador Kaidanow became the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs in July 2011, having served earlier as the bureau’s Deputy Assistant Secretary responsible for issues related to Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and the Caucasus (August 2009 - June 2011).
From 2006-2009, Ambassador Kaidanow was the Chief of Mission and later the first U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Kosovo. She served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2003-2006. Prior to that, she was the Special Assistant for European Affairs to Deputy Secretaries of State Strobe Talbott and Richard Armitage.
A career member of the U.S. diplomatic service, Ambassador Kaidanow served as Special Assistant to U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill in Skopje from 1998-1999, with specific responsibilities focused on the crisis in Kosovo, and had earlier assignments in Sarajevo (1997-1998) and Belgrade (1995-1997). She has also held the position of Director for Southeast European Affairs at the National Security Council. Ambassador Kaidanow earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Philosophy degree in Political Science from Columbia University in New York, as well as a certificate in Russian studies from the Harriman Institute.
