Ely Ratner
Ely Ratner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs | |
| Assumed office July 25, 2021 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Randall Schriver |
| Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President | |
| In office 2015–2017 | |
| Leader | Colin Kahl |
| Vice President | Joe Biden |
| Personal details | |
| Spouse |
Jennifer Yang (m. 2009) |
| Education | Princeton University (BA) University of California, Berkeley (PhD) |
Ely Stefansky Ratner[1] (born 1977) is an American foreign policy and defense advisor who is currently serving as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs in the Biden administration.[2]
Education
Ratner earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the School of Public and International Affairs[3] at Princeton University and a PhD in political science from the University of California, Berkeley.[4][5]
Career
In 2002 and 2003, Ratner was a staffer to the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, under then-Chairman Joe Biden. He was an associate political scientist at the RAND Corporation from 2009 to 2011. Ratner then joined the United States Department of State as China desk officer. From 2015 to 2017, Ratner served as deputy national security advisor to Biden during his Vice Presidency. After the end of the Obama administration, Ratner became a China studies fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and executive vice president and director of studies at the Center for a New American Security.
DoD Nomination
On April 21, 2021, Ratner was nominated by President Joe Biden to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs under Secretary Lloyd Austin.[6][7] The Senate Armed Services Committee held hearings on Ratner's nomination on June 16, 2021. The committee favorably reported Ratner's nomination to the Senate floor on June 22, 2021. One month later, on July 22, 2021, the entire Senate confirmed Ratner by voice vote.[8]
He was sworn in to the new position by Secretary Austin on July 25, 2021.[2][9]
Personal life
Ratner and his wife, Jennifer Yang, married in 2009.[10]
References
- ^ "PN428 — Ely Stefansky Ratner — Department of Defense". U.S. Congress. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
- ^ a b Garamone, Jim. "Austin Administers Speedy Swearing-In for DOD". U.S. Department of Defense.
- ^ "Ely Ratner". Bridging the Gap Project. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
- ^ "President Biden Announces Key Administration Nominations for National Security". The White House. 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
- ^ "Tigers In the Nation's Service: Alumni in the Biden Administration". Princeton Alumni Weekly. 2021-03-29. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
- ^ Mehta, Aaron (2021-04-21). "Indo-Pacific, DNI deputy nominees named". Defense News. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
- ^ "President Biden Announces Key Administration Nominations for National Security". The White House. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ "PN428 — Ely Stefansky Ratner — Department of Defense 117th Congress (2021-2022)". US Congress. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ Gould, Joe (July 26, 2021). "Pentagon adding new China and tech chiefs". Defense News. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
- ^ "Jennifer Yang, Ely Ratner". The New York Times. 2009-09-26. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-04-21.