Andrea Thompson

Andrea Lee Thompson (born March 1, 1966) is an American government official and former military officer. She is the former Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs. Prior to this, she was the National Security Advisor to Vice President Mike Pence. Before entering government service, she was a career intelligence officer in the United States Army.

Biography

Early life and education Thompson was born on March 1, 1966, in Pierre, South Dakota to Georgia Hanson and Jim Thompson. She attended Harrisburg High School, where she graduated in 1984. She subsequently graduated from the University of South Dakota in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and journalism. Thompson later earned a master of science in counseling and organizational behavior from Long Island University and, in 2009, a master of arts in national security and strategic studies from the National Defense University. Germany, Honduras, Nicaragua, Belize, and twice to Iraq. In Iraq, she was an intelligence taskforce commander until March 2004 in the 25th Infantry Division and began as the senior intelligence officer in the 101st Airborne Division in April 2005. She held this position until January 2017. She succeeded Colin Kahl who was the final National Security Advisor to Vice President Joe Biden.

On December 12, 2017, the White House announced that Thompson would be nominated as the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs. Thompson was confirmed as Under Secretary of State by the United States Senate on April 26, 2018. She was sworn in by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on June 19, 2018. Thompson has also co-authored a book titled Achieving Victory in Iraq: Countering an Insurgency. On September 20, 2019, Pompeo announced that Thompson would leave her position the following month.