David B. Shear

David Bruce Shear (born May 25, 1954) is an American diplomat who was a career Foreign Service Officer. Shear served as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs from July 2014 to June 2016. Prior to his nomination for this position, he served as United States Ambassador to Vietnam. He was also formerly deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs at the U.S. Department of State;

Born in Cobleskill, New York, Shear attended Clayton A. Bouton High School, graduating in 1971. He is a graduate of Earlham College with a B.A. degree in 1975. Shear also has a M.A. degree in international affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in 1982, and was a Rusk Fellow at Georgetown University's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy.