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 Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security > Bureau of Political-Military Affairs

Bureau of Political-Military Affairs

Date: 01/20/2009 Description: Blue envelope icon, used for email subscriptions. State Dept Photo

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The Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM), headed by Assistant Secretary Andrew J. Shapiro, is the Department of State's principal link to the Department of Defense. The PM Bureau provides policy direction in the areas of international security, security assistance, military operations, defense strategy and plans, and defense trade.


Date: 08/17/2009 Description: Humanitarian Mine Action: Political-Military Affairs teams with non-profit and private sector partners to help post-conflict countries safeguard communities from abandoned landmines and unexploded munitions. Click photo to learn more. © AP Image

Date: 08/10/2009 Description: U.S. Department of State seal © State Dept Image

Security. Partnerships. Political-Military Affairs.
Promoting peace and stability worldwide.

Political-Military Affairs advances the State-DoD relationship by bringing "smart power" to U.S. foreign policy in six key ways:

  1. Providing the Secretary with a global perspective on political-military issues;

  2. Supporting the U.S. Department of Defense by negotiating basing agreements, reviewing military exercises, facilitating overseas operations, and by providing embedded Foreign Policy Advisors to military service branch chiefs and combatant commands worldwide;

  3. Promoting regional stability by building partnership capacity and strengthening friends and allies through security assistance programs;

  4. Reducing threats from conventional weapons through humanitarian demining and small arms destruction programs, setting the stage for post-conflict recovery in more than 50 nations around the world;

  5. Contributing to Defense and Political-Military Policy and Planning; and

  6. Regulating arms transfers and U.S. defense trade.

Date: 08/10/2009 Description: U.S. Department of State seal © State Dept Image

Promoting Peace & Security Worldwide.
Click on the map below to learn more about PM programs

Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA)Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA)Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (EUR)Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (EUR)Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA)Bureau of African Affairs (AF)Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA)Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP)

 U.S. Announces $2 Million for Landmine Clearance in Mozambique
Date: 12/03/2001 Description: Former Frelimo rebel soldier clears landmines in Hnadane, 62 miles south of Maputo, Mozambique, in this Dec. 3, 2001 photo. © AP Image Award is latest in more than $47 million for Mozambique's post-conflict recovery under the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action program. DipNote Blog | Full Text 

U.S.-Azerbaijan Security Dialogue Meets in Washington
Date: 10/18/2003 Description: The Azerbaijani flag waves as a soldier stands in an honor guard during Independence Day ceremonies at Martys' Lane in Baku, Azerbaijan on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2003. © AP Image Talks promote enhanced cooperation on a wide range of shared security challenges. Full Text 

U.S.-Colombia Defense Cooperation Agreement Signed
Date: 02/25/2009 Description: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, meets with Colombia Foreign Relations Minister Dr. Jaime Bermudez Merizalde on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2009 in Washington. © AP Image New agreement deepens longstanding partnership on shared security challenges. Media Note | Fact Sheet

Recent Efforts to Reduce the Threat of Piracy off the Coast of Somalia
Date: 07/22/2009 Description: Andrew J. Shapiro, Assistant Secretary of Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.State Dept Image In an October 22 speech, Assistant Secretary Shapiro highlighted efforts by the United States and the international Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia to apply 21st century solutions to one of the world’s oldest criminal enterprises—piracy—which continues to endanger commercial shipping in the Horn of Africa region. Press Release | Speech

Partnership for Peace
Date: 12/22/2008 Description: Army soldiers trained as UN peacekeepers during a ceremony in Lima, Peru 12/22/2008. © AP ImageThe Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) has trained and equipped nearly 87,000 foreign troops to serve as international peacekeepers. DipNote Blog

Counterpiracy: Confronting Criminals on the High Seas
Date: 04/11/2009 Description: Armed pirates and their hostages are seen aboard a yacht off the coast of Somalia Apr. 11, 2009. © AP ImageThe United States has joined 44 other countries in the international effort to fight piracy off of Somalia through the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. DipNote Blog

Secretary Clinton and Defense Secretary Gates Discuss State-DOD Partnership
Date: 10/05/2009 Location: Washington, DC Description: Secretary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Gates before an interview at George Washington University. © AP ImageSecretary Clinton (Oct. 5): "Our assessment was that we needed to focus on how to help the people of Afghanistan lift themselves up...and it goes hand-in-hand with our military effort." Full Text

President Obama Renews U.S. Commitment to PeacekeepingDate: 09/23/2009 Description: President Barack Obama addresses the General Assembly of the UN in New York. © Official White House photo by Samantha Appleton.
White House Special Assistant Samantha Power briefed journalists at the Foreign Press Center. Full Text

Quick Reaction Force Helps Remove Remnants of War
Date: 01/01/1944 Description: A U.S. Marine patrol is seen at Arawe, New Britain Island, in January 1944, during the invasion of New Guinea in World War II. © AP Image U.S. weapons destruction experts partner with authorities in Papua New Guinea to assess lingering dangers from buried munitions left over from World War II. Full Text

Afghanistan: Landmine Clearance Safeguards Communities One Square Kilometer at a Time
Date: 04/16/2003 Description: Afghan mine removal technicians march during a parade at Kabul's stadium in Afghanistan, Wednesday, April 16, 2003. © AP Image "When you remove landmines and other explosive hazards in Afghanistan, you enable socio-economic development that could further the larger goal of promoting stability and security." DipNote Blog

Political-Military Affairs: Smart Power Starts HereDate: 07/22/2009 Description: Andrew J. Shapiro, Assistant Secretary of Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. State Dept Image
Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew J. Shapiro outlined his top policy priorities in a September 9 keynote address to the ComDef 2009 defense policy conference. Full Text

 Sri Lanka: Humanitarian Mine Action Helps Families Return Home
Date: 02/24/2004 Description: Deminer places disarmed landmine in safety area in Kilinochchi, Sri Lanka, Feb. 24, 2004. © AP Image How many landmines does it take to cripple a community? DipNote Blog.

Humanitarian Mine Action Promotes Post-Conflict Recovery in Angola
Date: 09/15/2000 Description: An Angolan boy carries firewood while walking next to a minefield outside the city of Kuito, central Angola, Sept. 15 2000. © AP Image During visit to Angola, Secretary Clinton found a nation working to emerge from nearly 40 years of conflict. Angola's wars have left behind a deadly legacy: abandoned landmines and unexploded munitions. Full Text

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