REPORT FOR THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
SUBJECT: Ambassadorial Nomination: Certificate of Demonstrated Competence — Foreign Service Act, Section 304(a)(4)
POST: Turkmenistan
CANDIDATE: Matthew S. Klimow
Matthew S. Klimow, a career member of the Senior Executive Service, has served as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary for Management, U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., since 2018. Mr. Klimow served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary General of NATO in Brussels, Belgium, 2012-2015. He served as a U.S. Army officer from 1974 to 2003, retiring with the rank of Colonel. Military assignments included Special Advisor to the Vice President of the United States (2002-2003) at the White House, Executive Assistant to the Chairman (2001-2002) and Vice Chairman (2001-2000) of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He served as a Combat Task Force Operations Officer during Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait (1990-1991). His distinguished record of leadership and public service, coupled with his extensive multilateral and interagency policy experience, make him an excellent candidate to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Turkmenistan.
Mr. Klimow served as a Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Human Resources Front Office and in the Office of Overseas Employment (2015-2018), Executive Director of the Bureaus of Administration and Information Resource Management (2010-2012), Director of Language Services (2008-2010), and Executive Director of the Bureau of Consular Affairs (2003-2008) at the Department of State in Washington, D.C. Earlier assignments during his military career include Brigade Commander in the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina (1998-2000), Military Advisor to the Secretary of State and Special Assistant, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1995-1998) and Visiting Defense Fellow at the Center for International Relations, Queens University, Canada (1994-1995). Mr. Klimow earned a B.S. at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, and a Master of Military Art and Science at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He speaks French.