Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict

This position was mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1987 (P.L. 99-661, passed 14 November 1986). The position was officially established on 4 January 1988, by Defense Directive 5138.3. The post's responsibilities for strategic capabilities and forces transformation were added as a result of USD(P) Eric Edelman's 2006 reorganization of the DoD policy office. The ASD(SO/LIC) is supported in his/her work by three deputy assistant secretaries of defense: • DASD, Special Operations and Combating Terrorism • DASD, Partnership Strategy and Stability Operations • DASD, Counternarcotics and Global Threats • Executive Director for the Office of Information Operations Policy In November 2020, Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller announced that Christopher Maier, director of the wide ranging DoD Defeat-ISIS Task Force had resigned, and that the task-force director’s duties and responsibilities will be absorbed by the office of the ASD (SO/LIC) and regional staffs of the office of the under secretary of defense for policy. ==Officeholders==

The table below includes both the various titles of this post over time, as well as all the holders of those offices. ==Notes==