Stephen Biegun
Stephen Edward Biegun is an American businessman and diplomat who has served as the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State since December 2019. Biegun was previously the United States Special Representative for North Korea, vice president of international governmental affairs for the Ford Motor Company, he was a staffer on the National Security Council as well as national security adviser to Senator Bill Frist.Education
Biegun received his B.A. in Russian and political science from the University of Michigan in 1984.Career
He was the in-country director for the International Republican Institute in Moscow, Russia, from 1992 to 1994. He is a member of the board of the U.S. Russia Foundation, the Moscow School of Political Studies, the U.S.–Russia Business Council and Ford Sollers, Ford's joint venture operation in Russia.
Biegun has held a number of offices within the federal government, including executive secretary of the National Security Council, reporting to national security adviser Condoleezza Rice under President George W. Bush. He was a foreign policy adviser to Sarah Palin during John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. On March 1, 2018, it was reported that Biegun was a top candidate to replace Donald Trump's national security adviser H. R. McMaster. On March 22, it was announced that McMaster would instead be succeeded by John R. Bolton.
On August 23, 2018, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appointed Biegun as the U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, directing U.S. policy in regard to North Korea on behalf of the Trump administration.
On August 7, 2019, The Wall Street Journal reported that Biegun was a top candidate to replace Jon Huntsman Jr. as United States Ambassador to Russia. After John Sullivan was instead nominated to be Ambassador to Russia, Biegun was in turn nominated to replace him as U.S. Deputy Secretary of State on October 31, 2019. His nomination was confirmed by a 90–3 vote of the U.S. Senate on December 19, 2019. He was sworn in two days later.
