Mark Kimmitt

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Mark T. Kimmitt
File:Mark kimmitt.jpg
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs
Assumed office
August 8, 2008
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byJohn Hillen
Personal details
Bornwww.state.gov
(1954-06-21) June 21, 1954 (age 69)
Diedwww.state.gov
Resting placewww.state.gov
SpouseCatherine Kimmitt
Parent
  • www.state.gov
Alma materWest Point
ProfessionSoldier
Statesman
AwardsDefense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
NATO Medal (3)
Websitehttp://www.state.gov
Military service
AllegianceUnited States of America
Branch/serviceUnited States United States Army
Years of service1976-2007
RankBrigadier General
Battles/warsBosnian War
Kosovo War
Iraq War

Mark Traecey Patrick Kimmitt[1] (born 21 June 1954) is the current Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, nominated by President George W. Bush on July 11, 2007[2] and confirmed by the Senate on June 27, 2008.[3]. Mr. Kimmitt was formerly a Brigadier General in the United States Army, and served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East[2] prior to joining the State Department. Kimmitt has also served as Deputy Director for Strategy and Plans for the United States Central Command, and Deputy Director for Operations/Chief Military Spokesman for Coalition Forces in Iraq,[2] and served at NATO's SHAPE headquarters in Belgium.

Personal background

Kimmitt was born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and is married to Catherine Kimmitt[4]. Kimmitt's father is Joseph Stanley Kimmitt (Stan), former Secretary of the Senate and army colonel, who died in 2004. Kimmitt's brother, Robert M. Kimmitt is the current Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Treasury.

Education

Kimmitt graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point as a part of the class of 1976,[5] and earned a Masters in Business Administration degree, graduating with distinction, from Harvard University as part of the class of 1984.[6] He also received master's degrees from the United States Army Command and General Staff College and the National Defense University.[2] He earned a certification as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) while serving as Assistant Professor of Finance and Economics in the Department of Social Sciences at the United States Military Academy.

Military career

Kimmitt retired from the US Army a Brigadier General in 2006. While in the Army, Kimmitt had command and staff assignments throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, including planning positions within both Allied and Joint service commands. Additionally, he spent three years as an assistant professor and instructor with the Military Academy’s Department of Social Sciences.[5].

Kimmitt's professional military education includes the Field Artillery Officer Basic and Armor Officer Advanced Courses, the Army Command and General Staff College, the Advanced Military Studies Program, and the National War College.[4] Additionally, Brigadier General Kimmitt completed Ranger, Airborne, Jumpmaster, Naval Gunfire, Joint Firepower Control, Air Assault, Pathfinder, and Jungle Schools.[4]

Awards and decorations

Kimmitt's distinctive awards and decorations include the following:[4]

United States awards

Foreign and international awards

Government Career

Subsequent to retiring from the Army in 2006, Kimmitt served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Policy, responsible for military policy development, planning, guidance and oversight for the region[7]. Kimmitt served in this position until July 31, 2008, and was sworn in to his current position on August 8, 2008[7].

Controversy and Investigation

Abuse of Subordinates

On Aug. 15, 2007, during Kimmitt's confirmation proceedings, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee received an anonymous letter alleging that Kimmitt abused his subordinates.[8] The Committee asked the Inspector General of the Department of Defense to investigate the allegations.[8] The IG sent its initial report to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on January 8, 2008.[8] After the inspector general issued the report the committee received another anonymous letter on Jan. 30, 2008, resulting in further investigation.[8]

The inspector general's report concluded that Kimmitt "warrant[s] monitoring," that his "leadership style was occasionally inconsistent with the standards expected for senior government leaders," that he was "often physically intimidating," that he displayed "anger that demeaned subordinates and caused them to minimize their interaction with him," and that he created "a miserable office environment" that led five of them to get jobs elsewhere.[9] [10] [8] Employees described "sort of a permanent fear" in the office and said he threatened their jobs.[8] [9] At Kimmitt's request, the report also noted mitigating testimony of superiors, who maintain that Kimmitt had strengthened the overall performance of his office.[10]

Despite the IG Report's findings, on April 22, the Committee nonetheless voted, 12-7, in favor of Kimmitt's nomination.[8] At the committee meeting, Chairman Joseph R. Biden Jr., D-Del., noted he was very close to Kimmitt's father, who had been secretary of the Senate years ago, and said he therefore would be willing to give Kimmitt the benefit of the doubt, saying, "I'm going to let my hope triumph over my worries. . . . I hope Mr. Kimmitt . . . understands with the delay his misconduct has caused . . . that he will be chastened." [11] [8] Kimmitt was confirmed by the full Senate on June 27, 2008.

Failure to Safegard Classified Information

The Department of Defense Inspector General's office, in a separate letter to the committee, also disclosed "a substantiated allegation that Mr. Kimmitt . . . failed to properly safeguard information, in violation of Army regulations," but it did not elaborate.[8] The exact nature of this violation has not yet been disclosed.

External links

References

  1. ^ "Presidential Nomination". The White House. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
  2. ^ a b c d "Personnel Announcement". The White House. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
  3. ^ "Reid Statement On Nomination Deal". The Senate. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  4. ^ a b c d "BRIGADIER GENERAL MARK T. KIMMITT" (PDF). BritishAmerican Business Inc. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
  5. ^ a b c "Iraq: Mission Continued?". The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
  6. ^ "New Horizons for Iraq". Harvard Business School Bulletin. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
  7. ^ a b ""Kimmitt, Mark"". Retrieved August 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Adam Graham-Silverman (June 4, 2008), Inspector General Finds That Employees Feared State Department Nominee, Congressional Quarterly
  9. ^ a b "Inquiry into an Allegation Involving Brigadier General Mark T. Kimmitt, U.S. Army, Retired, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Near East and South Asian Affairs)" (PDF). Inspector General of the Department of Defense. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
  10. ^ a b "Business Meeting, March 13, 2008, U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations" (PDF). U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
  11. ^ Al Kamen. "But His Dad Was a Good Guy". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
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