Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink is a Partner at The Asia Group, where he brings decades of diplomatic expertise and strategic insight into U.S. engagement across the Indo-Pacific. As a career Foreign Service Officer, he has played a pivotal role in shaping U.S. policy toward China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and regional security dynamics, while also advocating on behalf of U.S. businesses abroad.
Previously, he served as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (2021–2025), U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam (2017–2021), Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council (2015–2017), and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing (2013-2015), where he was deeply involved in managing the U.S.-China relationship and strategic competition with China. He holds a B.A. from the University of Nebraska-Kearney and an M.A. from the University of Virginia.