Daniel Kritenbrink

Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink is a Partner at The Asia Group, where he brings more than three decades of diplomatic experience and deep expertise in US engagement across the Indo-Pacific. A career Foreign Service Officer, he has helped shape US policy toward China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, while advancing regional security, economic cooperation, and strategic partnerships on behalf of the United States and American businesses.

Prior to joining The Asia Group, Ambassador Kritenbrink served as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2021 to 2025. In this role, he led US diplomatic engagement across one of the world’s most strategically important regions, overseeing efforts to strengthen alliances with Japan and South Korea, deepen cooperation with Southeast Asian partners, and manage strategic competition with China. His tenure focused on enhancing regional security, expanding economic partnerships, countering coercive practices, and advancing prosperity through initiatives such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. From 2017 to 2021, Ambassador Kritenbrink served as US Ambassador to Vietnam, where he played a central role in elevating the US-Vietnam partnership. During his tenure, the two countries expanded economic and security cooperation, strengthened educational and cultural ties, and marked historic milestones, including the first US aircraft carrier visit to Vietnam since the Vietnam War.

Earlier in his career, Ambassador Kritenbrink served as Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council from 2015 to 2017, coordinating US foreign policy and White House engagement across the region. He also served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Beijing from 2013 to 2015. His additional assignments include postings in Japan, China, Kuwait, and Washington, D.C., including service as Director of the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs and as Chief of the Political Section’s Internal Unit at the US Embassy in Beijing.

Ambassador Kritenbrink earned a B.A. from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and an M.A. from the University of Virginia. He speaks Mandarin Chinese and Japanese.