Michael P. DiMino IV was appointed by President Donald J. Trump as Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Near East and Central Asia (NECA; formerly Middle East) on January 20th, 2025. Responsible for 20 countries, he serves as the Department's principal policy advisor on all U.S. defense and security matters pertaining to the Middle East, Central Asia, and Afghanistan.

Previously, DiMino was the Public Policy Manager and a Fellow at Defense Priorities, where he served as a leading expert on Middle East policy, counterterrorism, and intelligence. His work also focused on U.S. grand strategy, military analysis, burden-sharing in the context of regional security, and the development of resource-informed, small-footprint, and intelligence-driven approaches to covert action and irregular warfare. He also served as a Policy Advisor on the Trump transition team to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

His commentary and analysis in support of a realistic America First foreign policy that prioritizes core U.S. interests has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, New York Post, USA Today, Washington Times, Times of Israel, The American Conservative, Daily Caller, and other notable publications.

DiMino is a former career CIA analyst and counterterrorism officer, where he directly supported intelligence operations in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. His work at CIA focused principally on the Middle East, spanning the Levant, Arabian Gulf, and Horn of Africa. He served in operational and analytic assignments overseas and at Headquarters, hunting the leaders of ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Iran-backed militias, and other terrorist groups. His intelligence career also included brief stints at the Joint Intelligence Operations Center Europe (JIOCEUR) and Joint Staff Directorate for Intelligence (J-2).

He holds a Bachelor of Arts from American University and a Master of Arts from Johns Hopkins University. He is a Full Member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO). While a student, DiMino worked on the staff of the late Senator John S. McCain (R-AZ) and was a former U.S. National Champion in Public Forum Debate.

DiMino comes from a family of military service, with grandparents who served in the U.S. Army in World War II, and others that have served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force. He has traveled to over two-dozen countries. He is a proud Floridian and sixth-generation American.