Chelsea Goldstein is the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for East Asia. In this role, she is responsible for advising Department of War senior leadership on all policy matters pertaining to the East Asia region (Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, and North Korea).

Previously, Ms. Goldstein was the Director for Southeast Asia from 2021-2025.  In this role, she provided policy advice to senior Department officials on U.S. policy toward Southeast Asia, with a focus on defense engagement and maritime operations.  She helped to significantly expand and deepen the U.S. alliance with the Philippines.  From 2019-2021, she was the Director for Pakistan, and also represented the Department in initial rounds of peace negotiations with the Taliban.  From 2015-2017, Ms. Goldstein also led the Political-Military Affairs Team in the Office of Pakistan Affairs at the Department of State.

From 2010-2015, Ms. Goldstein worked for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, where she was part of the small team that destroyed Syria’s declared chemical weapons stockpile onboard the Motor Vessel CAPE RAY. Ms. Goldstein also helped to shape the U.S. response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa through Operation UNITED ASSISTANCE.

Ms. Goldstein was awarded the DoD David O. Cooke Award for Excellence in Public Administration for 2015 for her roles in the chemical weapons destruction and Ebola response efforts.  She is a proud Blue Devil and holds a BA in Political Science from Duke University and MA in Security Studies from Georgetown University.