Dr. James P. Finch serves as the (Acting) Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for East Asia in the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Policy.  In this role, he is responsible for advising Department 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).  His permanent assignment is as the Director of the Office of Korean Affairs, a position he began in 2017.  

Dr. Finch has held numerous leadership positions across the Department of Defense focused on alliance management, countering weapons of mass destruction, and outer space.  He has also served as an attaché at the U.S. Mission to NATO, representing U.S. interests in NATO’s Defense Policy and Planning Committee and Committee on Proliferation.  

As the Principal Director and (Acting) Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (2013-2017), Dr. Finch was responsible for establishing policy and guidance to protect U.S. and Allied forces against chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attack from state and non-state actors.  As Director and (Acting) Principal Director for Space Policy (2010-2013), he was responsible for developing, integrating, and promulgating policies and strategies to improve U.S. space capabilities.  Over two decades of service, he has represented the Department’s interest in bilateral and multilateral negotiations, including those related to the Biological Weapons Convention, Chemical Weapons Convention, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Proliferation Security Initiative, as well as the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

EDUCATION:  Dr. Finch holds a PhD in War Studies from King’s College London; a Master of Arts in International Affairs from The George Washington University; a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (Distinguished Graduate); and a Bachelor of Arts, with honors, in Political Science from the University of Kentucky (Phi Beta Kappa).  He has completed leadership programs at the Air War College, the Army War College, the Federal Executive Institute, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was in the first cohort of the Defense Senior Leader Development Program.  

AWARDS: Dr. Finch has been awarded the Secretary of Defense’s Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service (2016 and 2019), the Secretary of the Army’s Superior Civilian Service Medal, the Secretary of the Air Force’s Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service, the Department of State’s Superior Honor Award, and the ROK Minister of National 
Defense Medal of Appreciation.