Michael D. Lumpkin
Michael D. Lumpkin (born October 14, 1964) is a former American Naval Officer and businessman who served as the Special Envoy and Coordinator of the Global Engagement Center at the U.S. Department of State from January 2016 to January 2017. From 2013 until 2016, he was the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict. During that time, he also served as the acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the third-highest civilian job at the United States Department of Defense. Lumpkin is considered an experienced crisis manager and turnaround expert. Prior to his current role, he was tasked to overhaul U.S. government efforts to disrupt extremist propaganda, and he led the DoD response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa, efforts to locate and return Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, and the reorganization of the military's broken POW/MIA program. As a Navy SEAL, Lumpkin served nine operational tours, one commanding a Team, in counter-insurgency and counter-narcotics operations around the world, including in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, the Philippines, and Central and South America. Early life and education Lumpkin was born in Oceanside, California, to his parents, David, and Jeri Lumpkin. They raised Lumpkin and his brother nearby