WASHINGTON — Andrea Thompson, who oversaw both arms control and foreign weapon sales for the U.S. State Department, has exited the Trump administration.
In a statement announcing the departure, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Thompson, the undersecretary for arms control and international security, “a dedicated public servant who brought over 25 years of military experience to her role at the State Department.”
“Her wealth of knowledge, experience, and leadership skills will be missed. I thank her for her commitment to the State Department’s mission and for her decades of service to the United States of America. I wish her all the best in her future endeavors,” Pompeo said.
A former Army intelligence officer, Thompson came into the Trump administration as the national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, before being confirmed for the State Department role in April 2018. During her time there, she was a notable voice among those arguing that the U.S. should exit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which happened earlier this year.
Thompson also had oversight on weapon sales and ran her agency at a time when the Trump administration was prioritizing reforms to the arms sale process.
Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.
