Daniel Shapiro
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East
Daniel Benjamin Shapiro was born in August 1969 in Champaign, Illinois. He attended Washington University in St. Louis, earned an undergraduate degree from Brandeis University, and a master’s from Harvard University.
Shapiro served as a staff member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He became a legislative assistant and advisor to Senator Dianne Feinstein. He was director of legislative affairs on the National Security Council during President Clinton’s administration and a congressional liaison for the National Security Advisor. Shapiro became vice president of a lobbying firm.
Shapiro served as an advisor on the Middle East and Jewish community to then-Senator Obama. President Obama later appointed Shapiro as senior director for the Middle East and North Africa on the National Security Council.
He was nominated by President Barack Obama to be U.S. Ambassador to Israel. Under President Biden, he served as the Department of State’s Senior Advisor for Regional Integration in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. In January 2024, President Biden appointed Shapiro Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East.
Shapiro is married to Julie Fisher, and they have three daughters. Shapiro is Jewish.
In the News…
The Defense Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East recently visited the United Arab Emirates to strengthen the relationship between the UAE and the U.S.
President Joe Biden designated UAE a major defense partner in September, a designation that is only shared with India.
The State Department stated that the new designation will allow for greater cooperation through joint training, exercises, and military-to-military collaboration between the U.S., the UAE, and India.
