Ambassador Daniel J. Kritenbrink is a Partner at The Asia Group, where he brings decades of diplomatic expertise and strategic insight into U.S. engagement across the Indo-Pacific. As a career Foreign Service Officer, he has played a pivotal role in shaping U.S. policy toward China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and regional security dynamics, while also advocating on behalf of U.S. businesses.
Before joining The Asia Group, Ambassador Kritenbrink served as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (2021–2025), where he led U.S. diplomatic efforts across a region critical to global stability and economic growth. He played a key role in strengthening U.S. alliances with Japan and South Korea, expanding security and economic cooperation with partners across Southeast Asia, and managing strategic competition with China. His tenure was marked by initiatives to strengthen relations with U.S. allies and partners, bolster maritime security, counter economic coercion, and advance regional prosperity through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
Prior to this role, Ambassador Kritenbrink was U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam (2017–2021), where he deepened the U.S.-Vietnam partnership, enhanced economic and security cooperation, and promoted reconciliation and people-to-people ties. His tenure saw historic milestones, including the first U.S. aircraft carrier visit to Vietnam since the Vietnam War, a strengthened bilateral trade relationship, and expanded educational and people-to-people exchanges.
As Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council (2015–2017), Ambassador Kritenbrink coordinated U.S. foreign policy and White House engagements with critical counterparts across the entire region. From 2013 to 2015, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, where he was a key player in managing the U.S.-China relationship at a time of rising geopolitical tensions. He played a critical role in high-level diplomatic negotiations, economic dialogues, and crisis management efforts, including maritime disputes and cybersecurity concerns.
Ambassador Kritenbrink’s diplomatic career spans three decades, with previous assignments in Japan, China, Kuwait, and Washington, D.C. He previously served as Director of the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs, where he navigated complex trade and security issues, and as Chief of the Political Section’s Internal Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, providing deep analytical insight into China’s political landscape.
A Nebraska native, Ambassador Kritenbrink holds a B.A. from the University of Nebraska-Kearney and an M.A. from the University of Virginia. He speaks both Mandarin Chinese and Japanese. He and his wife, Nami, have two children.