John Noh
President Donald Trump has nominated John Noh, a Korean American official and U.S. Army veteran, to serve as assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs—a pivotal role overseeing U.S. defense strategy and cooperation with allies across the Asia-Pacific, including South Korea.
Noh has been performing the duties of the position and was formally nominated this week. He previously served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia.
Noh brings a broad range of experience to the role. A former U.S. Army officer who deployed to Afghanistan, he later served as a federal prosecutor in Houston from 2019 to 2021. Before joining the Pentagon, he worked as deputy general counsel to the U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, where he advised on key aspects of U.S.-China policy. He also spent time in private legal practice, focusing on cross-border investigations.
He holds degrees from Brown University and Stanford Law School.