Israeli to serve as State Department’s Energy Security adviser

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday appointed Israeli-born Amos Hochstein to serve as the State Department’s Senior Advisor for Energy Security.

Hochstein was born and raised in Israel to American parents and served in the Israeli Defense Forces from 1992 to 1995. He identifies as a Modern Orthodox Jew.

He began working at the State Department in 2011, joining the newly formed Bureau of Energy Resources. He oversaw the Office of Middle East, Asia and Europe, the Western Hemisphere and Africa. Hochstein led the energy related diplomacy efforts.

In 2015, then-President Barack Obama nominated Hochstein to be the Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources, the official chief position for the bureau. In this position, Hochstein engaged in efforts in the fields of national and international energy and security matters, including Iran sanctions, energy opportunities in Latin America, the US-India energy cooperation, the US-China energy cooperation, the administration's strategy on Russia, and the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist organization.

“I am appointing Amos Hochstein to serve as the Department’s Senior Advisor for Energy Security, underscoring the Administration’s commitment to promote energy security for the United States and our allies and partners. His immediate focus will be implementation of measures to reduce the risks posed by the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, as outlined in the July 21 Joint Statement of the United States and Germany on Support for Ukraine, European Energy Security, and our Climate Goals,” Blinken said in a statement.

“Senior Advisor Hochstein brings decades of experience to this role, having held senior positions in the State Department, academia, and the private sector. He is uniquely suited to support the development and implementation of an integrated U.S. strategy to strengthen global energy security, especially in Central and Eastern Europe,” he added.

“This appointment demonstrates the Administration’s resolve to utilize energy diplomacy to ensure the security of supply during this critical time of energy transition, push back against the Kremlin’s use of energy as a geopolitical weapon, and to advance a more secure and sustainable energy future for Ukraine and frontline NATO and EU countries,” stated Blinken.