David F. Helvey holds the position of Secretary of Defense Deputy Representative in Europe (D/SECDEFREPEUR) and Deputy Defense Advisor (D/DEFAD) for the U.S. Mission to NATO. In his role as D/SECDEFREPEUR, he is tasked with planning, recommending, coordinating, and overseeing Department of Defense initiatives and policies in Europe. As the USNATO D/DEFAD, he handles the formulation, coordination, and presentation of DoD policies to the U.S. Ambassador to NATO.
The Office of the Defense Advisor includes 40 mid and senior-level military and civilian members from the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security. Mr. Helvey began his duties as Deputy Defense Advisor at the U.S. Mission in November 2021.
Before joining the U.S. Mission, Mr. Helvey served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs (IPSA). He was responsible for the development and execution of U.S. defense and security policy in the Indo-Pacific region.
His previous roles within the Office of the Secretary of Defense include Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia from 2012 to 2015, and earlier roles focusing on China, Taiwan, and Mongolia, among others. He was also a Visiting Distinguished Research Fellow at the National Defense University's Institute for National Strategic Studies from 2015 to 2016.
Mr. Helvey has received several awards, including the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive, and various Department of Defense and intelligence community service medals.
He holds a Master of Arts in U.S. Foreign Policy from American University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from West Virginia University.