Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
As Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, J. Todd Breasseale oversees the Department of Homeland Security’s public outreach, media relations, and strategic and incident communication efforts and serves as the principal communication advisor to Secretary Jeh C. Johnson.
Prior to joining the Department of Homeland Security, Mr. Breasseale had a distinguished career in the U.S. Army and retired in 2014 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. From 1992 to 2014 he served in multiple locations throughout the U.S., Afghanistan, Iraq, Germany, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Korea, Egypt, Haiti, and Venezuela.
Mr. Breasseale’s career in the U.S. Army includes service both in the U.S. and internationally, as an artillery battery commander in the Republic of Korea; as the director of the U. S. Army’s Entertainment Industry Liaison office in Hollywood; as the director of media relations for coalition ground forces in Iraq; as the chief of public affairs for US Army V Corps in Heidelberg, Germany; as the deputy public affairs officer and director of media relations for the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces – Afghanistan; and finally as the spokesman for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, responsible for all aspects of the Department of Defense’s public communication of its legal, legislative, Western Hemisphere, U.S. Southern Command, and detainee policies. In this capacity, Mr. Breasseale also served as the personal advisor for communication to the Department of Defense General Counsel, the Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Rule of Law and Detainee Policies, and the Special Envoy for the Closure of the Detention Facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
For his meritorious service in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr. Breasseale was awarded two Bronze Star medals. He is also a recipient of the Legion of Merit medal.
Mr. Breasseale and his husband live in Washington, D.C.