Phillip Carter

Phillip Carter was appointed as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Policy on April 27, 2009. In this capacity, he is responsible for developing policy recommendations and coordinating global policy guidance relating to detainees. Mr. Carter practiced government contracts and national security law with McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP. His practice included work with major defense and aerospace firms, focused on government contracts compliance, export controls, security issues, and contractor support to overseas contingency operations. Mr. Carter wrote amicus curiae briefs in the landmark national security cases FAIR vs. Rumsfeld and Hamdan vs. Rumsfeld, and has participated in various working groups studying the issue of private military contractors on the battlefield. Mr. Carter served nine years in the Army, in the active, reserve and National Guard components. During his military career, he served in a number of military police, civil affairs and infantry units, including duty in the Republic of Korea, Iraq, and in the United States. From 2005-2006, he served as operations officer for an adviser team embedded with the police in Iraq’s Diyala province, where he worked closely with the Iraqi police, provincial courts, jails, and government, as well as the State Department-led Provincial Reconstruction Team, to establish and promote the rule of law. Mr. Carter’s military awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation (2 Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Achievement Medal (1 Oak Leaf Cluster), Iraq Campaign Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, and Combat Action Badge. Mr. Carter previously consulted on operational and legal issues for state and local anti-terrorism task forces, and taught on law and terrorism at the University of California, Los Angeles. Mr. Carter is a founding member of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and has worked with that organization to advocate for more resources to support veterans’ education, medical and mental health programs. Mr. Carter earned a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he also was selected as a Harry S. Truman Scholar. He later earned a J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. He is a member in good standing of the State Bar of California.