You haven't heard of him, but he defines the directions of a new, often unexpected US foreign policy

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (second from left) speaks with National Security Advisor Andy Baker (right) in the White House Situation Room. Also present are White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Legal Advisor David Warrington. Washington, June 21, 2025. Photo: Daniel Torok / The White House via Getty Images

Andy Baker long remained an almost unnoticed figure in American politics. The general public first heard his name by chance in March, when Vice President J.D. Vance called him his key person in the administration during a scandalous leak from a group chat dedicated to strikes against Houthis in Yemen.

However, as Politico writes, whose journalists spoke with a dozen people, including White House staff, high-ranking European officials, and think tank experts, this mention only highlighted a paradox: despite almost complete lack of public presence, Baker has become one of the central figures in shaping US foreign policy.

It is through him that a significant portion of the ideas pass, defining both the Vice President's position and a number of the administration's most high-profile decisions — including a tough and increasingly confrontational course towards European allies.

Baker was directly involved in preparing Vance's high-profile speech at the Munich Security Conference in February 2025. In this address, European leaders were sharply criticized. The main idea was that Europe itself is retreating from the basic values of the Western world, and it is this, not external threats, that undermines the transatlantic alliance.

The same theses are also evident in the new US National Security Strategy, in the preparation of which Baker also played a significant role. The document emphasizes that the weakening of Europe's "civilizational confidence" and its Western identity is a key security challenge. At the same time, it welcomes the rise of "patriotic" nationalist forces on the continent and criticizes the logic of "continuous expansion" of NATO.

The current American administration opposes further NATO expansion.

This approach is linked to an ideological position that Baker himself calls "realism" and his opponents call a new type of isolationism. He belongs to the wing of Republicans who are skeptical of foreign military interventions and believe that the US should act solely based on the interests of its own security or enrichment, rather than abstract ideals of freedom and democracy.

In this logic, any alliances and international obligations must be reconsidered if they do not bring direct and obvious benefit to America. European diplomats increasingly perceive this course as a long-term shift, rather than a temporary feature of the Trump administration.

Павялічыць

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during his second press briefing at the US Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, November 23, 2025. In the background near the door stands Deputy Assistant to the US President for National Security Andy Baker. Photo: Muhammet Ikbal Arslan / Anadolu via Getty Images

The guy from the working-class neighborhood

Baker's biography largely explains his views. He grew up in a working-class family in the North Bay area of San Francisco — a proletarian neighborhood with a traditionally strong labor movement. After earning a bachelor's degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley, Baker continued his studies at Oxford, where he received a doctoral degree in 2007 and worked as a lecturer for five years.

His dissertation, later published as a book, was dedicated to the creation of the international order after World War II. In it, the author emphasized that the stability of this system was based on common understandings of sovereignty and the use of force — and it is the loss of these principles, in his opinion, that is now destroying Western unity.

In 2010, Baker joined the State Department and began a career as a career diplomat. During 13 years of service, he went through assignments in Afghanistan and worked at NATO headquarters in Brussels. It was this experience that shaped his deep skepticism about American foreign policy. He came to the conclusion that it serves the interests of elites and does not benefit ordinary citizens, especially representatives of the working class, from which he himself comes.

Key advisor in the Trump administration

In 2023, Baker left public service and began looking for a political ally who shared his vision. J.D. Vance became that person. They were united not only by similar backgrounds but also by the conviction that American power is only wasted abroad.

After Trump's victory, Baker got the opportunity to implement his ideas in practice. This was especially evident in the approach to the war in Ukraine.

Baker, who is fluent in Russian (as well as Bulgarian and Persian), participated in the development of the main parameters of the new course of the American administration, including economic aspects such as the agreement on mineral extraction in Ukraine.

According to sources, his position is not anti-Ukrainian — rather, he seeks not to burden the US with commitments that do not seem vitally important to him. At the same time, this approach causes concern in Europe: Europeans believe that Baker overestimates Russia's strength and underestimates its weaknesses.

Specific facts attest to Baker's influence: he was present in the Situation Room in June 2025 when Trump observed the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities. He also participated in planning the campaign against the Houthis and the US response to tensions between India and Pakistan.

In the spring, during large-scale reshuffles in the National Security Council (NSC), Baker took the position of Deputy Assistant to the US President for National Security. There he works closely with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also heads the NSC, and another deputy, Robert Gabriel Jr. Rubio called Baker a "valuable member of the team" whose contribution played a key role in advancing the "America First" agenda.

"Ideas that resonate"

People familiar with Baker note that he resembles a scholar more than a practical politician. "He's not a political animal. He's very careful — he's a strategist," says one source.

Despite this, Baker's influence continues to grow. He is part of a new wave of thinkers in the Republican Party, along with figures like Deputy Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, who advocate for a reorientation of American policy — including confronting China and reducing presence in Europe. Within the administration, this wing competes with more traditional "hawks," but this very struggle of ideas already indicates profound changes in American political discourse.

Given that Vance is considered one of the main contenders for the presidency in 2028, Baker's role is likely to only increase. Many in Washington believe he will remain an influential figure regardless of who leads the Republican Party in the future. Therefore, to understand what US foreign policy might become in the coming years, it is worth paying close attention to him.

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