WASHINGTON: Kurt Campbell, the strongest advocate of the India-US relationship and said to be an architect of QUAD, has been confirmed by the US Senate as Deputy Secretary of State.

Currently, the Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs at the National Security Council of the White House, 67-year-old Campbell was confirmed by the US Senate by 92-five votes on Tuesday.

“I congratulate Kurt Campbell on his confirmation to serve as our new Deputy Secretary of State and thank Toria Nuland who has been serving in an acting capacity. The Department and the nation will benefit from his diplomatic expertise and leadership at this critical time,” Secretary of State Tony Blinken said.

“Dr Kurt Campbell has been a vital architect of Washington’s increased focus on the Indo-Pacific as it became the most important geostrategic and geopolitical region in the world,” US India Strategic and Partnership Forum said in a statement after his confirmation by the Senate.

“His appointment as the number two diplomat at the State Department is testimony to his diplomatic skill and to the importance of the Indo-Pacific for both the US and India,” USISPF said.

Dr Campbell has consistently driven a closer relationship between Washington and New Delhi, including across innovation and technology through the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology, it added.

In a statement, Richard Fontaine CEO of Center for a New American Security (CNAS) said Campbell will make a stellar, creative, and energetic Deputy Secretary of State. “Kurt Campbell's confirmation also signals that, even amid war in the Middle East and Europe, the administration will focus on Asia as its priority region and China as its preeminent challenge,” he said.