Mitchell “Blake” Souter
Blake Souter assumed the responsibilities of the Deputy Comptroller for Budget and Appropriations Affairs (BAA) in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Comptroller (OUSD(C)) on 17 October 2022. Mr. Souter serves as the senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense on matters related to Congress and Appropriations, and as the lead interface between Department senior leadership and the Congressional Appropriations Committees.
Mr. Souter recently served as the Director of Appropriations and Senior Policy Advisor to Senator Tammy Baldwin, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Subcommittees on Defense; Homeland Security; and Veterans Affairs and Military Construction. In this role, he was the Senator’s lead advisor on national security, foreign policy, veterans, and homeland security issues. Additionally, Mr. Souter supported Senator Baldwin’s position as Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee that oversees the U.S. Coast Guard.
Prior to his work in the Office of Senator Tammy Baldwin, Mr. Souter was a Legislative Assistant and Defense and Foreign Policy Analyst for Senator Tim Kaine. Mr. Souter’s first position in Congress was serving on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Mr. Souter enlisted in the Army after high school, deploying to Iraq in support of OIF from 2005 to 2006 and later to Afghanistan in support of OEF from 2007 to 2008. Mr. Souter separated from the Army in 2009 and returned home to Oregon, where he earned a B.A. in Political Science at Portland State University. Mr. Souter spent time supporting the Military Staff Committee at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York City and was a recipient of a State Department Sponsored Critical Language Scholarship to study Russian. Mr. Souter holds a M.A. in Global Security from the American University in Washington D.C. Mr. Souter is a Defense Council member of the Truman National Security Project.