| David Bruce Shear | |
| Office: | Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (acting) |
| President: | Barack Obama |
| Term Start: | June 10, 2016 |
| Term End: | January 20, 2017 |
| Predecessor: | Brian P. McKeon |
| Successor: | David Trachtenberg |
| Office1: | Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs |
| President1: | Barack Obama |
| Term Start1: | July 17, 2014 |
| Term End1: | June 10, 2016 |
| Predecessor1: | Peter R. Lavoy (acting) |
| Successor1: | Kelly E. Magsamen (acting) |
| Office2: | United States Ambassador to Vietnam |
| President2: | Barack Obama |
| Term Start2: | August 4, 2011 |
| Term End2: | August 8, 2014 |
| Predecessor2: | Virginia E. Palmer |
| Successor2: | Ted Osius |
| Birth Date: | 24 May 1954 |
| Birth Place: | Cobleskill, New York |
| Deputy1: | Claire A. Pierangelo |
David Bruce Shear (born May 25, 1954)[1] is an American diplomat who was a career Foreign Service Officer.[2] Shear served as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs from July 2014 to June 2016.[3] Prior to his nomination for this position, he served as United States Ambassador to Vietnam. [4] He was also formerly deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs at the U.S. Department of State; he joined the State Department in 1982 and has served in Washington, Sapporo, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo.[5]
Born in Cobleskill, New York, Shear attended Clayton A. Bouton High School, graduating in 1971. He is a graduate of Earlham College with a B.A. degree in 1975. Shear also has a M.A. degree in international affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in 1982, and was a Rusk Fellow at Georgetown University's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy.[1] He served as United States Ambassador to Vietnam from 2011 until leaving office in 2014.
Shear is a black belt in kendo. He and his wife Barbara have a daughter. He speaks Chinese and Japanese.[6]