[4] While a student in Nebraska, he participated in a short study tour to the Soviet Union, and he spent a full academic year at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan.

The USS Carl Vinson made a port call off Đà Nẵng on 5 March 2018, becoming the first U.S. aircraft carrier to dock in the country since the Vietnam War ended in 1975.

[20] In a June 23, 2003 speech outlining the U.S. policy in the South China Sea, Kritenbrink said the United States had a strategic interest in upholding the rights of all countries to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight.

Key U.S. efforts to advance its interest in the South China Sea included, according to Kritenbrink, diplomacy to promote international law, maritime capacity-building programs for regional partners, and U.S. military operations to demonstrate freedom of navigation.

He said the United States also supported ASEAN's code of conduct negotiations and provides significant military and law enforcement assistance to Southeast Asian partners.

[21] Kritenbrink has described China as the "biggest geopolitical test" for the U.S., advocating for competition from a position of strength by working with allies, protecting what he said were sensitive technologies, and countering what he characterized as unfair Chinese trade practices while maintaining open communication to avoid conflict.

[28][29] He has said that a strong U.S.-China relationship can promote regional stability and security,[21] and he has stressed the importance of maintaining open communication channels to reduce risks of conflict and manage tensions effectively.

[35][36] Kritenbrink stepped down from his position as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Affairs at the end of the Biden Administration and retired from the Foreign Service on January 31, 2025.