President-elect Barack Obama officially announced key members his national security team today:
He nominated New York Sen. Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, Defense Secretary Robert Gates to remain as secretary of defense, Eric Holder as attorney general, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as secretary of the department of homeland security, Susan Rice as ambassador to the United Nations, and selecting Gen. Jim Jones, USMC (Ret) as national security adviser.
“In this uncertain world, the time has come for a new beginning — a new dawn of American leadership to overcome the challenges of the 21st century, and to seize the opportunities embedded in those challenges. To succeed, we must pursue a new strategy that skillfully uses, balances, and integrates all elements of American power: our military and diplomacy; our intelligence and law enforcement; our economy and the power of our moral example. The team that we have assembled here today is uniquely suited to do just that. They share my pragmatism about the use of power, and my sense of purpose about America’s role as a leader in the world,” said President-elect Obama.
Sen: Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State
Over nearly four decades in public service, as an attorney, First Lady, senator, and presidential candidate, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is a champion for children and families and advocates for women’s rights and human rights. During the Clinton Administration, she fought for universal healthcare and helped to lead successful bipartisan efforts to improve the adoption and foster care systems, reduce teen pregnancy, and provide healthcare to millions of children through the Children’s Health Insurance Program. She championed American interests as well as the rights of women and girls in more than eighty countries around the world.
In November 2000, Clinton became the first First Lady elected to public office and the first woman elected independently in New York State. In the Senate, she has advocated for equal access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunity for women and girls around the world. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Clinton has fought for and secured in law improved healthcare for members of the National Guard and Reserves and worked to bring our troops home safely and responsibly from Iraq. She also serves as the only Senate member of the Transformation Advisory Group to the Joint Forces Command, working to modernize the U.S. military.
Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense
Dr. Robert M. Gates was sworn in on Dec. 18, 2006, as the 22nd secretary of defense. Before entering his present post, Gates was the president of Texas A&M University, the nation’s seventh largest university. Prior to assuming the presidency of Texas A&M, he served as interim dean of the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M. Gates served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Gates is
the only career officer in the CIA’s history to rise from entry-level employee to director. He served as deputy director of Central Intelligence and as assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser at the White House for President George H.W. Bush. Gates has been awarded the National Security Medal, the Presidential Citizens Medal, has twice received the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, and has three times received the CIA’s highest award, the Distinguished Intelligence Medal.Eric Holder, Attorney General
Eric Holder is a litigation partner at Covington & Burling LLP in Washington, DC. Holder has held a number of significant positions in government. Upon graduating from Columbia Law School, he moved to Washington and joined the Department of Justice as part of the Attorney General’s Honors Program. In 1988, Mr. Holder was nominated by President Reagan and confirmed by the Senate to become an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Over the next five years, Holder presided over hundreds of civil and criminal trials and matters. President Bill Clinton nominated Holder to become the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and served as the head of the largest U.S. Attorneys office in the nation for nearly four years. Clinton appointed Holder to serve as deputy attorney general, the number two position in the Department of Justice. He was the first African-American to serve as deputy attorney general. Holder briefly served under President George W. Bush as acting attorney general pending the confirmation of Attorney General John Ashcroft.
Gov. Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
Named one of America’s top five governors by Time magazine and one of America’s top women leaders by Newsweek, Janet Napolitano stands out as a leader in developing innovative solutions to some of the U.S.’s greatest challenges. As governor of Arizona, she’s fought for quality schools, affordable healthcare, sensible economic development, a safe homeland, a secure border, and a government that is run efficiently and responsibly. She led the effort to create a new grade level in public school by offering voluntary full day kindergarten to every Arizona family. She raised teacher pay, expanded access to health insurance, and saved seniors millions on prescription drugs.
As U.S. attorney for Arizona, Napolitano led the Arizona portion of the domestic terrorism investigation into the Oklahoma City bombing; as attorney general, she helped write the law to break up human smuggling rings; and as governor, she implemented the first state homeland security strategy in the nation and opened the first state counter-terrorism center. She is a leader in coordinating federal, state, local and bi-national homeland security efforts, having presided over large-scale disaster preparedness exercises to ensure well-crafted and functional emergency plans. Napolitano was the first governor to call for the National Guard to assist at the U.S.-Mexico border at federal expense, and is a leading national voice for comprehensive immigration reform. The past chair of the National Governors Association — the first woman in history to hold this position — Napolitano was re-elected in 2006 in a landslide victory as Arizona’s 21st governor.
Susan Rice, Ambassador to the United Nations
Dr. Susan E. Rice served most recently as a senior foreign policy adviser to the Obama for America campaign while on leave from the Brookings Institution where she is a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy and Global Economy and Development Programs. Rice serves on the Obama-Biden Transition Project Advisory Board. She was U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs. Prior to that, Rice served in the White House at the National Security Council as special assistant to the president and senior director for African Affairs and as director for international organizations and peacekeeping. Rice was previously a management consultant at McKinsey and Company.
Gen. Jim Jones, USMC (Ret), National Security Advisor
Gen. Jim Jones, USMC (Ret) is president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Chamber Institute for 21st Century Energy. Jones was the 32nd Commandant of the Marine Corps. After relinquishing command as commandant, he assumed the positions of supreme allied commander, Europe and commander of the United States European command, positions he held until December 2006. During this final assignment, he encouraged the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to regard global energy as a security issue and advocated that the alliance consider the defense of critical infrastructures as a 21st century collective security mission. Jones retired from active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2007, after more than 40 years of service.