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Press Release
Ed. note: see also Nov. 12, 2019 Biden campaign press release on entdorsements from 133 former national security officials.
The Steady State
thesteadystate.org
March 18, 2020
National Security and Homeland Security Veterans:
Statement Endorsing Vice President Biden for President 2020
The undersigned have served in various capacities in the U.S. National
Security and Homeland Security Communities. As Intelligence Officers,
defense policy makers, diplomats and Congressional staffers, we have
served the country during Democratic and Republican
administrations. Some of us are lifelong Democrats; others,
Republicans; some resolutely independent.We write to endorse Vice President Joe Biden for President of the United States.
Our nation’s foreign affairs are in disarray; our alliances frayed, and our national prestige declining. Our approach to both friends and enemies abroad has been chaotic and unprincipled. Our credibility as a nation has been lessened. And, perhaps most importantly, our place in the world as a source of moral leadership has nearly been lost. As a country, we are increasingly less secure and less safe.
To be clear, those of us signing this letter do not agree on everything, or even most things, concerning foreign policy, defense or homeland security. Our policy views cover most of the spectrum, and many of us have often been in opposition, sometimes bitterly, with each other. But we have always been bound by profound patriotism, and a deep belief in our American democracy.
But the course of events since the 2016 Presidential election has been deeply troubling. It is not just policy differences. President Trump, and his approach to leadership at home and abroad, has created an existential danger to the United States, its place in the world, and the values we share. His reelection would continue this downward spiral, and will likely have catastrophic results. Democracy itself is at stake.
We believe that Joe Biden has the best chance, of all the Democratic candidates, to ensure that Donald Trump does not continue as President for four more years, and for that reason alone would endorse him. But we also believe that, of the candidates, he is best suited to reverse the course of American national security decline. We endorse him because we believe our Country is in grave danger, and Vice President Biden represents the best chance of surviving that danger, reversing course, and rebuilding a strong, safe and democratic America that is a global leader.
We are not, of course, giving up our views and approaches to national security; should Vice President Biden be elected President, many of us will take up the honorable position of “loyal opposition,” and will fight as we have before for the policies we think best. But now, and today, it is necessary to put aside our differences, and our party affiliations, and voice our support for Vice President Biden.
Signed
Dr. Gordon Adams
Professor Emeritus, School of International Service, American University
Political Appointee
Administrations: Obama, Clinton
Mr. Javed Ali
Former Senior Director for Counterterrorism
Senior Executive Service, Senior National Intelligence Service
Administrations: Trump, Obama, Bush II
Mr. Brigham Blase Bechtel
Former Intelligence Officer
Commissioned Officer (Non-Flag Rank), General Services (GS Scale)
Administrations: Trump, Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Mr. Rand Beers
Former Deputy Homeland Security Advisor
Senior Executive Service, Foreign Service (FS Scale), Political Appointee
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon, Johnson
Prof. Philip C. Bobbitt
Professor of Law, Columbia University
Senior Executive Service
Administrations: Obama, Clinton, Bush I, Carter, Johnson
Mr. Zachery Tyson Brown
General Services (GS Scale)
Administrations: Trump, Obama, Bush II
Mr. David Michael Buss
FSO, Retired
Foreign Service Officer (Ambassadorial Rank)
Administrations: Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon
Mr. Bruce Robert Butterworth
Independent Transportation Security Consultant
Senior Executive Service
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter, Ford
Dr. Daniel Byman
Georgetown University
General Services (GS Scale), Senior Congressional Staff
Administrations: Clinton, Bush I
Mr. Marc R. Cardwell
General Services (GS Scale)
Administrations: Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter
Mr. Evan Carlson
Retired
General Services (GS Scale)
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Mr. Ned Foley Carmody
Operations Officer
General Services (GS Scale)
Administrations: Trump, Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Mr. Kevin Thomas Carroll
Senior Counselor to the Secretary of Homeland Security
Senior Executive Service, Commissioned Officer (Non-Flag Rank), General Services (GS Scale), Senior Congressional Staff, Political Appointee
Administrations: Trump, Obama, Bush II, Clinton
Mr. Steven Abram Cash
CIA Intelligence Officer; Chief Counsel to U.S. Senator
General Services (GS Scale), Senior Congressional Staff
Administrations: Bush II, Clinton
Ms. Deborah P Christie
Assistant Secretary of the Navy, FM&C
Senior Executive Service, Political Appointee
Administrations: Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon
Hon. James Clapper
4th Director of National Intelligence
Senior Executive Service, Commissioned Officer (Flag Rank)
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy
Hon. Richard Danzig
71st Secretary of the Navy
Senior Executive Service, Political Appointee
Administrations: Obama, Clinton, Carter
Mr. Melvin Dubee
Former Deputy Staff Director, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Senior Executive Service, Senior Congressional Staff
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Dr. Anthony Fainberg
Retired, US Government
Senior Executive Service
Administrations: Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Ambassador Gerald Michael Feierstein
Former Ambassador to Yemen
Foreign Service Officer (Ambassadorial Rank)
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter, Ford
Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman
Former United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs
Senior Executive Service, Foreign Service Officer (Ambassadorial Rank), Foreign Service (FS Scale)
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Mr. Jon Finer
Former Chief of Staff and Director of Policy Planning, U.S. Department of State
Senior Executive Service, Political Appointee
Administrations: Obama
Mr. Paul Frandano
Retired CIA Analyst and Program Manager, Co-founder, DCI Red Cell
Senior Intelligence Service
Administrations: Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter
Mr. Douglas Frantz
Former Assistant Secretary of State
Senior Congressional Staff, Political Appointee
Administrations: Obama
Dr. Henry H Gaffney
Retired from OSD 28 yrs and CNA 23 yrs
Senior Executive Service, Commissioned Officer (Non-Flag Rank)
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy
Dr. Joshua A. Geltzer
Former Senior Director, Counterterrorism & Deputy Legal Advisor, National Security Council
General Services (GS Scale)
Administrations: Trump, Obama
Mr. William Green
General Services (GS Scale)
Administrations: Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Ambassador Nina Hachigian
Ambassador (ret.), U.S. Mission to ASEAN
Foreign Service Officer (Ambassadorial Rank), Political Appointee
Administrations: Obama, Clinton
Dr. James Harris
Senior Intelligence Service
Administrations: Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter
Prof. Oona Hathaway
Professor of Law, Yale Law School
General Services (GS Scale)
Administrations: Obama
Ms. Margaret Helen Henoch
Senior Intelligence Service/Chief of Station
Senior Intelligence Service
Administrations: Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter
Ms. Heather A Higginbottom
Political Appointee
Administrations: Obama
Mr. Paul Hollingsworth
Senior Intelligence Service
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Ambassador Vicki Huddleston
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Defense for Africa
Foreign Service Officer (Ambassadorial Rank)
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter
Dr. Paul Douglas Humphries
Intelligence officer
Commissioned Officer (Non-Flag Rank), General Services (GS Scale)
Administrations: Trump, Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter
Mrs. Carol W. Humphries
Commissioned Officer (Non-Flag Rank), General Services (GS Scale)
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Mr. Andy Johnson
Staff Director, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
General Services (GS Scale), Senior Congressional Staff
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I
Ambassador Deborah K Jones
Ambassador - Retired
Senior Executive Service, Foreign Service Officer (Ambassadorial Rank), Foreign Service (FS Scale)
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Dr. Colin Kahl
Former National Security Advisor to VP Biden
Senior Executive Service, General Services (GS Scale), Political Appointee
Administrations: Obama, Bush II
Dr. Richard J Kessler
Senior Congressional Staff
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon
Mr. Timothy D Kilbourn
Former Dean, Sherman Kent School and PDB Briefer to the President
Senior Intelligence Service
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Mr. Daniel Charles Kiryelejza
General Services (GS Scale)
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Dr. Susan J Koch
Senior Executive Service
Administrations: Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter, Ford
Mr. Christopher Kojm
Senior Executive Service, Senior National Intelligence Service, Senior Congressional Staff, Political Appointee
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton
Mr. Paul Richard Kolbe
Director, The Intelligence Project, Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Former CIA Chief of Station and Component Chief
Senior Intelligence Service
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Ambassador Lisa Kubiske
Ambassador (ret.)
Foreign Service Officer (Ambassadorial Rank)
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Mr. James C. Lawler
National Security Consultant and Author
Senior Intelligence Service
Administrations: Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter
Mr. Jonathan L. Lee
Former Deputy Chief of Staff, Department of Homeland Security; Former Director for Human Rights, National Security Council Staff
Senior Executive Service, General Services (GS Scale), Political Appointee
Administrations: Obama
Mr. J. William Leonard
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Security & Information Operations)
Senior Executive Service
Administrations: Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon
Mr. Andrew Liepman
Former deputy director, NCTC
Senior Intelligence Service
Administrations: Trump, Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Dr. George E Little
Former Pentagon Press Secretary and CIA Spokesman
Senior Intelligence Service
Administrations: Obama, Bush II
Mr. James Francis Mcilmail
National Security Professional
Senior Executive Service
Administrations: Trump, Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter
Mr. Jason McNamara
Former Chief of Staff, Federal Emergency Management Agency
Senior Executive Service, Senior Congressional Staff
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton
Ms. Molly Montgomery
Former U.S. Foreign Service Officer
Foreign Service (FS Scale)
Administrations: Trump, Obama, Bush II
Mr. Rolf Mowatt-Larssen
Former Director of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, Department of Energy
Senior Intelligence Service
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon
Mr. Scott Nathan
Former Associate Director, OMB
Senior Executive Service
Administrations: Obama
Dr. Gary Rohde Nelson
Chairman, Sigma Federal
Senior Executive Service, Senior Congressional Staff, Political Appointee
Administrations: Reagan, Carter
Mr. Tom Newcomb
Former Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and former CIA Chief of Station
Senior Executive Service, General Services (GS Scale), Senior Congressional Staff
Administrations: Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Ms. Suzanne Nossel
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
Senior Executive Service
Administrations: Obama, Clinton
Mr. James C O'Brien
Special Presidential Envoy
Senior Executive Service, Political Appointee
Administrations: Obama, Clinton, Bush I
Mr. Christopher Painter
Former Coordinator for Cyber Issues, US State Dept., former Senior Director for Cybersecurity Policy, NSC
Senior Executive Service
Administrations: Trump, Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I
Mr. Thomas Parker
FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge (Retired)
General Services (GS Scale)
Administrations: Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon
Ambassador Anne Patterson
Ambassador to Egypt, Pakistan, Colombia, El Salvador
Foreign Service Officer (Ambassadorial Rank)
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon
Ambassador June Carter Perry
Ambassador (Ret)
Foreign Service Officer (Ambassadorial Rank)
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter
Mr. Larry Pfeiffer
Former Chief of Staff, CIA & Former Senior Director, White House Situation Room
Senior Executive Service, Senior Intelligence Service
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Hon. Robert Burns Pirie
Former Assistant Secretary of Defense
Commissioned Officer (Non-Flag Rank), Senior Congressional Staff, Political Appointee
Administrations: Bush II, Clinton, Carter, Ford, Nixon, Johnson
Mr. Stephen Pomper
Former Special Assistant to the President and NSC Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights
Senior Executive Service
Administrations: Obama, Bush II
Hon. Neil Quinter
Minority Chief Counsel and Staff Director, Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism and Government Information, U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee
Senior Congressional Staff, Elected Official
Administrations: Obama, Clinton
Mr. Todd M Rosenblum
Former Deputy Under Secretary of Intelligence, DHS
Senior Executive Service, General Services (GS Scale), Senior Congressional Staff, Political Appointee
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Mr. DJ Rosenthal
Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for National Security
General Services (GS Scale)
Administrations: Obama
Mr. Paul Rosenzweig
Senior Fellow, R Street Institute (former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, DHS)
General Services (GS Scale), Senior Congressional Staff, Political Appointee
Administrations: Bush II, Bush I, Reagan
Mr. Scott Michael Rubin
Senior Manager, Adjunct Professor
General Services (GS Scale)
Administrations: Trump, Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I
Mrs. Brigitta Rubin
General Services (GS Scale)
Administrations: Trump, Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I
Mr. D. Craig Russell
Senior Intelligence Service
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I
Mr. Nick Shapiro
Former Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to the CIA Director.
Senior Intelligence Service
Administrations: Obama
Mr. John R. Sipher
Senior Intelligence Service
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan
Ms. Mariah Sixkiller
Former National Security Advisor to the House Majority Leader
Senior Congressional Staff, Political Appointee
Administrations: Clinton
Ambassador Dana Shell Smith
Former Ambassador to the State of Qatar
Foreign Service Officer (Ambassadorial Rank)
Administrations: Trump, Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I
Mr. Gregory Stuart Smith
Senior Congressional Staff, Political Appointee
Administrations: Clinton
Mr. David Eckels Wade
Chief of Staff to US Department of State
Senior Executive Service
Administrations: Obama
Mr. William F. Wechsler
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Combatting Terrorism
Senior Executive Service, Political Appointee
Administrations: Obama, Clinton
Mr. Jonathan M. Winer
Former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State International Law Enforcement
Senior Executive Service, Senior Congressional Staff, Political Appointee
Administrations: Obama, Clinton
Mr. Douglas H Wise
Retired CIA Senior Intelligence Service officer and former Deputy Director DIA
Senior Intelligence Service
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter
Mr. Edward M Wittenstein
Lecturer in Global Affairs, Yale University
General Services (GS Scale)
Administrations: Bush II
Ambassador Lee Wolosky
Former U.S. Ambassador and NSC Official
Senior Executive Service, Foreign Service Officer (Ambassadorial Rank), Political Appointee
Administrations: Obama, Bush II, Clinton
Mr. Carl Woog
NSC Director for Strategic Communication
Senior Executive Service, Political Appointee
Administrations: Obama
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