SECRETARY OF DEFENSE APPOINTS DEFENSE POLICY PANEL ON NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE GLOBALIZATION OF BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen has named retired U.S. Army Brigadier General
Peter M. Dawkins to chair a special advisory panel on National Security and the
Globalization of Business and Industry.
This Panel will examine security issues and potential security risks resulting from the
accelerating globalization and related trends affecting business and industry, including
the increased number of U.S.-owned defense contractors with overseas facilities and the
increased foreign ownership of U.S. based suppliers.
The Panel will be drawn from members of the Defense Policy Board, a DoD advisory panel
to which Dawkins was appointed earlier this year, as well as from business leaders from
such sectors as industry, finance, communications, and database technology.
"This accelerating globalization and transformation of defense-related
business," said Cohen, "offers important cost and efficiency advantages to the
U.S. defense establishment. At the same time - individually and collectively - these
trends raise new issues and potential security risks. General Dawkins is an excellent
choice for this important assignment given his background and demonstrated expertise in
both national security matters and at the highest level of the business and financial
worlds."
Among issues which the Panel will address are those resulting from increasing reliance
by U.S. defense firms on overseas suppliers and subcontractors for electronics and
computer software; increasing foreign ownership of U.S.-based suppliers; increasing
reliance on commercial components in defense equipment; and new business practices such as
interconnected commercial and Defense data bases.
Dawkins currently serves as Chairman and CEO of Diversified Distribution Services,
Inc., a division of Travelers Group. Previously, he was Chairman and CEO of Primerica
Financial Services, Inc., also a Travelers' subsidiary.
Cohen and Deputy Secretary John Hamre have indicated in recent months that these issues
are a top priority for the Department, and they are pursuing several initiatives to ensure
that the Department continues to adjust effectively to the new realities of a global
economy and to the full range of attendant security implications.
