Secretary Cohen announced today the appointment of the
National Defense Panel (NDP) that will review and make
recommendations to the Secretary of Defense on the department's
ongoing Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). In December 1997, the
NDP also will provide an assessment of alternative force
structures for the U.S. military through the year 2010.
Secretary Cohen's choice to chair the NDP is Mr. Phil Odeen,
president of BDM International, a defense consulting and research
firm. Other NDP members are: Richard Armitage, former assistant
secretary of defense for international security affairs; Richard
Hearney, former assistant commandant of the Marine Corps; David
Jeremiah, former vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff;
Robert M. Kimmitt, managing director of Lehman Brothers, an
investment banking firm; Andrew Krepinevich, director of the
Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments; James P.
McCarthy, former deputy commander-in-chief, U.S. European
Command; Janne Nolan, senior fellow, Brookings Institution
Foreign Policy Studies program; and Robert R. RisCassi, former
commander of U.S. forces in Korea. NDP members were selected in
consultation with congressional leadership.
In announcing the appointment, Secretary Cohen said, "The
Department looks forward to working with the panel and will
welcome its insights and recommendations."
The NDP will submit interim recommendations on the Defense
Department's work on the QDR to date in early spring and a final
assessment to the Secretary of Defense as part of the report to
Congress, which is required by May 15, 1997. NDP also will
conduct an independent assessment of a variety of possible force
structures for the armed forces through the year 2010 and beyond.
The results of this analysis and Secretary Cohen's comments on
the assessment are due to Congress by December 15, 1997.
The appointment of the NDP was required by the FY 1997
Defense Authorization Act. The panel will hold its first meeting
within 30 days of this announcement.
Biographies of NDP members are attached.
National Defense Panel Member Biographies
Philip A. Odeen is President and CEO of BDM International,
Inc. and serves on the BDM Board of Directors. He has worked
within government in senior positions at the National Security
Council and Defense Department and in the private sector as an
advisor to the government as a member of the Chief of Naval
Operations Executive Panel and the Defense Science Board. Mr.
Odeen led a DSB task force in early 1993 that reviewed
anticipated defense management savings in the DOD budget and was
a leading figure in the recent Defense Science Board study that
proposed major budget savings from a fundamental reengineering of
the DOD infrastructure.
Richard L. Armitage is president of Armitage Associates L.C,
and a former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International
Security Affairs. Also a former Ambassador to the Newly
Independent States for US. Assistance, Mr. Armitage has extensive
regional security experience in the former Soviet Union, East
Asia and the Middle East. Since his departure from public
service, Mr. Armitage has remained engaged in national security
issues and is a member of the Defense Policy Board. Mr.
Armitage is a graduate of the US Naval Academy.
Richard D. Hearney, General, US Marine Corps, Retired.
General Hearney is the Managing Director of McDonnell Douglas-
Europe. He served over 35 years in the Corps including service
as the deputy J-3 in the European Command and as the Deputy
Commander, I Marine Expeditionary Force, during Desert Shield-
Desert Storm. General Hearney recently served as Assistant
Commandant of the Marine Corps and was a member of the Joint
Requirements Oversight Council. He is a graduate of Stanford
University, and has an M.S. from Pepperdine University.
David E. Jeremiah, Admiral, US Navy, Retired. Admiral
Jeremiah is President and CEO, Technology Strategies and
Alliances. He served as the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, 1990-1994. During his distinguished 38-year career,
Admiral Jeremiah also served as Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific
Fleet and as Director, Navy Program Planning for the Navy staff.
Admiral Jeremiah has served recently as co-chair of a joint
Defense Policy Board and Defense Science Board task force on
theater missile defense. He is a graduate of University of
Oregon, and holds a masters degree from George Washington
University.
Robert M. Kimmitt is Managing Director of Lehman Brothers in
Washington, DC, an investment banking firm.. He has served in
numerous diplomatic and senior government positions in the State
Department, the National Security Council staff, and the Treasury
Department, and served as the US Ambassador to Germany and as the
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs during the Bush
Administration. A graduate of West Point, Mr. Kimmitt continues
to serve as a Brigadier General in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Andrew F. Krepinevich is Director of the Center for
Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, an nonpartisan research
organization. Dr. Krepinevich gained extensive strategic
planning experience in the Office of Net Assessment at the
Department of Defense and has published several articles on
national security policy in journals such as The National
Interest and Strategic Review. He is the author of several
Center Studies, including The Bottom-Up Review: An Assessment,
and holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University.
James P. McCarthy, General, US Air Force, Retired. General
McCarthy is the Olin Professor of National Security, United
States Air Force Academy. He culminated a 35-year Air Force
career as Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command during
Desert Shield-Desert Storm, where he directed the establishment
of Operation Provide Comfort. Prior to that, he served as the
Deputy Chief of Staff, Programs and Resources, HQ US Air Force
and as Commander, Eighth Air Force. As a member of the Defense
Policy Board, McCarthy led a study of US policy toward Turkey.
He is a graduate of Kent State University and holds an M.S. from
George Washington University.
Janne E. Nolan is a Senior Fellow in the Brookings
Institution Foreign Policy Studies program. She has extensive
experience in defense policy, particularly in the areas of
nuclear weapons policy, weapons proliferation, and cooperative
security. Dr. Nolan has worked for the US Arms Control and
Disarmament Agency and the Senate Armed Services Committee. She
has a Ph.D. from Tufts University and has published several books
and articles on developments in U.S. defense policy and nuclear
strategy.
Robert W. RisCassi, General, US Army, Retired. General
RisCassi is Vice President of Land Systems for Lockheed-Martin
Corporation. He served as US Army Commander-in-Chief, United
Nations Command/Korea; Army Vice Chief of Staff; Director of the
Joint Staff, Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Army Deputy Chief of
Staff for Operations and Plans. General RisCassi recently served
on the Commission on Roles and Missions. He is a graduate of the
University of Connecticut and holds a masters degree from Auburn
University.
