Atlantic Council

Atlantic Council Chairman General James L. Jones has accepted President-elect Barack Obama’s offer to serve as his National Security Advisor.  Jones, respected on both sides of the aisle, brings more than forty years of military and diplomatic experience to the post.

Earlier this year, Jones presented to Congress the findings of the Atlantic Council’s report Saving Afghanistan: An Appeal and Plan for Urgent Action, stating, “Make no mistake, the international community is not winning in Afghanistan.”  The report and Jones’ straightforward briefing helped bring about changes to the government’s Afghanistan policy.  Candidate Obama sought Jones’ counsel before visiting Afghanistan in July.

In 2007, Jones chaired the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq, reporting its recommendations to Congress in September. Since  November 2007 he has acted as Special Envoy for Middle East Security under Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.  Jones was Senior Military Assistant to Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen from 1997 to 1999.  A decorated combat veteran, Jones retired from the armed forces in February 2007 after serving as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) from 2003 to 2006 and as Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1999 to 2003.

In June 2007, Jones was elected Chairman of the Atlantic Council.  He quickly put his stamp on the non-partisan think tank, a Washington institution since 1961, with the creation of the Strategic Advisors Group, which he chaired and helped make  a leading voice and influential presence on security issues in the U.S. and Europe. 

Brent Scowcroft, National Security Advisor to Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush and himself a former Chairman of the Atlantic Council, hailed Obama’s decision, saying, “General Jones impressive experience and knowledge in Washington and the world will serve the U.S. well in an Obama administration.”  Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe added, “Jones’s experience as NATO commander and his understanding of the European security apparatus will be of great value as Obama strives to deepen transatlantic relations.”

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C-SPAN (44 minutes)

Transcript:  Obama Announces National Security Team

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