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Biography

I spent most of the last 35 years traveling the globe as a U.S. diplomat, a Peace Corps volunteer, and as a naval officer. My final government position was as a senior official in the office of counter terrorism in the U.S. State Department during and after the attack of September 11, 2001. In that position, I helped organize the U.S. response to that attack, which came to be known as the War on Terrorism.  In addition, I served as NSC Director for Nonproliferation under Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush, dealing with weapons of mass destruction. With this experience as background, I have written a number of articles on terrorism and on the war in Iraq, which are collected here. Included on this web site are other articles that I consider interesting or valuable along with some book recommendations. You may contact me with any comments you have by using the link at the top of the page.

  • Born in Minnesota and raised in Mankato, Minnesota

  • Naval Officer aboard a guided missile cruiser from 1966 to 1969

  • Peace Corps volunteer to Ethiopia where he taught English as a second language and worked with the World Health Organization to eliminate smallpox from 1971 to 1972

  • Foreign Service assignment in Ethiopia as a political reporting officer during the revolution

  • Subsequently served in Bogota, Columbia, reporting on internal politics, the insurgent groups and the drug connection

  • Worked on Soviet affairs dealing with arms control negotiations, economics, science and intelligence on different occasions

  • Served as Deputy Principal Officer in Leningrad, USSR, from 1987 to 1989 where he reported on the independence movements in the Baltics and the impending breakup of the Soviet Union

  • Staff member of Senate Foreign Relations committee and staff member and legislation author for Senator Bill Cohen

  • Senior Political Advisor at the U.S. Embassy in Panama from 1990 to
    1991; provided advice during December 1990 coup attempt to the
    Panamanian president; Recommended that Washington bring in US
    troops, which led to the collapse of the coup

  • Senior Political-Military Advisor, US Arms Control Delegation, Vienna,
    from 1991 to 1995 where he directed staff in conducting arms control
    negotiations with Russia and other countries

  • Deputy Director, Arms Transfer and Export Control Policy from 1995-1998
    during which he developed and led international nonproliferation
    seminars to 12 countries in Asia and Europe, also coordinated transfers
    of high-technology goods (satellites, computers)

  • Directed the Environment, Science and Technology section, Moscow from
    1998 to 2000 where he organized and coordinated embassy preparations
    for Y2K. Had oversight responsibility for a $350 million nuclear security program; was responsible for biological and chemical weapons issues and visited several Russian bio facilities

  • Director for Nonproliferation on the U.S. National Security Council
    from 2000 to 2001 where he chaired White House review of U.S./Russian
    Nonproliferation Programs, resulting in $2 billion reduction in costs,
    coordinated U.S. efforts to safeguard nuclear weapons and materials,
    and participated in policy formulation on biological weapons

  • U.S. Department of State Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism from
    2001-2002 where he helped develop policy response to attacks of
    September 11, including planning the War on Terrorism