INTRODUCING...  The Honorable Robert McFarlane
Robert McFarlane retired from government as President Reagan's National Security Advisor. A summary of his career to date follows: Born in Washington, the son of a Congressman from Texas, Mr. McFarlane received his undergraduate education at the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. He was a commissioned in the U.S. Marine Corps. In 1965 he commanded an artillery battery in the first landing of US forces in Vietnam and returned for a second tour ('67- 68) which included the Tet offensive. He was chosen as an Olmsted Scholar and received his graduate education at the Institut de Hautes Études Internationales in Geneva, Switzerland, being awarded a Master’s Degree (License) with a specialty in Strategic Studies. In 1971 he was named a White House Fellow and served in the Office of Legislative Affairs in the White House. Following that assignment he became Military Assistant to Henry Kissinger and Brent Scowcroft. Near the end of this five-year assignment to the White House he was appointed by President Ford as his Special Assistant for National Security Affairs and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the Navy & Marine Corps’ highest peacetime military decoration. In 1981 he was appointed by President Reagan and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Counselor to the Department of State. In that role he was responsible for sensitive exchanges between the Secretary of State (Alexander Haig) and Heads of State and Government throughout the Middle East and South Asia. In 1982 President Reagan appointed Mr. McFarlane as his Deputy National Security Advisor where he was responsible for the integration of the policy recommendations of the Departments of State, Treasury and Defense. In 1983 he was appointed by the President as his Special Representative in the Middle East where he was responsible for sensitive negotiations between Israel and the Arab States. Following that assignment he returned to the White House and was appointed President Reagan’s National Security Advisor. In that position he was responsible for the development of U.S. foreign and defense policy. He is best remembered as the architect of the comprehensive set of U.S. policies- including most notably the Strategic Defense Initiative (or Star Wars)- which so stressed the Soviet economy as to bring it down and in the process accelerated the collapse of Marxism in the former Soviet Union. Following his retirement from government Mr. McFarlane founded his own company, Global Energy Investors (GEl), a developer of energy infrastructure projects in Asia and South America. He serves concurrently as Chairman of McFarlane Associates Inc. a consulting firm focused on advancing technologies in the national security and homeland security domains. Apart from his business interests, Mr. McFarlane remains a respected figure in international affairs and is frequently called upon to advise the U.S. and other governments, the U.S. Congress and media. Mr. McFarlane and his wife, Jonda, have three grown children and live in Georgetown. He is a co-founder (with Dr. Henry Kissinger) and Vice Chair of the America-China Society, and is a Director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, AEGIS Defense Services, Vadium Inc. (a Seattle-based technology firm), and Neural Wave Systems. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the White House Fellows’ Foundation, the Travelers, Dillon Read (France Fund), The McLean Group, and Church & Dwight. | 
