names please

All of this talk of the Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee (DPBAC or DPB) and you'd probably like to know who the heck they are. Good question. It changes regularly.

As of yesterday, these were the names available thru on line sources. Unfortunately, the DPB doesn't maintain a website. Too bad. They could let us know what they're up to. But since they are an independent committee who advise the Secretary of Defense, they are under no obligations to US citizens to reveal who they are. They do issue announcements thru standard government services providing dates of meetings. These are, however, closed to the public.

First, a little information and clarification.

The Defense Policy Board should not be confused with a number of other groups with similar sounding names or functions.

The National Security Council (NSC) is chaired by the President. Condoleezza Rice is the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Also known as the National Security Advisor. Sounds official, is official.

The National Security Agency (NSA) handles coded spy messages, making and breaking code. NSA serves the Defense Department but most of its employees are mathematicians. Sounds official, is official. (added 7-25-2003)

President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB) is chaired by Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft. All members are Presidential appointments. A hush hush group. You won't see any of them on tv except under rare circumstances. They're busy. Sounds official, is official.

National Security Advisory Council (NSAC) is a think tank run thru the Center for Security Policy (CSP) Think pundits. Think Frank J. Gaffney, President of CSP. Think James Woolsey and Sen. Jon Kyl honorary chairs. Sounds official, but its not.

Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is a think tank. Peter G. Peterson is the chairman of the board. CFR writes white papers. One of their most recent is Iraq: The Day After Sounds official, its not, but its very influential.

And that brings us to the Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee. The DPB advises the Secretary of Defense, in this case Donald Rumsfeld. Think back up singers. They are an independent group outside of government control. Their positions on the DPB are unpaid. I'm sure they make up for that with consulting fees for some of the time some of them spend on tv. They can openly shoot their mouths off to sway American opinion. Sounds official, its not, but its very influential in telling Rumsfeld exactly what he expects to hear.

Oh. And by the way. The DPB is privy to classified information. Now you know why it looks inappropriate for DPB members to have connections with corporations in a position to profit from contracts in post war Iraq reconstruction. An entirely new form of insider trading. Kinda like shoving someone in a shopping mall so you can chase the ambulance for the lawsuit. Capitalism at its finest.

Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee

1. Kenneth Adelman 2. Richard V. Allen 3. Martin Anderson 4. Gary S. Becker 5. Barry M. Blechman 6. Harold Brown 7. Eliot Cohen 8. Devon Cross 9. Gen. (Ret.) Ronald R. Fogleman 10. Thomas S. Foley 11. Tillie Fowler 12. Newt Gingrich 13. Gerald Hillman 14. Gen. (Ret.) Charles A. Horner 15. Fred C. Ikle 16. Adm. (Ret.) David Jeremiah

17. Henry A. Kissinger 18. Adm. (Ret.) William Owens 19. Richard Perle 20. J. Danforth Quayle 21. Henry S. Rowen 22. James R. Schlesinger 23. Gen. (Ret.) Jack Sheehan 24. George P. Shultz 25. Kiron K. Skinner 26. Walter B. Slocombe 27. Hal Sonnenfeldt 28. Ruth Wedgwood 29. Chris Williams 30. Pete Wilson 31. James Woolsey There is no chair at this time.