Media Advisory: Generals To Outline Need for New Direction in Iraq
Tomorrow, a day before the President’s meeting on Iraq with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Lt. General Robert G. Gard, Jr. (USA, Ret.) and Brig. General John H. Johns (USA, Ret.) will join National Security Network president Rand Beers for a conference call with reporters to outline the Democratic plan to change course in Iraq.
President Bush has threatened to veto an Iraq Supplemental bill passed by both Houses of Congress to provide our troops and veterans the resources they need, offer a real strategy for success, and hold the Iraqi government accountable for its own future. General Gard and General Johns will discuss the strain President Bush’s permanent commitment to a failed strategy in Iraq is placing on our armed forces, including reserve and National Guard units, and outline the need for a new direction.
WHO: Lt. General Robert G. Gard, Jr. (USA, Ret.), Brig. General John H. Johns (USA, Ret.) and Rand Beers, president of the National Security Network
WHAT: Conference call on the Democratic plan to change course in Iraq
WHEN: Tuesday, April 17, 2007, at 1:00 PM Eastern Time (10:00 AM Pacific)
WHERE: RSVP to Aaron Resnick at resnicka@dnc.org or by calling (202) 863-8148 to receive call-in information.
BIOS:
Lieutenant General Robert G. Gard, Jr. (USA, Ret.): A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1950, Robert Gard earned an MPA in 1956 and a Ph. D. in Political Economy and Government in 1961 - both from Harvard University. He retired from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant general in 1981, following 31 years of distinguished service. General Gard's military assignments included a three year tour in Germany, and combat service in Korea and Vietnam. Assignments during his military career included executive assistant to the Secretary of Defense, the first Director of Human Resources Development for the U.S. Army, and Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. General Gard also served as President of the National Defense University and was a fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations.
In 1981/82, General Gard was a visiting professor of international relations at the American University of Paris, and was the director of the Bologna Center of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies from 1982 to 1987. From 1987-1998, General Gard served as president of the Monterey Institute of International Studies. He has written for well-known periodicals that focus on military and international affairs and lectured widely at U.S. and international universities and colleges, and at academic conferences. He is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Council on Foreign Relations. In 1996, General Gard joined Veterans for America as its military advisor. He has been active in VFA's efforts to enact an international and U.S. ban on the production, sale, transfer, and use of antipersonnel landmines.
Brig. General John H. Johns (USA, Ret.): Dr. John H. Johns served as a combat arms officer in the Army for over 26 years, retiring as a brigadier general in 1978. During his career, he served in command assignments up to Assistant Commander of the 1st Infantry Division and Director of Human Resources Development for the Army General Staff. He has taught leadership and ethics at the U.S. Military Academy, the Army War College, the U.S. Military Academy, and the Naval Academy. He served four years as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense before resigning to become a Professor of Political Science at the National Defense University at Ft. McNair. He is an adjunct professor at the Federal Executive Institute, where he lectures on "Values and the U.S. Constitution" and teaches a one-week course in ethics. Dr. Johns has an undergraduate degree in economics and political science from the University of Alabama. He holds Masters? degrees from Vanderbilt (psychology) and George Washington University (international affairs) and a Ph.D. from American University (sociology). He is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College, and The National War College.
Rand Beers: Rand Beers served as the National Security adviser to the Kerry-Edwards 2004 campaign. Previously he spent 35 years as a senior civil servant. After serving as a Marine officer and rifle company commander in Vietnam, he entered the Foreign Service in 1971 and the Civil Service in 1983. From 1988-98, Mr. Beers served on the National Security Council Staff at the White House as Director for Counter-terrorism and Counter-narcotics, Director for Peacekeeping, and Senior Director for Intelligence Programs. From 1998-2003 he was Assistant Secretary of State for International. Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. In 2002-03 he was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Combating Terrorism. In 2002-03 he was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Combating Terrorism at the National Security Council. Beers earned a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.A. from the University of Michigan.
