People in the news

James L. Jones

Senior Adviser, Bipartisan Policy Center (since February 2011)

(Chip Somodevilla /
Getty Images)

Why He Matters

Jones was likely to be offered a top job in the new White House no matter who won the election in November 2008. But his tenure was somewhat rocky and he stepped down amid a raft of senior departures from the Obama administration in October 2010.

The widely-respected general advised both President Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)'s 2008 presidential campaigns. He is as much a diplomat as a military leader, serving as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and as Commandant of the Marine Corps. Obama appointed him National Security Adviser in December 2008.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: Former National Security Adviser (January 2009-October 2010); President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for 21st Century Energy (since 2008); Special envoy for Middle East security (2006 to 2008); Supreme Allied Commander, NATO (2003 to 2006)
Birthday: Dec. 19, 1943
Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.
Alma Mater: Georgetown School of Foreign Service, BS, 1966; National War College, 1985

Spouse: Diane Johnson
Office: Institute for 21st Century EnergyU.S. Chamber of Commerce1615 H Street, NWWashington, DC 20062(202) 463-5558
Web site

Path to Power

Jones was born on Dec. 19, 1943, in Kansas City, Mo. He grew up in Paris and is fluent in French.

The 6' 4" athlete played basketball for Georgetown University. He received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown's School of Foreign Service in 1966.

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Jones served as a Marine in Vietnam, where he was a platoon and company commander. He took command positions at Camp Pendleton and Okinawa.

Jones returned to Washington in the early 1980s to work as the Marine Corps liaison officer to the Senate. In that position, he developed a friendship with Sen. McCain.

In 1997, Jones accepted a position as military assistant to Clinton Defense Secretary William Perry. In 1999, he was nominated to serve as Marine Corps Commandant e by President Bill Clinton, beating out several other prominent four-star candidates.

In 2002, President George W. Bush appointed Jones the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO military forces, a position that made him the first Marine to hold the prestigious position. Bush said he nominated Jones in an effort to "shake off" Cold War thinking and make the Armed Forces more mobile and up-to-date.

In that role, Jones worked tirelessly to convince NATO nations to unite to develop a military strategy in Afghanistan. He struggled to convince U.S. allies to provide troops they had promised. In 2004, Jones called for a doubling of the troops provided to the region in order to secure the country beyond Kabul, its capital.

Jones stepped down as NATO commander in February 2006. He has continued to urge NATO to increase its ground force in Afghanistan.

Bipartisan Foreign Policy Adviser

In his post-NATO life, Jones continued to work with top Bush administration officials to develop foreign policy and military strategy. Then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appointed Jones as a special envoy for Middle East security. He also headed the non-partisan Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq, an independent group that examined the effectiveness of Iraq's police force in 2006. The report was paid particular attention by Congress.

Jones is close friends with McCain, and though he briefed President Obama on Afghanistan and energy policy during the 2008 presidential campaign, he did not endorse Obama.

Nonetheless, Jones was mentioned as a possible Democratic vice presidential contender, although reports suggest he wasn't formally vetted and was not a finalist for the job. Some speculated that Jones' name had only been leaked to lend President Obama national security credentials.

Jones is the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for 21st Century Energy, a group that works inside the chamber to develop approaches to sustainable energy creation and consumption.

Early Days in Obama White House

In his first several months in Obama's White House, Jones was criticized by some staffers for spending too little time with Obama and in the office. Jones would sometimes leave work at lunch for a bike ride, and returned home around 7 P.M. every day, unusual in an office full of staffers used to burning the midnight oil. "The national security adviser needs to be behind the president," author and blogger David Rothkopf told the New York Times. Jones is not "seen as a guy in the room."

But his leadership style seemed to fit quite naturally with Obama. As head of the National Security Council, Jones emphasized team building, and advocated for a "bottom-up approach" where working groups develop proposals for solutions, then pass them on to a committee of deputies. He was praised in The Washington Post for launching a restructuring of the council so that it could tackle modern issues like energy and climate change. "If you want things to go beyond your tenure you'd better get a lot of buy-in into the big things," he told the Post.

The Issues

Before joining the Obama administration, Jones was a fierce critic of U.S. anti-terrorism policies, which he regarded as unfocused and detrimental to the country's international reputation. He called for a stepped-up effort to stem terrorism in Afghanistan and a more concentrated attempt to prepare Iraq for self-governance.

That's basically what he got by the time of his departure in October 2010 after two years as head of Obama's National Security Council. The bulk of U.S. troops left Iraq in August 2010, though self-governance was still a work in progress, and a majorly ramped up war in Afghanistan.

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Jones was a key player in the fall 2009 strategy review that resulted in the sending of 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, with the caveat that they would begin returning home in July 2011. Given his background as NATO commander in Afghanistan, he pressed military officials to justify their recommendations for troop increases, voicing his concerns that they wouldn't do much unless Pakistan cut off refuges for Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters.

When Jones joined the Obama NSC, he called for a more coherent national security policy that incorporated fresh elements to address a broader swath of problems like global warming, terrorism and foreign oil dependence. He wanted to include the views of non-governmental organizations and Energy Department officials in decisionmaking and believed the military should increase its focus on reconstruction and development.

As Obama's NSC head, he also oversaw the White House's "High Value Detainee Interrogation Program," which will trained a team of specialists the most effective interrogation methods. The team will only use techniques approved in the Army Field Manual, but will research other lawful ways to collect high-value information from detainees.

Afghanistan

As NATO commander, Jones put his reputation on the line to convince U.S. allies to support the war effort. He bluntly stated that the war there was severely undermanned and not enough resources exist in the region to win. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of dispersing troops more broadly across the country. In a 2008 study, he candidly wrote that NATO was losing the war in Afghanistan.

Prior to joining the Obama administration, he also warned that NATO cannot simply stem fighting in Afghanistan. In order to help make the country safer, NATO and U.S. forces must also reduce the narcotics trade (which he called the "Achilles hill" of the mission); help develop a credible court system; and rebuild the police force.

Jones has also warned that defeat in Afghanistan will send "a very clear message to the terrorist organizations that the U.S., the U.N. and the 37 countries with troops on the ground can be defeated."

Iraq

Prior to joining the Obama administration, Jones made several trips to Iraq and was asked to chair the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq, a committee sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies that was designed to assess the effectiveness of the Iraq police force.

After almost 16 months of study, the general and his team concluded that the Iraqi police force had "limited operational effectiveness" and recommended a complete overhaul of the forces in order to remove corrupt officers and those who are complicit in sectarian killings. The commission also concluded the current force is too large and must be redeveloped into an "elite" force.

Jones told Congress in September 2007 that the Iraqi government needed at least a year and a half more before it could act as its own protective force.

He has said that Iraq has distracted the U.S. and overstretched its armed forces.

Pakistan

Prior to joining the Obama administration, Jones said Pakistan was central to winning the Iraq war, warned that the Pakistani military wasn't currently working effectively with the U.S.

He called on Pakistan to work more closely with Afghanistan, and to recognize that it has a significant stake in reducing violence in Afghanistan. If Pakistan is unwilling to support the U.S. effort, he would like NATO to band together to sanction Pakistan.

Libya

Jones would like to turn Libya into an ally in the war on terror. In 2004, he suggested that the country's decision to abandon its unconventional weapons program was a sign of a new commitment for change. He wanted to invite Libya to join NATO.

Though the country has not yet become a full member, it participated in naval exercises in 2008, and has committed to working with U.S. forces to stop Al Qaeda.

Energy and National Security

As the president of the U .S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy, Jones supported efforts to promote greater energy efficiency, diversify energy supplies, improve environmental protections and enhance the nation's energy infrastructure.

Some have accused the group of pushing only conservation efforts that benefit business and of downplaying the impact of global warming and climate change.

Jones believed the NSC should play a larger role in setting energy policy. He called the production and distribution of fuels like oil a "national security issue of the highest order."

To address this, he has called for a new White House office to implement national and international energy policy. This person would sit on the NSC and National Economic Council.

Before joining the Obama administration, Jones sat on Chevron Corporation's board of directors, a tie that has some environmentalists concerned about his ability to push a green agenda.

The Network

As a Senate staffer, Jones befriended then-Sen. William Cohen (R-Maine). When Cohen was named Secretary of Defense, he brought Jones to the Pentagon with him.

He is friendly with top names in both parties including Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain, who he advised on energy policy during his 2008 presidential campaign.

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Additional Resources