Stephen J. Hadley served as the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor) for President George W. Bush's second term, starting on January 26, 2005.

 

Hadley received a BA degree from Cornell University in 1969 and a law degree from Yale Law School in 1972. He served in a variety of capacities for the defense and national security field, beginning in 1972 as an analyst for the Comptroller of the Department of Defense until 1974. From 1974-1977 he was a member of the National Security Council staff under President Gerald Ford and later served from 1986-1987 as counsel to the Special Review Board established by President Ronald Reagan to inquire into US arms sales to Iran (the “Tower Commission”).

 

Hadley served as Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney’s representative in talks led by Secretary of State James Baker that resulted in the START I and START II Treaties. He then served as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy from 1989-1993. In that position, he had responsibility for defense policy toward NATO and Western Europe on nuclear weapons and ballistic missile defense and arms control. He also participated in policy issues involving export control and the use of space.

 

Hadley became a partner in the Washington, DC, law firm of Shea & Gardner and a principal in The Scowcroft Group, Inc., an international consulting firm. Before joining the George W. Bush administration, Hadley was a board member of ANSER Analytic Services, an Arlington, VA-based nonprofit research group that specialized in government effectiveness and threat assessment. Its trustees include several former Department of Defense and CIA officials, as well as corporate officers from defense contractors such as Raytheon and Bellcore.

 

Hadley served as a senior foreign and defense policy advisor to then-Governor George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential campaign and worked in the Bush-Cheney Transition on the National Security Council. During President Bush’s first term, Hadley served as the Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor—in effect, Condoleezza Rice’s No. 2.

 

Hadley was part of a loosely constituted group of foreign policy advisors to President Bush known as the Vulcans. As Rice’s top aide, Hadley was part of the President’s inner circle that advocated for the invasion of Iraq and the mishandling of intelligence used to justify the attack. In late 2006 and early 2007, Hadley’s National Security Council staff oversaw the development of the “surge” strategy that increased the number of US combat troops in Iraq.

 

In April 2008 Hadley appeared on ABC’s “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos and repeatedly confused Nepal and Tibet. While discussing the reasons why President Bush should attend the Summer Olympics in Beijing in spite of the outcry over Tibet, Hadley kept saying Nepal when he meant Tibet. “If countries are really concerned about Nepal, we shouldn’t have this sort of non-issue of Opening Ceremonies or not. They should do the hard work of quiet diplomacy to urge the Chinese government—in their interest—to take advantage of this opportunity to do something,” Hadley said.

 

Bush Security Advisor Stephen Hadley Can't Tell The Difference Between Nepal And Tibet (Huffington Post)