Eric S. Edelman
Eric Steven Edelman (born October 27, 1951) is an American diplomat who served as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (2005–2009), U.S. Ambassador to Turkey (2003–2005), U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Finland (1998–2001), and Principal Deputy Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs (2001–2003). A career Foreign Service Officer, Edelman entered the Senior Foreign Service in 1992. He is a recipient of the Secretary of Defense's award for Distinguished Civilian Service (1993) and the State Department's Superior Honor Award (1990 and 1996).
Eric Edelman | |
|---|---|
| 8th Under Secretary of Defense for Policy | |
| In office August 9, 2005 – January 20, 2009 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Douglas Feith |
| Succeeded by | Michele Flournoy |
| United States Ambassador to Turkey | |
| In office August 29, 2003 – June 19, 2005 | |
| Appointed by | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | W. Robert Pearson |
| Succeeded by | Ross Wilson |
| United States Ambassador to Finland | |
| In office August 27, 1998 – January 29, 2001 | |
| Appointed by | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Derek Shearer |
| Succeeded by | Bonnie McElveen-Hunter |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Eric Steven Edelman October 27, 1951 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Patricia Edelman |
| Education | Cornell University (BA) Yale University (MA, MPhil, PhD) |
| Awards | Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service Legion of Honour |
| Website | Defense website at the Wayback Machine (archived March 6, 2008) |
He retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in May 2009 and is a visiting scholar at the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies and Roger Hertog Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. He was also an advisor for the 2012 Mitt Romney presidential campaign.
Edelman currently serves as co-chair for the Bipartisan Policy Center's Turkey Initiative and as co-chair of the congressionally mandated Commission on National Defense Strategy. He is also, with Eliot Cohen, the cohost of the Shield of the Republic podcast, published by The Bulwark.