U.S. President-elect Barack Obama today named his national security team, citing nuclear proliferation among the threats facing the nation (see GSN, Nov. 18).
He said he would nominate U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) to serve as secretary of state, current Defense Secretary Robert Gates to remain in his position, and Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano to lead the Homeland Security Department.
"The national security challenges we face are just as grave -- and just as urgent -- as our economic crisis. We are fighting two wars. Old conflicts remain unresolved, and newly assertive powers have put strains on the international system," Obama said at a press conference in Chicago. "The spread of nuclear weapons raises the peril that the world’s deadliest technology could fall into dangerous hands."
Critical of President George W. Bush's foreign policies during the presidential campaign, Obama vowed changes.
"To succeed, we must pursue a new strategy that skillfully uses, balances, and integrates all elements of American power: our military and diplomacy; our intelligence and law enforcement; our economy and the power of our moral example. The team that we have assembled here today is uniquely suited to do just that," he said (U.S. President-elect Barack Obama release, Dec. 1).