Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - Former Defense Secretary William J. Perry Endorses Clinton

The Clinton Campaign today announced the endorsement of former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry and named him a Senior National Security Adviser.

"The United States today faces an array of challenges and opportunities unparalleled in recent history. America needs a leader with the combination of experience, judgment, competence and credibility to begin working on Day One to restore our standing in the world. Hillary Clinton is that leader," Secretary Perry said.

"Hillary has that strength and experience to responsibly bring the disastrous war in Iraq to an end and reclaim America's leadership position in the world. From her years as First Lady to her work on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hillary understands what our military needs to succeed in the 21st century. She knows the price of sending our courageous men and women in uniform into harm's way. She has stood up for veterans suffering from Gulf War syndrome, has led the fight in the Senate for expanded benefits for our active duty service members and veterans, and has demanded better body armor for our troops in Iraq. Hillary Clinton is ready to be commander in chief."

Secretary Perry was the 19th Secretary of the Department of Defense, spearheading the successful U.S. and NATO military activity that halted the killing and ethnic cleansing in Bosnia after the historic Dayton agreement. He led the transformation of defense and military relations with Russia, Ukraine and 13 other states that emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union, and championed the landmark U.S. program that denuclearized three of those countries.

Perry served as an enlisted man in the Army Corps of Engineers and later as a second lieutenant in the Army Reserves from 1950 to 1955. He has received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Eisenhower Award, the Marshall Award, the Forrestal Medal, and the Henry Stimson Medal. Perry has also received decorations from the governments of Germany, England, France, Korea, Albania, Poland, Ukraine, Bahrain, Slovenia, Hungary, and Japan.

After serving as Secretary of Defense, Perry rejoined the faculty at Stanford University where he is a Professor of Management Science and Engineering and the Co-Director of the Stanford-Harvard Preventive Defense Project. He was a member of the Iraq Study Group and is a current member of the Defense Policy Board.

"Bill Perry's visionary leadership of the Department of Defense in the 1990s transformed relationships with former adversaries into partners. And when we deployed American forces in Bosnia, we did so effectively, decisively and in close cooperation with key regional allies - in stark contrast to the Bush-Cheney years," Clinton said. "I am deeply honored to receive his support and will count on his wise counsel throughout the campaign and in the White House."