Leesburg to Host National Security Meeting Friday

By LoudounExtra.com staff

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Keeping America safe and restoring its reputation on the world stage will be front and center Friday night as two former military officials host a town hall discussion in Leesburg. The meeting, the Loudoun County National Security Town Hall, will take place at the Ida Lee Park Recreation Center at 7 p.m.

The dialogue will focus on presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) plans on improving national security and international relations, according to the event press release.

Former Air Force Chief of Staff and current national Obama campaign co-chair, Gen. Merrill "Tony" McPeak, will lead the discussion. Joining him will be former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig.

Though McPeak campaigned for Bob Dole in 1996 and endorsed George W. Bush for president in 2000, he began voicing strong objections to the president's foreign policy in the run-up to the Iraq war. He later became a signatory for the Diplomats and Commanders for Change, which opposed Bush's re-election based on his alleged failure to preserve America's national security.

McPeak retired as Air Force Chief of Staff in 1994. During his military career, he also oversaw planning for Operation Desert Storm, and flew 269 combat missions in Vietnam between 1968 and 1970.

Danzig is the Sam Nunn Prize Fellow in International Security at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. He is also a consultant to the Department of Defense on terrorism, with a focus on bioterrorism.

He served as the secretary of the Navy for three years, until 2001 and was under secretary for four years previous to that. He also has experience in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense.

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