ARNOLD L. PUNARO
Arnold Punaro is a Senior Vice President and the Deputy Director for Federal Business Development of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). SAIC does $5 billion of business a year specializing in national defense, information technology, and telecommunications with over 38,000 employees in approximately 500 locations worldwide. He joined SAIC in March, 1997 and works in their McLean, Virginia office.
He is also a Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. In 1997 he chaired The Defense Reform Task Force for Secretary of Defense William Cohen supporting the Secretary’s Defense Reform Initiative. He currently is serving as Deputy Executive Director of the National Security Study. This is a two-year, $10 million effort chartered by Secretary of Defense Cohen to describe the global security environment for the 1st Quarter of the 21st Century, to develop a national strategy and to recommend alternatives to the current national security organizations and processes. He is also serving as a Senior Advisor to the National Defense University QDR Working Group.
From 1973 to 1997, he worked for Senator Sam Nunn in National Security matters. He served as his director of National Security affairs and then as Staff Director of the Senate Armed Services Committee (8 years) and Staff Director for the Minority (5 years). In his work with Senator Nunn and the Senate Armed Services Committee, he was involved in the formulation of all major defense legislation and the oversight and review of all major defense activities for over two decades. This included the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act and its Reserve counterpart, the Goldwater-Nichols Defense Reorganization Act, the Acquisition Streamlining Act, personnel transition provisions, special operations reforms, and all pay and benefit matters. His Committee activities also covered Department of Energy nuclear weapons and cleanup matters, intelligence issues, arms control treaties, and civilian and military nominations.
He is a graduate of Mount de Sales Academy in Macon, Georgia and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama; a Masters of Arts degree from the University of Georgia and a Masters of Arts degree from Georgetown University, the latter in national security studies. He is on the Adjunct Faculty of the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University where he teaches an annual graduate level course entitled “National Security Decisionmaking.”
He is a Major General in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. His current assignment is Deputy Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command (Mobilization). From 1997 to 2000 he served as the Commanding General of the 4th Marine Division headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. The 4th Marine Division is the largest in the Corps with over 20,000 Marines at over 100 sites. His previous assignments as a general officer were Commanding General, Marine Corps Reserve Support Command, Kansas City, Missouri, and Deputy Commander, Marine Forces Reserve. He served on active duty as an Infantry Platoon Commander in Vietnam where he was awarded the Bronze Star for valor and Purple Heart. As a reserve officer, he has served in numerous organizations. In December 1990, he served in Operation Desert Shield in Saudi Arabia. In December 1993, he completed a tour of extended active duty as Commander of Joint Task Force Provide Promise (Forward) in the former Yugoslavia.
He has received numerous civilian awards and recognition. In August 1993, he received the Marine Corps League’s “Iron Mike” Award for “exceptionally outstanding service” and “unwavering commitment” for over 20 years to “insuring a strong national defense.” He has received the Air Force Association’s “Exceptional Service Award.”