MICHAEL 0. WHEELER
National Security Strategies Group
Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)

EDUCATION

University of Arizona, Ph.D., Philosophy (1971)
University of Arizona, MA, Philosophy (1970)
Georgetown University, MA, Political Science (1967)
United States Air Force Academy, BS, International Relations (1966)
MIT Seminar XXI (1989)
National War College (1986)

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Dr. Wheeler is a senior defense analyst on the research staff of the National Security Strategies Group at SAIC and a senior associate of SAIC's Center for Global Security and Cooperation. He also currently holds appointments on the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) to the Command in Chief of US Strategic Command and the National Security Advisory Committee at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. In 1998-1999, Dr. Wheeler served as the staff director for the Congressionally-chartered bipartisan Commission on Maintaining US Nuclear Weapons Expertise (the Chiles Commission), while remaining an employee of SAIC.

Before joining SAIC in 1993, Dr. Wheeler worked on the senior research staff at System Planning Corporation (SPQ for three years. This followed a 24-year career in the US Air Force. Dr. Wheeler currently specializes in nuclear weapons policy, military strategy and operations, policy and contingency planning, and arms control issues. He serves as the co-director of SAIC's Nuclear History Project.

SAIC (1993-present).

Dr. Wheeler's work at SAIC has covered abroad range of policy, strategy, infrastructure, and arms control issues primarily (but not exclusively) related to nuclear weapons- During 1998-1999, Dr. Wheeler served as the staff director of the Commission on Maintaining US Nuclear Weapons Expertise, a body established by Section 3162 of the FY 1997 Defense Authorization Act. The Commission's report was submitted to the Department of Energy and the Congress in March 1999.

While at SAIC, Dr. Wheeler has been the principal investigator or otherwise participated in contracted studies and/or conferences for the US Air Force, Army, Navy, ACDA, OSD/Policy, DTRA/ASCO, and Sandia National Laboratories. With Leon Sloss, he co-chairs the Nuclear History Project which is an ongoing effort to recreate the background and understand the complexities of nuclear weapons

policymaking and operations during the Cold War. Dr. Wheeler has given presentations derived from the Nuclear History Project to a wide range of government and academic audiences in the United States and Europe.

SAIC supports Dr. Wheeler's work as a member of the USSTRATCOM SAG and the Lawrence Livermore National Security Advisory Committee, where he participates m studies and reviews related to the interests and concerns of the senior management of those two organizations. Dr. Wheeler's work on the SAG was recognized in 1996 when be was awarded the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Medal for Outstanding Public Service. He also has testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee on studies which were initiated in the SAG.

SAIC also supports Dr. Wheeler's participation in study groups outside SAIC which look at nuclear weapon and counterproliferation, issues. He has been involved in such external studies at the Carnegie Endowment, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland, the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford, the Naval Postgraduate School, the Counterproliferation Center at National Defense University, and the Center for Global Security Research at Lawrence Livermore.

Finally, SAIC also supports Dr. Wheeler's preparation and presentation of a number of papers to academic conferences on areas related to his general work. While at SAIC, Dr. Wheeler also has lectured at the Army War College on nuclear arms control and strategy issues, and has given invited presentations at Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Laboratories.

SYSTEM PEANNING CORPORATION (1990-1993)

As a member of the senior research staff at the Center for Monitoring Systems at SPC, Dr. Wheeler directed and otherwise participated in projects done for DNA, SDIO, ACDA, and the Intelligence Community. The projects involved analysis related to regional military balances; missile and nuclear proliferation; arms control policy; Russian military doctrine in transition; and the requirements for verification technologies. While at SPC, Dr. Wheeler was the principal investigator and author of ten unclassified reports including two comprehensive surveys of the conventional forces and arms control opportunities relating thereto in Latin America. He also participated as a panel member in the arms control training program of the Foreign Service institute. SPC recognized Dr. Wheeler's work on nuclear policy and strategy with a special achievement award.

UNITED STATES AIR FORCE (1966-1990)

Dr. Wheeler served for 24 years in the United States Air Force, retiring with the rank of Colonel, a rank he held since 1982. At retirement he was awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the highest peacetime award. Ms assignments in the Air Force (excluding his war college and civilian graduate education) included:

Arms control advisor to the Chairman, JCS, and Air Force member of the Chairman Is Staff Group. Colonel Wheeler served in this capacity for the last two years of his military career, 1989-1990. He advised the Chairman on all arms control negotiations; served as liaison with DOE laboratories and with DNA for verification technologies; and accompanied the Assistant to the Chairman as a member of the Secretary of State's negotiating team at foreign minister meetings with the Soviets in the United States and Moscow. During this assignment, Colonel Wheeler was deeply involved in START, nuclear testing, the chemical weapons talks, and defense and space issues. He also supported talks related to the reunification of Germany and was part of the staff assisting the Chairman and Vice Chairman with planning for responses to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

Chief, Nuclear Negotiations Division, Joint Staff (J-5). Colonel Wheeler was chief of the Nuclear Negotiations Division from 1986 to 1989. He supervised and provided staff support for the ongoing talks in Geneva on START, INF, and defense and space; represented the JCS in the arms control policy review conducted by the incoming Bush administration; was the joint planner for nuclear negotiations and the JCS 'trusted agent' for all arms control negotiations; went to Moscow as the military member of the team that conducted exploratory talks on the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR); coordinated and briefed the military sufficiency analyses of all proposed nuclear arms control initiatives and on recommended JCS positions related to the substance of the negotiations-, and testified to Congress on behalf of the JCS during the INF ratification debates.

Senior Research Fellow, National Defense University. From 1985 to 1986, Colonel Wheeler was a senior research fellow at the National Defense University. He conducted research on the origins of United States strategic air strategy and was simultaneously enrolled as a student at National War College.

Director of Operations, Minuteman Missile Wing. From 1983 to 1985, Colonel Wheeler was director of operations for the 321st Strategic Missile Wing at Grand Forks, North Dakota, where he was responsible for the operational readiness and morale of the missile crews for 150 Minuteman III missiles operating in an area larger than the state of New Jersey. He also served as the senior operations officer on the Wing battle staff, and at the beginning of his tour, concurrently served as the commander of a Minuteman combat crew.

Staff Secretary, National Security Council, From 1982 to 1983, Dr. Wheeler was detailed from the Air Force to serve as the executive secretary (then called 'staff secretary') of the National Security Council. As one of the three senior staff members under the National Security Advisor, Dr. Wheeler attended NSC meetings, maintained liaison with the major executive branch departments and agencies involved in NSC matters, exercised final appellate authority for the NSC on freedom of information requests, administered the NSC staff, and testified to Congress on behalf of the NSC during appropriation hearings.

Special Assistant to the Chairman, JCS. From 1979 to 1982, Lieutenant Colonel Wheeler served as the special assistant to the Chairman of the JCS, functioning as an in-house advisor on a range of issues and as the personal representative of the Chairman on special studies. The areas he dealt with tended to change from month to month, including such diverse topics as future directions for strategic nuclear forces; the after-action reports on the failed Tehran rescue mission; and reorganization of the JCS (precursor to Goldwater-Nichols);

Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State. Lieutenant Colonel Wheeler served as a White House Fellow from 1978-1979. During the latter part of this assignment, he was detailed to the staff of the Deputy Secretary of State to serve as a special assistant. His duties included political-military affairs and SALT 11

Special Assistant to a Commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. During the first part of his White House fellowship year, Lieutenant Colonel Wheeler was detailed as a special assistant to a Commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Wheeler's duties involved assisting with export control matters related to nuclear materials.

Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. During 1977 and early 1978, Major Wheeler was the special assistant to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, functioning as an in-house advisor on a range of issues, as the personal representative of the Chief on special studies, and as liaison with the Office of the Chairman on the Joint Staff (during almost this entire period, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force also was the acting Chairman of the JCS). The areas he dealt with changed frequently, including such issues as SAL; the future of the strategic bomber force; military-to-military talks in Yugoslavia with the Yugoslav Air Force; and the Panama Canal Treaty.

Plans Officer, Air Staff. From December 1975 through early 1977, Captain Wheeler was an action officer in the Strategy Development and Assessment Division, Plans and Operations Directorate, Air Staff. He worked on the annual DOD posture statements, the Defense Guidance, and other such cross-cutting policy documents, and represented the Air Force on working groups related to nuclear forces in the national security strategy reviews conducted by the Ford and the Carter administrations.

Associate Professor, US Air Force Academy. After completing a Ph.D. in philosophy with a dissertation on the application of Wittgenstein's concept of a rule to social philosophy, Captain Wheeler was assigned to the faculty of the Air Force Academy in the Department of Philosophy. Advancing to the academic rank of associate professor, he was the director for die ethics and symbolic logic courses and, in addition to the full range of philosophy courses, taught national security studies and international relations for the Political Science Department. During the summers, he was detailed to the State Department (Political-Military Affairs) and the Air Staff. Captain Wheeler completed the correspondence course of instruction for the Air Command and Staff College and for the Industrial College of the Armed Forces during this time and also served as an adjunct faculty member for the Philosophy Department of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Intelligence Officer, Thailand In 1968, First Lieutenant Wheeler served as an intelligence analyst with the 355h Tactical Fighter Wing at Takhli Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand. He supported the Rolling Thunder operations of the F-105, EB-66, and F-I 11 aircraft assigned to the base. He also was a member of the adjunct faculty of the Political Science Department of the University of Maryland, Far East Division, and teaching courses in international relations and Soviet foreign policy.

Intelligence Officer, Tactical Air Command Headquarters. Second Lieutenant Wheeler's first assignment in the Air Force following graduation as a 'distinguished graduate' from the US Air Force Academy in 1966, was graduate school at Georgetown University where he earned an MA degree in political science with a thesis on the Hungarian revolution of 1956. Following completion of that program, he was assigned directly to the headquarters of Tactical Air Command at Langley AFB, Virginia, as an intelligence analyst. Lieutenant Wheeler worked on the intelligence annexes of operations plans for Southeast Asia and for regional contingencies, which might involve the air component of what then, was US Strike Command.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

American Foreign Relations and the Development of Nuclear Non-proliferation Policy, 1939-1969

Paper presented at Princeton University at the annual meeting of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, June 1999.

Contributions of Nuclear Weapons to American Security during the Cold War. Study prepared for Sandia National Laboratories, May 1999.

NA TO Nuclear Strategy, 19494990. Publication forthcoming, based on a paper prepared for an international conference on NATO, Brussels and Bonn, May 1999.

The Future of American Nuclear Weapons Policy. Presentation at an international conference held at Wilton Park, England, April 1999.

NPT 2000: The Issue of Security Assurances. Paper presented at Ninth Annual International Arms Control Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 1999. Publication forthcoming.

The History of Nuclear Arms Control and its Impact on the US Air Force. Presentation at Arlie House conference sponsored by US Air Force, January 1999.

American Nuclear Weapons 77trough the End of the Cold War. Presentation to National Security Leadership Program, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 1998.

Early US Nuclear Doctrine and Command and control Presentation at Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University, January 1998.

Reconstitution and Reassembly of a of a Virtual Nuclear Arsenal Chapter in Michael J. Mazarr, editor, Nuclear Weapons in a Transformed World: The Challenge of Virtual Nuclear Arsenals (New York: St Martin's Press, 1997).

Nuclear Weapons and European Security, 1945-55. Paper presented at the 1997 conference of the International Nuclear History Project, Marburg, Germany. Publication forthcoming.

7he Evolution of Harry Truman's and Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Views on Nuclear Weapons. Paper presented at Georgetown University at the annual meeting of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, June 1997.

US Nuclear Strategy: Where We've Been and 9'here We Are. Presentation at Airlie House conference sponsored by US Air Force, May 1997.

A Framework for Thinking about China. Presentation at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, November 1996,

Nuclear Weapons and the 1973 Middle East War. Monograph co-authored with Kemper V. Gay, August 1996.

Lessons from the Baruch Man: America's Early Policies for Nuclear Transparency. Presentation at Nuclear Transparency Initiatives Workshop, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, March 1996.

Security Assurances. Paper prepared for the Carnegie Endowment project on security assurances and published in Virginia I. Foran, editor, Security Assurances: Implications for the NPT and Beyond (Washington: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1995). This document was distributed at the NPT Review and Extension Conference in 1995.

Principles, Rules and Norms: Thinking about the Future of Nuclear Arms Control Presentation at the Conference on New Frontiers in Arms Control sponsored by ACDA, University of Maryland, March 1995.

Weapons of Mass Destruction in Regional Settings: The New Deterrence Equation. Working paper prepared for a series of workshops, Washington DC, January 1995.

Nuclear Weapons and the Korean War. Monograph, SAIC, November 1994.

Positive and Negative Security Assurances. Monograph, Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland, February 1994.

Security Council Resolution 255: Peacemaking in the Shadow of a Nuclear Threat Presentation at Conference on Peacemaking, Peacekeeping & Coalition Warfare, Norwich University, Vermont, February 1994.

The Trade in Missiles and the Future of Disarmament Paper presented to Fourth Annual International Arms Control Conference, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, October 1993. Published in James Brown, editor, New Horizons in Arms Control and Verification (Amsterdam: VU University Press, 1994).

Reconciling Interests with Nuclear Roles and Missions: Preliminary Steps Toward More Effective Cooperative Assistance Programs with the Former Soviet Union. Presentation to the Second International Conference on Controlling Arms, Defense Nuclear Agency, Richmond, Virginia, June 1993.

Nuclear Disarmament. Precondition and Prospects. Presentation UN Headquarters, New York, NGO Conference on Disarmament, April 1993. Published in New Realities: Disarmament, Peace-building and Global Security (New York: United Nations, 1993).

7hinking Ethically About the Strategic Defense Initiative: Some Preliminaries, In James C. Gaston and Janis Bren Hietala, editors, Ethics and National Defense (Washington: National Defense University Press, 1992)_

Nuclear Weapons and the National Interest: The Early Years (Washington: National Defense University Press, 1989).

A Strategic Concept for Defense, co-authored with Lieutenant General John W. Pauly, Strategic Review, IV: 3 (Summer 1976).

The Employment of Tactical Air Power. A Study in the Theory of Strategy of Sir Basil ff. Liddell Hart, Air University Review, XXVI: 6 (September-October, 1975). Selected by Air University Review Awards Committee for an "outstanding article" award.

Loyalty, Honor, and the Modern Military. Air University Review, XXIV: 4 (May-June, 1973). Reprinted in Malham M. Wakin, editor, War, Morality and the Military Profession (Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1979).

PROFESSIONAL AWARDS AND HONORS

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Award for Outstanding Public Service, 1996.

Defense Distinguished Service Medal; Defense Superior Service Medal (2 awards); Legion of Merit; Bronze Star Medal; Defense Meritorious Service Medal (3 awards); Air Force Meritorious Service Medal; Air Force Commendation Medal

White House Fellowship (1978)

Pi Sigma Alpha, National Political Science Honorary Society, Georgetown University (1967)

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

International Institute for Strategic Studies American Society for International Law Arms Control Association American Association for the Advancement of Science Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations

PERSONAL

Dr. Wheeler is married to the former Kathleen Ann Thomas of Colorado Springs, Colorado. They reside in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC,

HOME PAGE