William S. Cohen

Former Secretary of Defense
Washington, DC

William S. Cohen served as Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton. Under his leadership, the U.S. military conducted the largest air warfare campaign since World War II, in Serbia and Kosovo. Secretary Cohen previously served as a Congressman (R-ME) from 1974 until he was elected to the Senate in 1978. With extensive international expertise, Secretary Cohen joined the Board of Directors of the Council on Foreign Relations and chaired the Middle East Study Group from 1989 to 1997. He has chaired and served on numerous other boards, including the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the School for Advanced International Studies, and the Brookings Institute. He also launched the William S. Cohen Center for International Policy and Commerce at the University of Maine.