For Immediate Release, May 9, 2013
Contact: Allison Sturma, 202-429-4725

(Washington) – Jim Marshall, president of the United States Institute of Peace, has been appointed to the congressionally-mandated National Defense Panel, which assesses the Department of Defense’s Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). Marshall was named to the panel by U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee.

Required by Congress, the QDR is a review of Department of Defense (DoD) strategy and priorities and sets a long-term course for DoD as it assesses the threats and challenges faced by the U.S.  In turn, Congress directed that members of the National Defense Panel review the QDR, assess the assumptions, strategy, findings, and risks in the report, conduct an independent assessment of a variety of possible force structures, review the resource requirements, and provide recommendations to Congress and the secretary of defense.

Ambassador Eric Edelman, a member of USIP’s board of directors, was earlier appointed by House Armed Services Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA). Marshall and Edelman are among the eight Panel members appointed by Congress and will be joined by two panelists appointed by the secretary of defense.

As a member of the House of Representatives from Georgia (2003-2011), Marshall served on the House Armed Services Committee and co-chaired the Congressional Air Force Caucus. He also served as chairman of the board of visitors of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.  Marshall is a Vietnam War veteran and a member of the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame.

After the Department of Defense issued the 2010 QDR, the DoD asked USIP to facilitate the congressionally-mandated Quadrennial Defense Review Independent Panel with former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry and former National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley serving as co-chairs.

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The United States Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan conflict management center created by Congress to prevent and mitigate international conflict through nonviolent means. USIP works to save lives, increase the government’s ability to deal with conflicts before they escalate, reduce government costs, and enhance national security. USIP is headquartered in Washington, DC. To learn more, visit www.usip.org.