|
Arnold Punaro is executive vice president for Government Affairs Communications and Support Operations and general manager of Washington Operations for SAIC. He is the senior corporate official responsible for SAIC's government affairs communications and Washington operations and also supervises SAIC's corporate Small and Disadvantaged Business Office. He joined SAIC in 1997 and works in the McLean Virginia office.
Punaro serves as a member of Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld's Defense Business Board as a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C. and as a member of the Senior Advisory Group for the U.S. European Command. In May 2005 he was named by Secretary Rumsfeld to chair the statutory Commission on the National Guard and Reserves established by public law 108-375. In 1997 he chaired The Defense Reform Task Force for Secretary of Defense William Cohen supporting the Secretary's Defense Reform Initiative. He served as deputy executive director of the U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century (1998-2001). This was a two-year effort chartered by Secretary of Defense Cohen to describe the global security environment for the first quarter of the 21st century to develop a national strategy and to recommend alternatives to the current national security organizations and processes. One of the group's recommendations prior to 9/11 was the creation of a cabinet-level department of homeland security.
From 1973 to 1997 Punaro 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 master's degree from the University of Georgia and a master's degree from Georgetown University the latter in national security studies. He was on the adjunct faculty of the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University for ten years where he taught an annual graduate level course entitled "National Security Decisionmaking."
He is a retired U.S. Marine Corps major general. He served as the director of the Marine Corps Reserve from May 2001 to October 2003 as deputy commanding general Marine Corps Combat Development Command (Mobilization) from August 2000 to May 2001. 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 more than 20 000 Marines at more than 100 sites. His previous assignments as a general officer were commanding general Marine Corps Mobilization 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 was mobilized for a third time in May 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served as both the Headquarters Marine Corps director of Reserve Affairs and as the special assistant to the commander U.S. European Command. He served in this capacity until his retirement on October 1 2003.
He has received numerous recognitions. 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 " the National Guard "Minuteman Award" and in 2002 was the co-recipient of SAIC's "Founders Award." He has over 20 military awards and decorations to include the Distinguished Service Medal. | 