Board of Directors

General George A. Joulwan (Ret.), Director

General George A. Joulwan, United States Army (Ret. 1997), has had a career of exemplary military service and outstanding foreign policy experience. His final military assignment was as Commander in Chief, United States European Command (CINCEUR) and as NATO's 11th Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). As CINCEUR, General Joulwan conducted over 20 successful operations in the Balkans, Africa, and the Middle East. He established the first-ever strategic policy for U.S. military engagement in Africa, and orchestrated the State Partnership program linking American reserve forces from 23 states with the former non-NATO countries and newly independent democracies of Europe and the former Soviet Union.

General Joulwan was SACEUR during the most revolutionary period in the NATO Alliance since its inception. For 18 months he was the overall military commander and architect for NATO's successful operation in Bosnia and and was directly involved in establishing the Partnership for Peace program that now has 27 nations represented in the Partnership Coordination Cell at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium. As a direct result of General Joulwan's leadership, Russian and U.S. troops have been conducting operations together in Bosnia. This cooperation was the basis for the historic NATO-Russian Founding Act signed in May 1997 in Paris, ending the Cold War.

General Joulwan served 18 years in Europe and was the first SACEUR to command at every level in the Alliance. Most significant is that General Joulwan was a second lieutenant in Germany when the Berlin Wall was being built, and a lieutenant general commanding V Corps in the Fulda Gap when the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain were removed.

General Joulwan also served as the Commander in Chief of U.S. forces in Central South America (CINCSOUTH) where he was instrumental in bringing peace to El Salvador and democracy to Panama, professionalizing the militaries of Latin America and directing multinational and multi-agency operations to combat narco-trafficking.

In addition, he served two combat tours in Vietnam and served in the Pentagon as the Executive Officer for the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was also Special Assistant to the President of the United States, and Special Assistant to the SACEUR, General Alexander Haig. General Joulwan is a graduate of West Point and holds a master's degree in political science from Loyola University in Chicago.

Upon General Joulwan's retirement in 1997, former Secretary of Defense William Perry said, "General Joulwan is a warrior diplomat in the best traditions of General George C. Marshall." President Clinton said of General Joulwan that, "his efforts have built a foundation for a Europe that is safe, secure and democratic well into the 21st century."