Appointment of Robert D. Blackwill as Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs

The President today announced the appointment of Robert D. Blackwill as Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Senior Director for European and Soviet Affairs. He will succeed Nelson C. Ledsky.

A career Foreign Service officer, Mr. Blackwill served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Politico-Military Affairs, 1981 - 1982, and for European Affairs, 1982 - 1983. From 1983 to 1985, Mr. Blackwill was associate dean and faculty member at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He was the United States Ambassador and chief negotiator at the negotiations with the Warsaw Pact on mutual and balanced force reductions, 1985 - 1987. He then rejoined the faculty of the Kennedy School, 1987 - 1989. Mr. Blackwill's overseas assignments have included Kenya, the United Kingdom, and Israel. Mr. Blackwill is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Mr. Blackwill is a graduate of Wichita State University. He is married to the former Anne Heiberg and has three children.