Lt. General Robert G. Gard, Jr. (USA, ret.)
CHAIRMAN
202-546-0795 ext. 2111
rgard AT armscontrolcenter DOT org
Lt. General Robert G. Gard, Jr. is Chairman of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation where his policy work focuses on nuclear nonproliferation, missile defense, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, military policy, nuclear terrorism, and other national security issues.
During his military career, Gard saw combat in both the Korea and Vietnam wars, and served a three year tour in Germany. He also served as Executive Assistant to two secretaries of defense; the first Director of Human Resources Development for the U.S. Army; Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs; and President of National Defense University (NDU).
After retiring from the U.S. Army in 1981, after 31 years of distinguished service, Gard served for five years as director of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies Center in Bologna, Italy, and then as President of the Monterey Institute of International Studies from 1987 to 1998. Since 1998, he has been an active consultant in Washington, D.C., on national security issues, including the international campaign to ban anti-personnel land mines.
Gard has written for well-known journals and periodicals that focus on military and international affairs and lectured widely at U.S. and international universities and academic conferences. He serves on the board of eight non-profit organizations and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Gard holds a B.A. from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and both an M.P.A. and Ph.D in Political Economy & Government from Harvard University.
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GARD IN THE NEWS
Robert Gard Quoted on North Korea-Iran Nuclear Ties in the Korea Times
“North Korea obtained its weapons-grade nuclear material by reprocessing spent fuel, while Iran is enriching uranium that can be refined to the level of weapons grade,” Lt. General Robert G. Gard Jr., chairman of the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation, told The Korea Times. “Since North Korea is much further along with its nuclear program than Iran, it seems logical that North Korea would offer to sell a wide spectrum of technical nuclear assistance to Iran,” said Gard.
Robert Gard Interviewed on 65th Anniversary of Hiroshima Bombing by RT (Russian TV)
"It is important to show solidarity with Japan and to recognize the huge destructive power of nuclear weapons, in the hope that we can work together to prevent them from being used again,” said Lt. Gen. Robert Gard, chairman of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, when asked by Russia's RT about his views on U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos' attendance at the 65th anniversary ceremony of the Hiroshima bombing.
John Isaacs and Robert Gard publish article on maintaining U.S. nuclear weapons in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
On February 24, John Isaacs, executive director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, and Lt. Gen. Robert Gard, chairman of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, published an article on the prudence of maintaining a U.S. nuclear arsenal that is safe, secure, and reliable until a nuclear-weapon-free world can be achieved in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Robert Gard Co-Writes Letter to President Obama on the Nuclear Posture Review
On February 9, Lt. Gen. Robert Gard, chairman of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, co-wrote a letter to President Obama urging him to fulfill his April 2009 pledge to "put an end to Cold War thinking" and "reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy."
Robert Gard Quoted on Building Nuclear Weapons and Non-Proliferation in the National Catholic Reporter
On January 22, Lt. Gen. Robert Gard, chairman of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation in Washington said, "If we send a signal that nuclear weapons are essential for use in our national security strategy for other than deterrence, it obviously tells other nations that if the most powerful nation sees the need for them, then they ought to develop them too.”
RECENT ARTICLES BY GARD
Feb 24, 2010 The Obama disarmament paradox: A rebuttal
Greg Mello's recent Bulletin article "The Obama Disarmament Paradox" distorts the Obama administration's nuclear agenda by making unjustified assumptions that discredit President Barack Obama's historic commitment to seek a nuclear-weapon-free world, write John Isaacs and Lt. Gen. Robert Gard, Jr. (USA, ret.) in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Aug 25, 2009 Zero Nuclear Weapons: A Feasible Goal?
Global Zero is dependent on compliance, which in turn relies on mutual trust between states in the international system that weapons will not be concealed. This appears remote and subsequently so too does the feasibility of such a goal as complete nuclear disarmament, Lt. Gen. Robert Gard writes on Atlantic-Community.org.
Jul 6, 2009 Decrease Stockpiles, Increase Security
This week in Moscow, Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev are holding a summit meeting that will heavily influence the next decade of U.S.-Russian relations. If the two leaders strike up a personal and political rapport, it could unfreeze a relationship that became icy in the final years of the Bush and Putin administrations. If the summit produces less favorable results, it could intensify mistrust and leave several foreign policy wounds to fester.
Jul 6, 2009 The Obama-Medvedev Security Summit
Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev are meeting this week in Moscow for their first full summit. High on their agenda is the landmark 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which will expire on December 5. In this op-ed published by Reuters, Lt. Gen. Robert Gard and Kingston Reif explain the importance of negotiating a START follow-on agreement.
Jun 25, 2009 Should Torture Be Part of the U.S.'s Counterterrorism Approach?
President Obama decided not to release a new group of detainee abuse photographs because he believes they would inflame our enemies and threaten American troops. Indeed, the shocking photos from Abu Ghraib have served as a powerful recruiting tool for al-Qaeda and have sparked outrage across the world.
May 22, 2009 The Aspiration of Global Zero
On April 5, 2009, before a crowd gathered at Hradcany Square in Prague, President Barack Obama declared “America’s commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.” With these words, Obama implicitly endorsed Global Zero—a movement founded in December 2008 by some 100 political leaders from around the world to ban nuclear weapons.
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