Former Defense Secretary William Cohen to Discuss "Countering Terrorism" in April 22 Ubben Lecture
March 29, 2004
March 29, 2004, Greencastle, Ind. - "As Clinton Defense Secretary William Cohen testified [last week at the 9/11 commission's hearings], three times the CIA was ready with plans to assassinate Osama bin Laden," notes today's Seattle Times. On Thursday, April 22, Cohen -- who served 24 years in Congress and became the first Republican named to a senior Democratic White House post in more than 30 years -- will deliver The Timothy and Sharon Ubben Lecture at DePauw University. His speech, "Countering Terrorism: A Voice Of Experience," will begin at 8 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium of DePauw's Performing Arts Center. As with all Ubben Lectures (see complete list by clicking here), the event is free and open to the public.
As Secretary of Defense in President Clinton's administration, William S. Cohen led Defense Department efforts to counter terrorism. During Cohen's tenure, the United States was targeted by Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda network in the bombing of U.S. Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, and the attempt to destroy the USS Cole. Cohen was a key player on the 
national security team that worked to respond to these attacks and which prevented many other terrorist actions from being carried out. In his presentation, Secretary Cohen discusses the most critical challenges this country faces in battling terrorism on many fronts, using all means available to us: military, diplomatic, economic, intelligence. He also addresses the need for the United States to ensure the best possible domestic defenses and responses to biological and chemical terrorist threats.
A native of Bangor, Maine, Cohen served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979 and as a United States Senator from 1979-1997. In 1996, frustrated with partisan gridlock, then-Senator Cohen announced he would return to private life to promote international business and, through his writings and the media, a more thoughtful public discourse on national political issues. He also launched the William S. Cohen Institute for International Business at the University of Maine. President Clinton interrupted these plans, however, when he asked Cohen to lead the 
Department of Defense, the first time in modern U.S. history when a President has chosen an elected official from the other party to be a member of his cabinet, and the first Republican named to a senior Democratic post since Robert McNamara in the Kennedy Administration. At the time, the Washington Post wrote, "The former senator from Maine is anything but a yes-man. In Congress, he demonstrated an independent streak."
At his January 1997 confirmation hearing, Secretary Cohen set forth his prioritized objectives as Secretary and completed his tenure having accomplished them all. Reversing a steady decline in defense budgets that began in the 1980s, Secretary Cohen succeeded in modernizing the military and maintaining its readiness to fight; reversing recruitment and retention problems by enhancing pay and other benefits; and strengthening security relationships with countries around the world in order to reorient them from the Cold War to the challenges of a new era. Under his leadership, the U.S. military conducted the 
largest air warfare campaign since World War II, in Bosnia and Kosovo, and conducted other military operations on every continent. During his tenure, Secretary Cohen held substantive meetings with foreign leaders in over 60 countries.
The Christian Science Monitor called William Cohen -- a published author of nine works of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry; a futurist with degrees in classical Latin and Greek; and the son of a working-class immigrant who rose to the highest levels in government -- "a true Renaissance Man." Secretary Cohen is chairman and CEO of The Cohen Group, one of the leading consulting firms in the nation's capital. He also contributes weekly reports on international issues to CNN's Your World Today.
The Ubben Lecture Series has brought distinguished 
individuals to the DePauw University campus since 1986, including 2004 presidential candidate and retired General Wesley Clark, former British Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major (seen in photo meeting with DePauw students), General Colin Powell, Ross Perot, Spike Lee, Mike Krzyzewski, Harry Belafonte and ice cream entrepreneurs Ben & Jerry. To view a complete list of Ubben Lecturers, which includes links to video clips and news stories, click here.