P.J. Crowley Named Bradley Chair

He will teach a media and national security policy course in the fall.

April 27, 2011

P.J. Crowley is the latest recipient of the General Omar N. Bradley Chair in Strategic Leadership.

Philip J. “P.J.” Crowley, former assistant secretary of state for public affairs, has been named as the 2011-2012 recipient of the General Omar N. Bradley Chair in Strategic Leadership. While in residence, Crowley will conduct classes at Dickinson College, the U.S. Army War College and the Penn State University Dickinson School of Law and School of International Affairs.

President Barack Obama nominated Crowley to be assistant secretary of state for public affairs in 2009. Crowley had served as senior director of public affairs for the National Security Council during the Clinton Administration. He was a 26-year veteran of the United States Air Force and served in Turkey, Germany, and at the U.S. Air Force Academy. During the Kosovo conflict, he worked under Javier Solana, secretary general of NATO, helping to develop a strategic communication capability to build public support for the NATO campaign. He retired from the Air Force in 1999 as a colonel.

Speaking to an MIT seminar class in March, Crowley referred to the treatment of Pvt. Bradley Manning, suspected of providing classified documents to WikiLeaks, as “ridiculous, counterproductive and stupid.” Crowley subsequently resigned from office, calling the disclosure of classified information “a serious crime under U.S. law,” but noting that his comments “were intended to highlight the broader, even strategic impact of discreet actions undertaken by national security agencies.”

Prior to joining the Department of State, Crowley was a senior fellow with the Center for American Progress, working on national defense and homeland security issues. His research and teaching interests will focus on national security policy, public diplomacy, and the impact of the global media environment on conflict, policy and politics. “I will use current developments such as Guantanamo, WikiLeaks and the unfolding Middle East transformation to discuss how the U.S. deploys military, civilian and economic power in a manner consistent with its values and interests,” Crowley said.

The Omar Bradley Chair is a joint initiative among the U.S. Army War College, Dickinson College and the Penn State University Dickinson School of Law and School of International Affairs. Its objective is to advance the study of strategic leadership and enhance civilian-military dialogue by offering distinguished individuals the opportunity to contribute to the educational and research activities of the partner institutions. Previous chair-holders include former director of national intelligence and retired U.S. Navy Admiral Dennis Blair and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and journalist Rick Atkinson.