An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | April 30, 2011

Panetta would bring decades of service to Pentagon

By Lisa Daniel American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON (4/29/11) – CIA Director Leon Panetta, President Barack Obama's choice as the next secretary of defense, would bring to the job more than 40 years of government service that has traversed local and federal government and the legislative and executive branches.

Like soon-to-retire Defense Secretary Robert Gates, also a former CIA director, Panetta served briefly in the military. He served as an Army intelligence officer from 1964 to 1966 and received the Army Commendation Medal.

After his discharge, the Monterey, Calif., native and son of Italian immigrants set the stage for his long government career by working as a legislative assistant to U.S. Senate minority whip Tom Kuchel of California. In 1969, he was appointed as director of the U.S. Office of Civil Rights in President Richard Nixon's administration.

Panetta, a graduate of Santa Clara Law School, served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 16 years and chaired the House Budget Committee from 1989 to 1993.

Panetta left Congress in 1993 to serve as director of the Office of Management and Budget in President Bill Clinton's administration, where he took a leading role in balancing the federal budget that led, briefly, to budget surpluses. He served as Clinton's chief of staff from 1994 to 1997.

Panetta and his wife, Sylvia, founded the nonpartisan Panetta Institute for Public Policy in 1997 at California State University, Monterey Bay. The institute provides a range of opportunities for studying government – awarding master's degrees, hosting research fellows and sponsoring congressional internships. Sylvia Panetta serves as the institute's director.

The institute's Leon E. Panetta Archive offers a resource for scholars interested in the workings of Congress, federal agencies and local government, based on Panetta's personal papers from four decades of work.

Panetta has served on numerous boards and commissions, including some related to the military. He co-chaired California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Council on Base Support and Retention and in 2006 served on the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan national commission seeking a new course for the war in Iraq.

Panetta, appointed as CIA director in 2009, is 72. The Panettas have three grown sons.

If confirmed by the Senate to serve as secretary of defense, he would take office July

 

 

Related Articles
The 111th Electromagnetic Warfare Company conducts training exercise, Operation Golden Corridor in Dahlonega, Georgia, August 15, 2025. Throughout the duration of the exercise, Soldiers simulated peer and near-peer electromagnetic warfare scenarios and enhance unit proficiency in spectrum mapping, RF detection, and alternative radar awareness capabilities under austere conditions.
Georgia Guard Company Leads in Electromagnetic Warfare Modernization
By | Aug. 27, 2025
DAHLONEGA, Ga. - The Georgia Army National Guard’s 111th Electromagnetic Warfare Company, based in Forest Park, Georgia, is rapidly establishing itself as a leader in the Army’s modernization efforts within the...

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion 182nd Infantry Regiment, Massachusetts Army National Guard, and the 1st Battalion 69th Infantry Regiment, New York Army National Guard, participated in the annual Logan-Duffy Shooting Match, August 21, 2025, at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. The history of the Logan Duffy Rifle Match goes back nearly 90 years to the first match, which was held in 1936.
Massachusetts, New York Guard Members Compete in Historic Logan-Duffy Rifle Competition
By Sgt. 1st Class Steven Eaton,   | Aug. 27, 2025
DEVENS, Mass. – Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 182nd Infantry Regiment, Massachusetts Army National Guard, and the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, New York Army National Guard, participated in the annual Logan-Duffy...

An Alaska Air National Guard HH-60G Pave Hawk assigned to the 210th Rescue Squadron a real-world rescue operation at Point MacKenzie, Alaska, Sept. 1, 2022. After a Christen A-1 Husky crashed into a marsh, National Guardsmen rappelled and conducted a rescue operation, ensuring the aircraft was safely vacated. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Julia Lebens)
Alaska Air Guard Rescues Individual With Facial Laceration Near Knik Glacier
By Alejandro Pena, | Aug. 27, 2025
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Alaska Air National Guard members with the 176th Wing rescued an individual with a facial laceration Aug. 25, about 40 miles northeast of Anchorage in the vicinity of Knik Glacier.The...