Bing West | |
|---|---|
 West at CPAC in 2011 | |
| Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs | |
| In office April 4, 1981 – April 1, 1983 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | David E. McGiffert |
| Succeeded by | Richard Armitage |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Francis J. West Jr. May 2, 1940 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Spouse | Elizabeth |
| Children | 4 (including Owen) |
| Residence | Newport, Rhode Island |
| Education | Georgetown University (B.A.) Princeton University (M.A.) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch/service | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1962–1968 (active) 1968–1998 (reserve) |
| Rank | Captain (active) Colonel (reserve) |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Francis J. "Bing" West Jr. (born May 2, 1940) is an American author, Marine combat veteran and former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs during the Reagan Administration.
West writes about the military, warfighting, and counterinsurgency. In the Vietnam War, he fought in major operations and conducted over a hundred combat patrols in 1966–1968.[1] For the United States Marine Corps, he wrote the training manual Small Unit Action in Vietnam, describing how to fight in close combat. As an analyst at the RAND Corporation, he wrote a half dozen detailed monographs about fighting against an insurgency. Later, as Assistant Secretary of Defense, he dealt with the insurgencies in El Salvador.[1] From 2003 through 2008, he made 16 extended trips to Iraq, going on patrols and writing three books and numerous articles about the war. From 2007 through 2011, he made numerous trips to embed in Afghanistan.
- ^ a b "The 8th Annual "Honor the Free Press Day"". Naples Press Club. 11 January 2012.