Les Aspin

Les Aspin
Official portrait, c. 1993–1994
Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board
In office May 26, 1994 – May 21, 1995
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	William Crowe
Succeeded by	Warren Rudman (acting)
18th United States Secretary of Defense
In office January 21, 1993 – February 3, 1994
President	Bill Clinton
Deputy	William Perry
Preceded by	Dick Cheney
Succeeded by	William Perry
Chair of the House Armed Services Committee
In office January 3, 1985 – January 20, 1993
Preceded by	Melvin Price
Succeeded by	Ron Dellums
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 1st district
In office January 3, 1971 – January 20, 1993
Preceded by	Henry Schadeberg
Succeeded by	Peter Barca
Personal details
Born	Leslie Aspin Jr. (1938-07-21)July 21, 1938 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	May 21, 1995(1995-05-21) (aged 56) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Maureen Shea ​ ​ (m. 1969; div. 1979)​
Education	Yale University (BA) University of Oxford (MPhil) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (PhD)
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1966–1968
Rank	Captain
Les Aspin's voice Aspin, as chair of the House Armed Services Committee, speaks on the use of force against Iraq Recorded January 12, 1991

Leslie Aspin Jr. (July 21, 1938 – May 21, 1995) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district from 1971 to 1993 and as the 18th United States Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1994.^[1]

In Congress, Aspin had a reputation as an intellectual who took a middle-of-the-road position on controversial issues. He supported the Reagan administration regarding the MX missile and aid to the Nicaraguan Contras, but he opposed the B-2 bomber and the Strategic Defense Initiative. He played a major role in convincing the House to support the January 1991 resolution supporting the use of force by President George H. W. Bush against Iraq, after it invaded Kuwait.

As Secretary of Defense, Aspin faced complex social issues, such as the roles of homosexuals in uniform, and of women in combat, as well as major decisions regarding the use of military force in Somalia, Bosnia, and Haiti. He proposed budget cuts and restructuring of forces as part of the downsizing of the military after the end of the Cold War. The deaths of U.S. soldiers in Somalia because of inadequate military support led to his resignation.