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
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byWilliam Crowe
Succeeded byWarren Rudman (acting)
18th United States Secretary of Defense
In office
January 21, 1993 – February 3, 1994
PresidentBill Clinton
DeputyWilliam Perry
Preceded byDick Cheney
Succeeded byWilliam Perry
Chair of the House Armed Services Committee
In office
January 3, 1985 – January 20, 1993
Preceded byMelvin Price
Succeeded byRon Dellums
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Wisconsin's 1st district
In office
January 3, 1971 – January 20, 1993
Preceded byHenry Schadeberg
Succeeded byPeter Barca
Personal details
Born
Leslie Aspin Jr.

(1938-07-21)July 21, 1938
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedMay 21, 1995(1995-05-21) (aged 56)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Maureen Shea
(m. 1969; div. 1979)
EducationYale University (BA)
University of Oxford (MPhil)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (PhD)
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1966–1968
RankCaptain

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.

  1. ^ "Leslie Aspin - William J. Clinton Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.