“Envision students who come to Washington, DC ask very sophisticated, tough questions about U.S. foreign policy and international affairs. Those of us who talk to them about these subjects hope that we answer their questions with useful and accurate information that enriches their understanding of the complex and controversial issues related to our national security and relations with other countries.”
Gary Crocker is a retired Foreign Service officer from the U.S. Department of State, where he served for 25 years in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research.
Multi-Disciplinary Experience
Crocker believes that national security rests on the three pillars explored during NYLF National Security: diplomacy, intelligence and defense. He has experience across all three disciplines.
Crocker served in the Army and Air Force intelligence units, including a tour at the Defense Intelligence Agency. Throughout his career, Crocker was involved in arms control, including interagency activities to halt the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons. He was a member of the first team to inspect missile sites in the former Soviet Union and participated in treaty negotiations in Geneva.
Throughout his career, he briefed senior U.S. officials and members of Congress as well as senior foreign officials in over thirty countries and at NATO Headquarters. He finished his career heading a U.S./British disarmament team in Libya.
Participation With NYLF National Security
Crocker has given keynote speeches and served as a diplomacy career panel moderator with NYLF National Security for several years. He says that working with NYLF National Security students is exciting.
“Envision students who come to Washington, DC ask very sophisticated, tough questions about U.S. foreign policy and international affairs,” he said. “Those of us who talk to them about these subjects hope that we answer their questions with useful and accurate information that enriches their understanding of the complex and controversial issues related to our national security and relations with other countries. Speakers like myself who worked in the Executive Branch of the government have a responsibility to present the government position, but also to give them advice on how to collect information and reach their own conclusion.”
He also realizes that students come to our nation’s capital for career exploration.
“They are thinking about careers and their future,” he explained. “We give them a heads up on choosing a college and finding internships. I always stress the importance of outstanding skills in English and foreign languages as well as a thorough grounding in history.”
Education
Gary Crocker holds an M.A. in International Affairs from the George Washington University and an M.A. in Strategic Affairs from the Defense Intelligence College.
To learn more about Mr. Crocker, please visit the links below: