General Colin Powell served as secretary of state from 2001 until 2005. Before becoming secretary of state, General Powell served as a key aide to the secretary of defense and as national security advisor to President Reagan. He also served thirty-five years in the United States Army, rising to the rank of four-star general and serving as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is the recipient of numerous U.S. military awards as well as two Presidential Medals of Freedom. Currently, General Powell is a strategic limited partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and is on the board of Revolution Health Care. He is the founder of The Colin Powell Center for Leadership and Service at the City College of New York. He is also author of a best-selling autobiography, My American Journey, as well as New York Times best-seller, It Worked for Me. He is based in Washington, DC.
Eight former Secretaries of State jointly argue that national security requires more sufficient personnel in this article on funding for development and diplomacy.
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