William J. Perry

William J. Perry served as undersecretary of defense for research and
engineering in the Carter administration and then as secretary of defense
in the Clinton administration. He oversaw the development of the strategic nuclear systems that are currently in our arsenal. His new offset strategy ushered
in the age of stealth, smart weapons, GPS, and technologies that changed
the face of modern warfare. In 2007, Perry joined forces with George
Shultz, Sam Nunn, and Henry Kissinger to publish several groundbreaking
editorials in the Wall Street Journal that linked the vision of a world free from
nuclear weapons with urgent but practical steps that could be taken to reduce
nuclear dangers. Perry’s 2015 memoir, My Journey at the Nuclear Brink, is a
personal account of his lifelong effort to reduce nuclear dangers. He founded
the William J. Perry Project to educate the public on these dangers and is the
Michael and Barbara Berberian Professor (emeritus) at Stanford University. Perry is the chair of the Bulletin‘s Board of Sponsors.