Secretary of the Navy (1981-1987); 9/11 Commission member

John Lehman was Ronald Reagan’s Secretary of the Navy, and worked to build a 600 ship navy to counter the rapidly-expanding Soviet fleet. While Secretary, he continued o serve as a Commander in the Naval Reserve, and  developed a strategic concept to counter the threat of Soviet incursion into Western Europe known as the "Lehman Doctrine." (You can read his Wikipedia bio to learn more). John worked close with Ace Lyons in 1983 to counter the Iranian regime attack on our Marines in Beirut, as I recount in Countdown to Crisis.

More recently, Lehman became a familiar face to TV viewers as Commissioner on the 9/11 Commission. He worked tirelessly to make sure information on Iran’s direct involvement in the 9/11 attacks – information discovered virtually at the end of the Commission’s two-year long investigation – made it into the final report, on pages 240-241. Today, he heads up Gov. Romney’s foreign policy and national security advisory team.

I am proud to be endorsed by John Lehman and, if elected, look forward to backstopping in Congress his work in the next Republican administration to protect this country and defend those who have served.