Historically, the president's national security adviser has been concerned primarily with coordinating security efforts with the Pentagon and the State Department. Obama has expanded those duties, adding to them new concerns about energy and climate change.
It's a job description for which Ret. Gen. James L. Jones, the position's latest occupant, seems particularly well suited. A platoon and company commander in Vietnam who eventually rose to become commander of NATO, Jones came to the White House from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy, where he advocated increased domestic energy production and stressed links between energy and national security.
His positions, which are arguably more conservative than those of other advisers offering Obama guidance on climate change and energy matters, draw heavily upon his military experience. While commanding U.S. forces in Europe over the past decade, Jones saw firsthand Russia's ability to control energy supplies in central and eastern Europe and the effect supply crises can have on regional stability.
And, of course, Jones still has the traditional duties of national security adviser, such as helping develop the administration's strategies for dealing with terrorist groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan. As he said in December, "This is a chance at a very special moment in history for this country to regain its footing."
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