President nominates, Gordon England, Eric S. Edelman for defense

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate two individuals to serve in his Administration:

The President intends to nominate Gordon England, of Texas, to be Deputy Secretary of Defense. He currently serves as Secretary of the Navy, a position he previously held from 2001 until 2003. Secretary England formerly served as Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security from January 2003 to September 2003. Prior to these appointments, he worked at General Dynamics Corporation as Executive Vice President. Earlier in his career, Secretary England served as President of Lockheed Fort Worth and President of General Dynamics Land Systems. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland and his master's from the M.J. Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University.

The President intends to nominate Eric S. Edelman, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. A career Foreign Service Officer, Ambassador Edelman currently serves as Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey. He previously served as Principal Deputy Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs. Prior to this position, Ambassador Edelman served as Ambassador to the Republic of Finland. Earlier in his career he served as Deputy to the Ambassador-at-Large and Special Advisor to the Secretary of State on the New Independent States. In addition, Ambassador Edelman also served as Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Soviet and East European Affairs. He earned his bachelor's degree from Cornell University and his Ph.D. from Yale University.

# # # For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary March 31, 2005 Personnel Announcement