General James Cartwright (USMC ret., pictured left) and General Peter Chiarelli (USA ret., pictured right) have joined ABC News as military consultants, president Ben Sherwood announced today.
Cartwright served as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2007-11, in both the Bush and Obama administrations. Prior to that, he served as Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, overseeing the U.S. nuclear arsenal and missile defense systems. He served for more than 40 years in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Chiarelli is a retired U.S. Army general who served as the Army’s Vice Chief of Staff from 2008-12. He is a former senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
In a memo welcoming the pair, Sherwood praised the network’s “ deeply experienced and knowledgeable team of military experts with many decades of service to the country and valuable insights into national security threats and issues.”
Read the full memo after the jump.
From: Ben Sherwood
To: ABC TV News ALL
Subject: Cartwright & Chiarelli
I am pleased to announce that General James Cartwright (USMC ret.) and General Peter Chiarelli (USA ret.) have joined ABC News as consultants.
A recently retired four-star general, James “Hoss” Cartwright served as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama. He was involved in every major national security event during those years including the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. Prior to his role as Vice Chairman, Cartwright served as Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command where his responsibilities included the oversight of America’s nuclear arsenal and missile defense systems. Cartwright earned his call sign Hoss during his days as a Marine Corps fighter pilot, a nickname based on the character Eric “Hoss” Cartwright in the TV show “Bonanza.” Cartwright is widely recognized for his formidable understanding of new and ever-changing national security challenges facing the US around the world.
Gen. Peter Chiarelli, also recently retired, commanded troops at every level of the United States Army before being promoted to Vice Chief of Staff of the Army. In that role, he oversaw day to day operations of more than one million active and reserve troops around the world. Twice deployed to Iraq, Chiarelli led the 1st Cavalry Division during an intensely violent time in Iraq and later served as commander of the Multinational Corps Iraq, responsible for all operational aspects of U.S. and multinational troops. When Chiarelli returned from Iraq he served as senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The son of a World War II Silver Star recipient, Gen. Chiarelli has been a leading voice on vital issues related to traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress, topics close to home for many of us at ABC News.
Along with Colonel Steve Ganyard (USMC ret.), ABC News has a deeply experienced and knowledgeable team of military experts with many decades of service to the country and valuable insights into national security threats and issues.
Please join me in welcoming Generals Cartwright and Chiarelli to ABC News.
Ben