Fort Smith High School graduate talks about U.S. foreign relations

Grant Green, a graduate of Fort Smith High School and now a commissioner with the Commission on Wartime Contracting, spoke April 20 about the efforts to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan to a group of Arkansas business and chamber of commerce officials visiting Washington, D.C.

U.S. Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers, invited Green to speak to the chamber and business officials from Arkansas’ 3rd Congressional District. The event was part of the Annual Arkansas Chamber Fly-in.

Green was appointed in June of 2008 by President George W. Bush to his current position. He has also served in the U.S. Department of State as Under Secretary of State for Management. He was sworn in as Under Secretary on March 30, 2001, after having served since Dec. 18, 2000 as head of the Department’s transition to the new administration. As Under Secretary he served as the principal adviser to the Secretary of State on all management issues effecting Department operations. He also spent 22 years in the U.S. Army.
 
He also served as Assistant Secretary of Defense and in the White House as Special Assistant to President Reagan for National Security Affairs and Executive Secretary of the National Security Council.

Green said contracting with third-parties has a legitimate roll in the rebuilding of Iraq and Afghanistan, according to information provided by Boozman’s office. He acknowledged some of the bad press about contractors, but said a solution is better management of the process and ensuring better communication between contractors and U.S. military forces in the area.

Green also provided an update on U.S. foreign affairs from his perspective. He said dialogue is necessary to prevent Iran and North Korea from further developing nuclear power, but was unsure of at what level. He also said President Barack Obama’s decision to let Cuban Americans travel to Cuba and send money wasn’t a big deal because the more than 50 years of sanctions against Cuba has failed to result in change.

“This was a great opportunity for Third District Chamber members to hear from an inside source what the U.S. is doing to help rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan,” Boozman said.

Green said after high school he intended to go to Washington State, but his friend Bill Vines (who would go on to be Fort Smith mayor) convinced him to enroll at the University of Arkansas.