Paul McHale

fter the September 11 terrorist attacks, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld asked Congress to create an assistant secretary position at the department for managing homeland defense. Rumsfeld specifically requested that Paul McHale be tapped for the job. The Defense secretary got what he wanted: Congress created the position in late 2002, President Bush nominated McHale for the post in January 2003, and the Senate quickly confirmed the widely respected Pennsylvania Democrat and former congressman.

In the early 1990s, McHale was a Marine Corps Reserve major who was so committed to the war to liberate Kuwait that he resigned his position in the Pennsylvania Legislature and volunteered for active duty in the Persian Gulf. He returned from the 1991 war dedicated to improving national defense. Elected to Congress in 1993, the infantry officer, lawyer, and moderate Democrat became an outspoken member of the Armed Services Committee and a major advocate for military reservists before retiring from Congress in 1999.

McHale, 53, oversees all military operations related to protecting the United States' territory, population, and critical infrastructure against attack. He oversees Northern Command, the newly created command-and-control structure for military operations in the continental United States. From his office in the rebuilt section of the Pentagon that was destroyed in the 9/11 attack-a location he has described as a visceral reminder of his responsibilities-McHale oversees all military support to civil authorities for homeland security. He also is a key player in defining the emerging relationship between the Defense and Homeland Security departments.

McHale is a native of Bethlehem, Pa. He holds a bachelor's degree in government from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and a law degree from Georgetown University in Washington.