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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release September 17, 1993

          PRESIDENT CLINTON TODAY NAMES TOGO WEST, JR. 
                      SECRETARY OF THE ARMY
                                 
             Joseph Reeder Named Army Under Secretary

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The President today announced his intention to nominate Togo Dennis West, Jr., a veteran of the Defense Department and a former Army officer, as Secretary of the Army. The President also announced his intention to nominate Joe R. Reeder Under Secretary of the Army.

"I am pleased today to announce my nomination of Togo West as our new Secretary of the Army," the President said. "Togo is a seasoned veteran of the Defense Department who knows firsthand the challenges facing our fighting men and women. I am confident he will do an excellent job of leading our Army as we adapt to the changes forced by the end of the Cold War, while continuing to ensure that our fighting force remains number one in the world."

From 1975 - 76, West served as Associate Deputy Attorney General of the United States Department of Justice in the Administration of President Gerald Ford. West's first major post in the military was as General Counsel of the Department of the Navy (1977 - 79). He went on to serve as Special Assistant to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense (1979 - 80) and was appointed General Counsel of the Department of Defense by President Carter on January 29, 1980.

West later joined the New York law firm of Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler where he served as a managing partner until 1990, when he joined the Northrop Corporation. West is currently senior vice president in charge of government relations with the Northrop Corporation.

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In addition to his experience in both the public and private sectors, West was one of three lawyers appointed by the Secretary of State in 1982 to conduct an independent inquiry into the handling, by the governments of the United States and El Salvador, of the investigation and prosecution of the murderers of four A merican Catholic churchwomen in El Salvador. Their report was submitted to the Secretary of State and to the Congress.

Born on June 21, 1942 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, West earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1965 and a J.D. in 1968, both from Howard University. Upon graduation from law school, West served as a law clerk until he joined the military in 1969. West served in the Army as a judge advocate from 1969 - 73 with the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs). After his tenure there, West went to work as an associate attorney with Covington & Burling from 1973 - 75 and 1976 - 77.

West is a member of the Board of Directors of the World Affairs Council and the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Council. He is a member of the National Advisory Committee of the United Nations Association of the United States of America. He has been a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

For his military service, West has been awarded the Legion of Merit and Meritorious Service Medal. For his public service, West has been awarded the Defense Medal for Distinguished Service. He is an Eagle Scout with a Bronze Palm.

West is married to the former Gail Berry, also an attorney, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force from 1980 - 81. The couple, who have two daughters in college, reside in Washington, D.C.

Joseph Robert Reeder is a former defense attorney for the United States Army who has served with the Washington, D.C. firm Patton, Boggs & Blow since 1979. Reeder served as a trial attorney for the Pentagon from 1976 - 79 and as a law clerk to federal judges Ben C. Connolly and Carl O. Bue, Jr., in the Southern District of Texas from 1975 - 76. A graduate of West Point (1970), Reeder also earned a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin (1975) and a L.L.M. from Georgetown University (1981). Reeder served in the 82d Airborne Division, Airborne, Ranger and Artillery Basic Schools at Fort Bragg, North Carolina from 1970 - 72 and is an honor graduate from the J.A.G.C. School (1976). He completed the J.A.G.C. Advanced Course in 1984.

Reeder is married to Katharine R. Boyce, an attorney, and the couple have four children.

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