John Poindexter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Poindexter
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| 13th United States National Security Advisor | |
| In office December 4, 1985 – November 25, 1986 |
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| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Robert McFarlane |
| Succeeded by | Frank Carlucci |
| 13th United States Deputy National Security Advisor | |
| In office October 17, 1983 – December 4, 1985 |
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| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Robert McFarlane |
| Succeeded by | Donald Fortier |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Marlan Poindexter
August 12, 1936 Odon, Indiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Linda Poindexter |
| Children | 5, including Dex |
| Education | United States Naval Academy (BS) California Institute of Technology (MS, PhD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1958–1987 |
| Rank | Vice Admiral Retired as a Rear Admiral |
| Commands | USS England Destroyer Squadron 31 |
| Awards | Legion of Merit (2) Presidential Service Badge |
John Marlan Poindexter, born on August 12, 1936, is a retired United States naval officer and government official. He served as the Deputy National Security Advisor and later as the National Security Advisor during the Reagan administration. He was involved in the Iran–Contra affair, and while he faced legal challenges, his convictions were later reversed. He is also the father of NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy Captain Alan G. Poindexter.
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Early Life and Education
John Poindexter was born in Odon, Indiana. He attended the United States Naval Academy, graduating in 1958 as the top student in his class. Other notable graduates from around his time included astronaut Bruce McCandless II and Senator John McCain.
After the Naval Academy, Poindexter continued his studies at the California Institute of Technology. He earned both a Master of Science (MS) in 1961 and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in nuclear physics in 1964. For his PhD, he worked on a model to understand the Mössbauer effect with Nobel Laureate Rudolf Mössbauer.
During his time in the Navy, Poindexter held many important roles. As commander of Destroyer Squadron 31, he led battle groups in the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans. He helped create new ways to manage battles and tactics for surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare.
He was also the commanding officer of the USS England. On this ship, he was a pioneer in using computers to help manage ship maintenance. Before this, he served as an executive officer and chief engineer on other destroyers.
Poindexter also worked in leadership roles for Navy education and training programs. He helped develop a system to better manage how sailors received their training. His staff assignments included working for the Chief of Naval Operations and the Secretary of the Navy. He also advised the Secretary of Defense on systems analysis. He reached the rank of Vice Admiral but retired as a Rear Admiral in 1987.
Service in the U.S. Government
Poindexter served in the Reagan administration from 1981 to 1986. He started as a military assistant to the National Security Advisor. From 1983 to 1985, he was the Deputy National Security Advisor. In this role, he led the National Security Council's Crisis Pre-planning Group.
From 1985 to 1986, he became the National Security Advisor. He advised the President on important matters like national security, foreign policy, and defense. He played a key part in several major events, including the Strategic Defense Initiative, the invasion of Grenada, the Achille Lauro hijacking incident, and the Reykjavík Summit with the Soviets.
The Iran–Contra Affair
The Iran–Contra affair was a major event during the Reagan administration. In this situation, Poindexter and another official, Oliver North, were involved in sending aid to the Contras (a group in Nicaragua) and also money and weapons to Iran. The goal was to help free American hostages held in Lebanon. This was controversial because it went against a law called the Boland Amendment, which limited U.S. involvement with the Contras.
Poindexter and North used a special computer messaging system to communicate. Even though they tried to delete their messages, some were recovered and used in later investigations. After the public found out about the affair, Poindexter resigned from his position as National Security Advisor in November 1986.
He was later found responsible for some actions related to the affair. However, these findings were reversed on appeal in 1991. This reversal happened because the court found that some witnesses against him might have been influenced by his earlier statements to Congress, for which he had been given immunity.
Work After Government Service
After leaving government service, Poindexter worked in the defense industry and technology. From 1988 to 1989, he was a senior scientist at Presearch, Inc., where he helped develop new security systems.
From 1990 to 1996, he co-founded TP Systems, Inc., a software company. He was the main designer and programmer for commercial software for IBM PCs. He also worked as a consultant for Elkins Group, helping with a satellite-based training system.
From 1996 to 2002, Poindexter was a senior vice president at SYNTEK Technologies. This firm worked on defense and commercial technology projects. He also joined the board of Saffron Technology in 2000, helping to build tools for analyzing networks. After 2007, he promoted technology to help detect fraud for government agencies.
Return to Public Service
In 2001, Poindexter was asked to return to public service to lead a new anti-terrorist office.
Information Awareness Office
From January 2002 to August 2003, Poindexter directed the DARPA Information Awareness Office (IAO). The IAO's goal was to develop new information technologies. These technologies aimed to help understand and prevent threats, especially from terrorism. The idea was to achieve "total information awareness" to improve national security.
Policy Analysis Market
One project, called the Policy Analysis Market, caused a lot of discussion. It was a theoretical system where people could predict future geopolitical events. However, some media and politicians worried about how this project might be used. This led to a review of the IAO, and its funding was eventually cut. Poindexter retired from DARPA in August 2003.
Family Life
John Poindexter is married to Linda Poindexter. They have five sons. One of their sons was the late Alan G. Poindexter, who became a NASA astronaut. Alan was a Space Shuttle pilot on the STS-122 mission and the commander of STS-131 to the International Space Station.
See also
In Spanish: John Poindexter para niños
