Michèle Flournoy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michèle Flournoy
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Flournoy in 2009
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| 9th Under Secretary of Defense for Policy | |
| In office February 9, 2009 – February 3, 2012 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Eric Edelman |
| Succeeded by | James Miller |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 14, 1960 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Spouse | W. Scott Gould |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Harvard University (AB) Balliol College, Oxford (MLitt) |
Michèle Angélique Flournoy (born December 14, 1960) is an American expert in defense policy. She worked for the United States government, advising on important security matters. She served as a deputy assistant secretary of defense under President Bill Clinton. Later, she became the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy under President Barack Obama.
As the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Michèle Flournoy was the highest-ranking woman ever in the Department of Defense. In this role, she helped create the Obama administration's plan for dealing with conflicts in Afghanistan. She also played a part in convincing President Obama to take military action in Libya.
In 2007, Flournoy helped start an organization called the Center for a New American Security. She is also a co-founder and managing partner of another company called WestExec Advisors.
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Early Life and Education
Michèle Flournoy was born in Los Angeles, California, on December 14, 1960. Her father, George Flournoy, was a cinematographer who worked on TV shows like I Love Lucy and The Odd Couple. He passed away when she was 14 years old.
Flournoy went to Beverly Hills High School in Beverly Hills, California. She also spent a year as an exchange student in Belgium, where she learned to speak French.
In 1983, she earned a bachelor's degree in social studies from Harvard University. She then went to Oxford University in 1986, where she received a master's degree in international relations. After her studies, she worked as a research analyst at the Center for Defense Information and later at the Arms Control Association. From 1989 to 1993, she was a research fellow at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Career in Government
Working with President Clinton (1996–2000)
Michèle Flournoy worked in the Clinton administration at the United States Department of Defense. She held important roles, including deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy.
During her time with the Clinton administration, she received several awards for her excellent public service. She was a main writer for the 1997 Quadrennial Defense Review, a report that looked at the country's defense needs. This report suggested that U.S. forces should be ready to fight and win two major wars at almost the same time. She also contributed to the 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review.
Public Policy Research
After working for the Clinton administration, Flournoy became a research professor at the National Defense University. She founded and led a group that focused on defense reviews.
Later, she joined the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) as a senior advisor. In 2002, before the U.S. entered Iraq, she suggested that the U.S. might need to strike first against foreign weapons stockpiles to prevent attacks.
Starting CNAS (2007)
In 2007, Michèle Flournoy co-founded the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) with Kurt M. Campbell. She became the president of CNAS. They wrote a paper in 2007 that promoted a U.S. foreign policy based on common sense and practical ideas, rather than just one way of thinking.
Working with President Obama (2009–2012)
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After the 2008 presidential election, Flournoy was chosen to help with the transition for the Obama transition at the Department of Defense. On January 8, 2009, President-elect Obama announced that he would nominate her as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. The United States Senate approved her nomination on February 9, 2009. This made her the highest-ranking woman in the history of the Department of Defense.
In 2009, Flournoy mentioned that she had spent much of her life studying war. She said, "We're trying to recognize that warfare may come in a lot of different flavors in the future."
While working for the Obama administration, Flournoy helped create the plan for dealing with conflicts in Afghanistan. She supported sending more troops to Afghanistan and helped design the administration's policy for this. She also supported a "civilian surge" in Afghanistan, which meant increasing economic aid and sending more experts to help.
From February 2009 to February 2012, Flournoy was a main advisor to U.S. Secretaries of Defense Robert Gates and Leon Panetta. In December 2011, Flournoy announced she would leave her position in February 2012 to return to private life.
Libya Intervention
In 2011, Flournoy helped convince President Obama to take military action in Libya. This was done despite some disagreement from other government officials. Flournoy supported a NATO-led "no-fly zone" over Libya. This was to protect civilians from the leader at the time, Muammar Gaddafi, who was accused of harming protestors. The no-fly zone meant that Libyan aircraft were not allowed to fly in certain areas. This action involved destroying Libya's air defenses first.
Later Career and Advisory Roles
After leaving the Obama administration, Flournoy joined Boston Consulting Group as a senior advisor. She also continued to be involved in public policy discussions. In 2013, she stated that she supported the U.S. military action in Libya for humanitarian reasons, meaning to help protect people.
Flournoy has served on several important boards, including the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board and the CIA Director’s External Advisory Board. In 2014, she was a senior fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She also served on the board of the Atlantic Council.
Co-founding WestExec Advisors (2017)
In 2017, Flournoy, along with Antony Blinken, who was a Deputy Secretary of State under Obama, co-founded WestExec Advisors. This is a consulting firm where she works as a managing partner.
Corporate Director Roles
In 2018, Flournoy joined the board of Booz Allen Hamilton, a company that provides services to the government. She also became an advisor to Pine Island Capital, a private equity firm that invests in military and aerospace industries.
Views on Defense and Foreign Policy
Michèle Flournoy has often shared her views on important defense and foreign policy issues. In June 2020, she expressed concern that Israel's proposed actions in the West Bank could affect U.S. aid to Israel. She believes that a strong relationship between the U.S. and Israel is very important.
During the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Flournoy said she was against lifting economic penalties against North Korea and Iran. However, she might support exceptions for medical supplies during a global health crisis.
In August 2020, Flournoy suggested that the U.S. should invest more in new military technologies, like unmanned systems and long-range missiles. She believes these can help the U.S. protect its interests and allies.
In November 2020, Flournoy wrote that the Department of Defense should consider new ways to fund the development and testing of digital technologies. She also argued that the U.S. military needs to be more competitive with China. She called for focusing on artificial intelligence, cyber warfare, and autonomous weapons systems to maintain a military advantage. She also suggested increasing U.S. troop presence and military exercises in the South China Sea to prevent aggression from China.
Political Views
Experts have described Michèle Flournoy as a centrist, meaning her views are often in the middle of the political spectrum. A former colleague described her approach as that of a "classic liberal internationalist," which means she believes in international cooperation and rules to solve global problems.
Other Affiliations
She is a member of several groups, including the Aspen Strategy Group, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee. She also serves on the board of directors for Spirit of America and The War Horse, a nonprofit news organization.
In 2012, Flournoy was chosen as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. As of October 2023, she is on the board of advisors for the Special Competitive Studies Project.
Personal Life
Michèle Flournoy is married to W. Scott Gould, a retired captain from the United States Navy Reserve. He was a vice president at IBM before becoming the United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The couple has three children and lives in Bethesda, Maryland.
