WASHINGTON, September 27, 2011—The Center for the National Interest announced today the appointments of Lt. Gen. Wallace “Chip” Gregson, Jr. (Ret.) as Senior Director, China and the Pacific, and Jacob Heilbrunn as Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy.  Gregson will lead the Center’s programs on China and Asia; Heilbrunn will focus on the role of foreign policy during the presidential campaign.  Both will begin their new positions on October 1, 2011. 

Center President Dimitri K. Simes said, “We are pleased to have both of these highly accomplished individuals join the Center’s staff.  Chip has an impressive background and extensive experience as both a senior officer and a senior official, and we welcome his leadership of our programs on Asia.  Jacob has had a long-standing connection with our magazine, The National Interest, as Senior Editor, and we are looking forward to involving him more deeply in the Center’s work, including leading a series of meetings on U.S. elections and foreign policy.”

A retired Marine Lieutenant General, Gregson was appointed Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs in 2009 and held the post until April 2011.  Previously, he served as Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific; Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific; and Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Bases, Pacific. After his retirement in 2005, he joined the U.S. Olympic Committee and formed his own consulting company, which he continues to operate.  

Heilbrunn is currently Senior Editor for The National Interest.  He has also served as Contributing Editor and Senior Editor for the New Republic, and as an editorial writer for the Los Angeles Times.  He is the author of They Knew They Were Right: The Rise of the Neocons (Doubleday, 2008) and is a frequent commentator in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and other publications.

For further information, please contact Paul Saunders by telephone at 202-887-1000 or by email at psaunders@cftni.org.