Daniel Christman

LTG (Ret.) Daniel W. Christman is the former senior vice president for International Affairs at the United States Chamber of Commerce. In this role, he was responsible for representing the Chamber before foreign business leaders and government officials and for providing strategic leadership on international issues affecting the business community.

Before joining the Chamber, Christman served for two years as the president and executive director of the Kimsey Foundation, where he helped launch a program on political reform in China in coordination with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Christman, a career military officer who retired from active duty in 2001, served for five years as the superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He also served for two years as assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during which time he traveled with and advised Secretary of State Warren Christopher. He was centrally involved during this period with negotiations between Israel and Syria as a member of the Secretarys Middle East Peace Team. Further, Christman represented the United States as a member of NATOs Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium.

Christman has written and lectured extensively on leadership and national defense, including the ongoing war against international terrorism. He also served as a military analyst for CNN International during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is a frequent contributor to CNN, and has also appeared on ABC, Fox, MSNBC, CNBC, and C-SPAN to discuss defense and national security issues. During the Gulf War in 1991, he headed a strategic planning group that advised the Armys chief of staff on war prosecution policies.

Graduating first in his class from West Point, Christman also received MPA and MSE degrees in public affairs and civil engineering from Princeton University and graduated with honors from The George Washington University Law School. He is a decorated combat veteran of Southeast Asia, where he commanded a company in the 101st Airborne Division in 1969. On four occasions, Christman has been awarded the Army and Defense Distinguished Service Medal, which is the Defense Departments highest peacetime award.

Christman and his wife, Susan, live in Alexandria, Virginia. They have two daughters and one grandchild.