ARLINGTON, Va. — Former secretary of defense and CIA director Leon Panetta will be the keynote speaker for the 2014 NACDS Annual Meeting.
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Leon Panetta |
The National Association of Chain Drug Stores said the meeting will be held April 26 to 29 in Scottsdale, Ariz.
"The world remains tremendously complex, and one can only imagine the global dynamics that will be at the top of the news in April 2014. Whatever the headlines, Secretary Panetta is one of the select few who has the first-hand experience to deliver meaningful insights to NACDS Annual Meeting attendees on issues of national security," NACDS president and chief executive officer Steve Anderson said in a statement.
Panetta served as the 23rd secretary of defense under President Barack Obama, during which time he oversaw the final removal of U.S. troops from Iraq and the start of troop withdrawals from Afghanistan.
Before heading the Department of Defense, Panetta served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2009 to 2011 and most notably was responsible for overseeing the operation that resulted in the capture of Osama bin Laden.He also served as chief of staff to President Bill Clinton and as director of the Office of Management and Budget.
In addition, Panetta represented California’s 16th (now17th) Congressional District from 1977 to 1993, serving as U.S. House Budget Committee chairman for four years.
