Lawrence J. Korb (born July 9, 1939, in New York City) is a senior fellow at the
Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a public policy research and advocacy organization which presents a liberal viewpoint on economic and social issues. It has its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The president and chief executive officer ...
and a senior adviser to the
Center for Defense Information
The Center for Defense Information (CDI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Washington, D.C. It specialized in analyzing and advising on military matters.
History
The Center for Defense Information was founded in 1971 by an indepen ...
. He was formerly director of national security studies at the
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...
in New York.
Education and Naval service
Korb attended the
Athenaeum of Ohio
The Athenaeum of Ohio – Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West, originally St. Francis Xavier Seminary, is a Catholic seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the third-oldest Catholic seminary in the United States and was established by Edward ...
, where he earned his bachelor of arts degree in 1961. Going on to St. John's University, he obtained his master's degree in 1962, before joining the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
in 1962. Korb served on active duty for four years as a naval flight officer and was a crew member on a
P-3 Orion
The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner.
Career in academic administration, on boards, and in advisory work
Korb was a Senior Fellow and Director of National Security Studies at the
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...
. From July 1998 to October 2002, he was Council Vice President, Director of Studies, and holder of the Maurice Greenberg Chair. Prior to joining the Council, Korb served as Director of the Center for Public Policy Education and Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in ec ...
, dean of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
, and Vice President of Corporate Operations at the
Raytheon Company
The Raytheon Company was a major U.S. defense contractor and industrial corporation with manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft unti ...
.
In 2005 Korb, Robert O. Boorstin, and the National Security Staff of the Center for American Progress published a position paper called "Integrated Power: A National Security Strategy for the 21st Century." In it they criticized President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
for invading Iraq and for devoting inadequate resources to the fight against
Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism has been defined as a puritanical, revivalist, and reform movement of Muslims who aim to return to the founding scriptures of Islam. Islamic fundamentalists are of the view that Muslim-majority countries should return t ...
. The authors also detailed plans to increase the manpower of the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
, to prevent terrorists from acquiring
weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to numerous individuals or cause great damage to artificial structures (e.g., buildings), natura ...
, to spread liberal democratic values throughout the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
, and to reduce American dependence on foreign oil.
Korb is also a member of the Honorary Board of the
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
OutServe-SLDN was a network of LGBT military personnel, formed as a result of the merger between OutServe and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. OutServe-SLDN was one of the largest LGBT employee resource groups in the world. OutServe was ...
, an organization dedicated to ending discrimination against gay and lesbian people serving in the U.S. military, and to repealing the
Don't ask, don't tell
"Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was the official United States policy on military service of non-heterosexual people, instituted during the Clinton administration. The policy was issued under Department of Defense Directive 1304.26 on December ...
policy. Korb also served on the military adviser committee for
Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities
Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities (BLSP) was a US non-profit organization composed of 700 business leaders. It was founded by Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben and Jerry's. In late 2008, the organization became a project of the Center for Amer ...
, whose aim was to redirect 15 percent of the military's budget to social programs like education, healthcare, job training, humanitarian relief, renewable energies, and reducing the deficit. I 2008 Korb worked as an advisor to the Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
Published works
Korb's 20 books on national security issues include
* ''The Joint Chiefs of Staff: The First Twenty-five Years'' (1976)
* ''The System for Educating Military Officers in the U.S.'' (1976)
* ''The Fall and Rise of the Pentagon'' (1979)
* ''American National Security: Policy and Process'' (1989)
* ''Future Visions for U.S. Defense Policy''
* ''Reshaping America's Military''
* ''A New National Security Strategy in an Age of Terrorists, Tyrants, and Weapons of Mass Destruction''.
Lawrence Korb's more than 100 articles have appeared in such journals as ''Foreign Affairs'', ''Public Administration Review'', the ''New York Times Sunday Magazine'', ''Naval Institute Proceedings'', and ''International Security''.
His more than 100 op-ed pieces have appeared in such major newspapers as the ''Washington Post'', ''New York Times'', ''Wall Street Journal'', ''Washington Times'', ''Los Angeles Times'', ''Boston Globe'', ''Baltimore Sun'', ''Philadelphia Inquirer'', and ''Christian Science Monitor''.
Television commentator
Over the past decade, Korb has made over a thousand appearances as a commentator on such shows as ''Countdown with Keith Olbermann'', ''The Today Show'', ''The Early Show'', ''Good Morning America'', ''Face the Nation'', ''This Week With David Brinkley'', the ''MacNeil–Lehrer News Hour'', ''News Hour with Jim Lehrer'', ''Nightline'', ''60 Minutes'', Frontline,Frontline: The Future of War https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/future/interviews/korb.html ''Larry King Live'', the ''O'Reilly Factor'', ''Crossfire'' and ''Al-Jazeera's News Hour''.