Leon Panetta - Foreword

About the Author

Leon Panetta is a distinguished American statesman, lawyer, and author whose career spans decades of public service and leadership in national security. Born in 1938 in Monterey, California, he rose through the ranks to serve as Director of the CIA from 2009 to 2011 and as Secretary of Defense from 2011 to 2013 under President Barack Obama. Prior to these roles, Panetta was a U.S. Representative for California’s 17th district from 1977 to 1993, White House Chief of Staff from 1994 to 1997, and Director of the Office of Management and Budget. A graduate of the University of Santa Clara and its School of Law, Panetta has dedicated his life to fostering bipartisan cooperation and safeguarding American interests. In his memoir Journey: Memoirs of an Air Force Chief of Staff, he offers an intimate look at his early military experiences and the formative years that shaped his path to prominence in Washington.