James W. Pardew

James W. Pardew
File:James W. Pardew at home.jpg
United States Ambassador to Bulgaria
In office April 1, 2002 – July 30, 2005
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Richard Monroe Miles
Succeeded by	John Beyrle
Personal details
Born	1944 (age 79–80) Memphis, Tennessee
Spouse	Kathy Hoffman
Children	3
Profession	Diplomat, Ambassador, Military officer
Awards	Bronze Star (2) Defense Superior Service Medal Distinguished Honor Award Legion of Merit

James W. Pardew (born 5 February 1944) is an American diplomat, international negotiator, military officer, and former United States Ambassador to Bulgaria. After serving as a military intelligence officer in the United States Army for 28 years, Pardew entered the arena of international diplomacy with a heavy focus on the Balkans where he was instrumental in coordinating agreements and peace resolutions as well as heading major State Department programs such as the Bosnian Train-and-equip program.

Early life and education

Pardew was born in Memphis, Tennessee on February 5, 1944, and was raised in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He graduated from Nettleton High School in 1962 and attended Arkansas State University where he was a member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps. While attending ASU, he was active in the student newspaper, student government, and president of the local Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity He graduated in 1966 with a B.S. in journalism and commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army shortly afterward. Pardew later graduated from Loyola University with an M.A. in political science in 1973 and the U.S. Army War College.

Military service

Pardew commissioned as an officer in the midst of the Vietnam War. He deployed there as a military intelligence officer where he saw combat. He later served tours of duty in Turkey, Germany, Japan, and Somalia where he took part in Operation Restore Hope. Rising in the ranks he later joined the Pentagon as a staff officer serving in roles such as Vice Director for Intelligence, as Director of Foreign Intelligence, and Chief of Current Intelligence for the Army General Staff. During his military service he was the recipient of two Bronze Stars, the Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Air Medal among others. He left the Army in 1994 after 28 years of service with the rank of colonel.

Diplomacy

Ambassador Pardew began his civil service and diplomatic career in 1995 as a member of the Senior Executive Service and Chief of the Balkan Force in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Department of Defense. He subsequently served in the State Department from 1996 until 2008. He was nominated for the rank of Ambassador by President Clinton and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 1997.

Dayton Peace Agreement in Bosnia

Pardew was appointed as the Secretary of Defense Representative to the U.S. Negotiating Team following a tragic vehicle accident in August, 1995 in Bosnia that killed his predecessor, Dr. Joseph Kruzel, and two other members of the Negotiating Team. Pardew participated directing in the negotiating process led by Ambassador Richard Holbrooke from his appointment until the parties reached an agreement at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio in November, 1995. He participated in the international signing ceremony hosted by President Jacques Chirac of France in Paris in December, 1995 as the representative of the Secretary of Defense.

Bosnia Train and Equip Program

Pardew was assigned to direct an interagency team in Washington in 1996 to implement an informal agreement between U.S. President Clinton and the Bosnian President Alija Izetbegović to assist the Bosnian Federation in developing a national defense system which would provide military security within Bosnia.

This unique endeavor, known as the Bosnian Train and Equip Program, consisted of staff officers from the Department of Defense, State Department and the Intelligence Community. Using international donor funding and equipment and equipment made available to the program by the U.S. Congress, the T&E program assisted the Federation in developing a defensive military capability which ultimately enabled U.S. and NATO forces to reduce their presence in Bosnia. Additionally, the program, valued at an estimated $500 million dollars USD, reduced the influence of extremist elements in the country, oriented Bosnia toward NATO and Europe and served as the basis for full military integration with Bosnia in a consolidated Ministry of Defense.

War and peace in Kosovo

From 1999-2001, Pardew was the Deputy Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State for Democracy in the Balkans during the NATO conflict in Kosovo and the subsequent peace settlement. In that capacity, Pardew engaged directly in negotiations over Kosovo with President Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia and with a variety of Kosovo political leaders. He was the Washington coordinator for the international Kosovo Verification Mission. Following the successful NATO bombing campaign, Pardew assisted in establishing U.S. and international civilian presences in Kosovo and in the development of local Kosovo institutions of government and security.

Ohrid Framework Agreement in Macedonia

Secretary of State Powell dispatched Ambassador Pardew to Macedonia in the early summer of 2001 to seek a solution to an ethnic conflict with the potential to escalate into a full-scale civil war with consequences for the entire region. Pardew, as the U.S. negotiator, joined with Francois Leotard of France, the European Union negotiator, to seek a peaceful settlement to the disputes. After weeks of negotiations in Skopje and at the Presidential retreat on Lake Ohrid, the parties agreed to the Framework Agreement for Macedonia. The Ohrid Agreement was signed by the parties and witnessed by Pardew and Leotard in August 2001.

U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria

During his tenure as the United States Ambassador to Bulgaria from 2002-2005, Bulgaria became a full member of NATO and completed all accession negotiations for European Union membership. Bulgaria also cooperated closely with the U.S in establishing a joint military training facility in Bulgaria and in destroying missiles and other military technology left over from the Cold War. In addition, Ambassador Pardew oversaw the completion of a new $70 million U.S Embassy complex in Sofia.

NATO: Afghanistan, Iraq, and the independence of Kosovo

Pardew was Deputy Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Operation and Crisis Management, Brussels, Belgium, from 2005-2008. During that period, he directed an international staff organization engaged in operational policy development for the Secretary General of NATO for NATO operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo and the NATO training mission in Iraq.

Based on his extensive background in Balkan conflicts, Pardew also participated in the international Contact Group deliberations dealing with international policy toward Kosovo as the NATO representative. He also provided NATO input to the United Nations organization with produced the Ahtisaari Plan resulting in the independence of Kosovo.

Publications

Peacemakers: American Leadership and the End of Genocide in the Balkans. The book will be published at the end of 2017.

References

• Official biography, US Department of State
• Appearances on C-SPAN