Background:

Adm. Owens was the second-ranking officer in the United States as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1994 to 1996.  He was the Navy's principal resource planner for two years and commander of the Sixth Fleet, and served as the principal military assistant to two secretaries of defense.

As vice chairman, Owens had responsibility for the reorganization and restructuring of the armed forces in the post-Cold War era.  Widely recognized for bringing commercial high-technology into the defense department's military applications, Owens has been the architect of and principal advocate for a Revolution in Military Affairs, an advanced systems technology approach to military operations that is the most significant change in the system of requirements, budgets, and technology for the four armed services since World War II.

Since his tenure at the Pentagon, Owens has held executive positions at major technology firms in the U.S.  He currently is co-chief executive officer and vice chairman of Teledesic LLC, which is building a global Internet-in-the-sky using satellite technology.   Previous to Teledesic, Owens was president, chief operating officer, and vice chairman of Science Applications International Corporation, the nation's largest employee-owned high-tech company.

Owens has written more than 50 articles on national security and is the author of the book "Lifting the Fog of War," published in April.

-- GW --

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