On Friday, Sept. 6, 2019, the Strauss Center and Clements Center will host Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) and ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, for a talk on defense policy.
Thornberry (R-TX) is currently the ranking member (top Republican) of the House Armed Services Committee. He served as chairman of the Armed Services Committee from January 2015 to January 2019 — the first Texan of either party to hold this position. In a time of unprecedented security challenges, he is committed to ensuring that the United States has the military capability and agility to protect the nation and our interests around the world. He believes that the men and women who serve deserve to have the best training, equipment, and support that our country can provide. Widely respected as an innovator and strategic thinker, Thornberry has consistently been on the leading edge of critical national security issues, has written widely on defense matters, and appeared on all major cable and network television channels providing congressional insight on national security issues.
Thornberry previously served in the Reagan administration as deputy secretary of state for legislative affairs and as a chief of staff on Capitol Hill, and practiced law in Amarillo, Texas. His family has been ranching in the 13th District since 1881 — a family business in which he continues to participate. He graduated from Texas Tech University and received a law degree from The University of Texas. His wife, Sally, is also a native Texan. They have two children.