Paul Clarke was an active duty Air Force officer from 1987 to 2007. His service included a tour as an intelligence officer for G.H.W. Bush's National Security Council. Later, he was White House Assistant Press Secretary under President Clinton. From 2004-2006, he was the senior intelligence officer for the deployable unit within US Northern Command. In 2006, he deployed to the Persian Gulf in a senior position, supporting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches at the Naval Postgraduate School, Navy War College and the Air Command and Staff College. His research focuses on the national security decision-making process. He has master degrees from San Francisco State University and Harvard University and a doctorate in public policy from Auburn University.