William J. Luti

Dr. William J. Luti is a Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Defense Policy and Strategy for the National Security Council.

Most recently, Dr. Luti served as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs. Prior to joining the Defense Department, Dr. Luti served as a Special Advisor for National Security Affairs to Vice President Cheney. He previously served for 26 years as a naval officer in a wide variety of operational and policy positions including command of an aviation squadron, an amphibious assault ship and an amphibious ready group.

Dr. Luti received his bachelor's degree from The Citadel, a masters degree from the U.S. Naval War College, and a masters in law and diplomacy and PhD in international relations from Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. is a former U.S. Navy Officer and Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs.

He is a die-hard supporter of the war in Iraq, and became a nationally known figure in early 2003 after "The New Yorker"'s Seymour Hersh published a story about Luti's intelligence work in the Office of Special Plans, a secretive Pentagon outfit whose players included Douglas Feith and Abram Shulsky. According to Hersh's exposé, Luti and the OSP dug up un-vetted & one-sided intelligence, much of it from DIA, on Iraq that would support the administration's arguments for going to war.

However Luti denies his in an oct 2003 story from Ricks:

""For the umpteenth time," he said, showing a bit of exasperation, "we do policy work." What that means, he said, is developing defense policy options and monitoring their implementation -- not collecting intelligence, planning wars or implementing policy." [Iraq War Planner Downplays Role , Oct 22 2003, Washington Post , Thomas Ricks]

References

* http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/05/20050503-3.html