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Paul Francis McHale Jr. (born July 26, 1950) is a retired American lawyer and politician as well as a United States Marine. From 2003 to 2009, he served as theAssistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense. From 1993 to 1999, he representedPennsylvania's 15th congressional district in theUnited States House of Representatives.
McHale was the founder and former president of Civil Support International LLC (2010-2020), aconsulting firm that advisedprivate contractors, academic institutions and government agencies in matters related todisaster preparedness,crisis response,homeland defense andhomeland security. He retired from law and business in 2020 in order to pursue a master’s degree in Military History and Strategic Studies atMaynooth University.
McHale was born inBethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he graduated fromLiberty High School.
McHale received aBachelor of Arts (Government, Highest Honors) fromLehigh University in 1972, aJ.D. fromGeorgetown University Law Center in 1977, and aMaster of Arts (Military History and Strategic Studies, First Class Honors) fromMaynooth University in 2022. He enlisted in theUnited States Marine Corps in 1972, retiring from theMarine Corps Reserve with therank ofcolonel in 2007. McHale served combat tours inSaudi Arabia (Desert Shield, 1990),Kuwait (Desert Storm, 1991), andAfghanistan (Enduring Freedom, 2007). His personal military decorations include theBronze Star, theLegion of Merit, theMeritorious Service Medal and theNavy Commendation Medal (2nd award).
In October 2006, McHale was recalled to active Marine Corps duty to deploy toAfghanistan.[1] For McHale's service as both a Congressman and Assistant Secretary of Defense, McHale was awarded theDoD Distinguished Public Service Medal – the department's highest civilian honor – by three successive Secretaries of Defense.
McHale was a member of thePennsylvania House of Representatives from 1983 to 1991, resigning in order to volunteer for active duty in theGulf War.[2] In 1992, he ran for Congress and defeated 14-year incumbentDon Ritter in a major upset, with the support of significant numbers of Democratic, Republican and Independent voters in the Lehigh Valley.
While serving in Congress, McHale was an active member of theHouse Armed Services Committee and he co-founded the National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus.
McHale gained prominence in 1998 when he called forBill Clinton to resign. He voted for three of the fourarticles of impeachment against Clinton. He was one of only five Democrats who voted for at least one article, and had by far the most liberal voting record of those who supported impeachment. The other four Democrats who voted for at least one article wereVirgil Goode,Ralph Hall,Charlie Stenholm, andGene Taylor, all of whom had very conservative voting records. Goode, Hall and Taylor subsequently became Republicans, while McHale served in the Bush administration.
McHale began representingPanda Energy International in 1999, after the completion of his term in theU.S. House of Representatives, duringPanda's legal and public relations battles which took place in his former congressional district.[3][4]
Nominated by President George W. Bush, McHale was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and assumed his position as Assistant Secretary of Defense (ASD) for Homeland Defense (HD) on February 7, 2003. The first to hold this position, McHale supervised all homeland defense activities for the U.S. Department of Defense and represented the Department at the highest levels of U.S. domestic crisis planning. He left DoD in January 2009 at the end of the George W. Bush administration.
As Assistant Secretary of Defense, McHale was responsible for senior civilian oversight of two geographic combatant commands, Northern Command and Southern Command, as well as DoD Western Hemisphere policy affairs, Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA), and the transfer of technologies to homeland security use pursuant to Section 1401 of the 2003 National Defense Authorization Act.
He is married toMajor GeneralMartha Rainville, the first woman in the history of theU.S. National Guard to serve as a state Adjutant General and a former congressional candidate fromVermont.[5]He has three children Matthew, Mary, and Luke McHale from a previous marriage toKatherine Pecka McHale.[6]
Media related toPaul McHale at Wikimedia Commons
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 15th congressional district 1993–1999 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
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