Public Service
In 1995, President Bill Clinton appointed Peters as principal deputy general counsel of the Department of Defense. In this position he worked a wide range of defense issues including acquisition reform, counterterrorism, information system security, and affirmative action. In 1997, Secretary of Defense William Cohen recommended Peters for appointment as Undersecretary of the Air Force. The President and United States Senate agreed, and he was sworn into that office on November 13, 1997. After Secretary of the Air Force Sheila Widnall resigned, Peters served as acting Secretary of the Air Force for 19 months.
President Clinton nominated Peters to be Secretary of the Air Force on June 2, 1999. The Senate confirmed his appointment on July 30, 1999, and he was sworn in as the nineteenth Secretary on August 3, 1999. During his tenure as Secretary, the Air Force demonstrated its power in the Kosovo conflict while Peters helped secure funding for the F-22 air superiority fighter. Peters served as Air Force Secretary until January 20, 2001.
Read more about this topic: F. Whitten Peters
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