John M. Deutch
International Council Member, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Member of the Board, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Experience
John Deutch is an emeritus Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mr. Deutch has been a member of the MIT faculty since 1970, and has served as Chairman of the Department of Chemistry, Dean of Science and Provost. Mr. Deutch has published over 140 technical publications in physical chemistry, as well as numerous publications on technology, energy, international security, and public policy issues.
John Deutch has served in significant government and academic posts throughout his career. In May 1995, he was sworn in as Director of Central Intelligence following a unanimous vote in the Senate, and served as DCI until December 1996. In this position, he was head of the Intelligence Community (all foreign intelligence agencies of the United States) and directed the Central Intelligence Agency. From March 1994 to May 1995, he served as the Deputy Secretary of Defense. From March 1993 to March 1994, Dr. Deutch served as Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisitions and Technology.
From 1977 to 1980, John Deutch served in a number of positions for the U.S. Department of Energy: as Director of Energy Research, Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Technology, and Undersecretary of the Department.
In addition John Deutch has served on many commissions during several presidential administrations. He has served on the President’s Nuclear Safety Oversight Committee (1980-81); the President’s Commission on Strategic Forces (1983); the White House Science Council (1985-89); the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (1997-2001), the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (1990-93); the President’ Commission on Aviation Safety and Security (1996); the Commission on Reducing and Protecting Government Secrecy (1996); and as Chairman of the Commission to Assess the Organization of the Federal Government to Combat the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (1998-99).
John Deutch has received fellowships and honors from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1978) and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (Research Fellow 1967-69), and John Simon Guggenheim Foundation (Memorial Fellow 1974-1975). Public Service Medals have been awarded him from the Department of Energy (1980), the Department of State (1980), the Department of Defense (1994 and 1995), the Department of the Army (1995), the Department of the Navy (1995), the Department of the Air Force (1995), the Coast Guard (1995), the Central Intelligence Distinguished Intelligence Medal (1996) and the Intelligence Community Distinguished Intelligence Medal (1996). He received the Greater Boston Federal Executive Board’s Speaker Thomas P. O’Neill Award for exemplary public service in 2002, the Aspen Strategy Group Leadership Award in 2004, and he was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2007. He delivered the 2010 Godkin Lectures on the Essentials of Free Government and the Duties of the Citizen. He is a member of the National Petroleum Council (2008) and the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board. (2010). He is also a member of the Belfer Center Board and International Council at the Harvard Kennedy School.
John Deutch earned a B.A. in history and economics from Amherst College, and both the B.S. in chemical engineering and Ph.D. in physical chemistry from M.I.T. He holds honorary degrees from Amherst College, University of Lowell, and Northeastern University. He has served as director for the following publicly held companies: American Natural Resources, Citigroup, CMS Energy, Cummins Engine, Perkin-Elmer, Raytheon, SAIC, Schlumberger and Cheniere Energy. He is a trustee of Center of American Progress, Resources for the Future, the Massachusetts Hospital Physician Organization, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Skolkovo Institute. He has served on the board of the Urban Institute and the Council on Foreign Relations.
March 13, 2013
"Made in America, and Everywhere Else"
Op-Ed, Wall Street Journal
By John M. Deutch, International Council Member, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Edward Steinfeld
The president's new manufacturing technology initiative understandably stresses the potential advantage to U.S. firms and workers, write John Deutch and Edward Steinfeld. However, they argue, "It doesn't acknowledge the growing global character of manufacturing, especially in high-technology fields, or the difficulty of designing assistance programs that target 'inside the U.S.' activities only."
August 15, 2012
"The U.S. Natural-Gas Boom Will Transform The World"
Op-Ed, Wall Street Journal
By John M. Deutch, International Council Member, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
"Two summers ago, natural gas cost $4.50 per thousand cubic feet, which was less than half what it had cost two summers earlier. Today the price is under $2.50," writes John Deutch, former director of teh C.I.A. and a member of the Belfer Center's International Council. "A United States hopelessly dependent on imported oil and natural gas is a thing of the past. Most energy experts now project that North America will have the capacity to be a net exporter of oil and natural gas by the end of this decade."
AP Photo
March 30, 2009
"The Real Afghan Issue Is Pakistan"
Op-Ed, Wall Street Journal
By Graham Allison, Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Douglas Dillon Professor of Government, Harvard Kennedy School and John M. Deutch, International Council Member, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Mr. Obama took a giant step beyond the Bush administration's "Afghanistan policy" when he named the issue "AfPak" -- Afghanistan, Pakistan and their shared, Pashtun-populated border. But this is inverted. We suggest renaming the policy "PakAf," to emphasize that, from the perspective of U.S. interests and regional stability, the heart of the problem lies in Pakistan.
AP Photo
September 12, 2008
"Priority Energy Issues"
Testimony
By John M. Deutch, International Council Member, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
John Deutch, MIT professor and member of the Belfer Center’s Board of Directors and International Council, testified on September 12, 2008 before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources’ Senate Energy Summit on the importance of taking several simultaneous energy-related actions to achieve a sustainable future.
Deutch noted that the U.S. economy is not meeting the three great energy challenges the country faces – moving away from a petroleum based economy, reducing CO2 emissions, and managing foreign policy consequences of energy dependence. He proposed seven priority actions the country should take - ranging from establishing a charge for greenhouse gas emissions to expanding the use of commercial nuclear power.
November 15, 2006
Aye, Spy
Op-Ed, New York Times
By John M. Deutch, International Council Member, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
May 10, 2006
Biomass Movement
Op-Ed, Wall Street Journal
By John M. Deutch, International Council Member, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
January 30, 2006
A Plan for Nuclear Waste
Op-Ed, Washington Post
By John M. Deutch, International Council Member, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
July 15, 2005
Time to Pull Out. And Not Just From Iraq.
Op-Ed, New York Times
By John M. Deutch, International Council Member, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
April 13, 2005
Research Worth Fighting For
Op-Ed, New York Times
By Dr. William J. Perry, Former Co-Director, Preventive Defense Project and John M. Deutch, International Council Member, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Research and development activities, known as the "technology base" program, are a vital part of the United States defense program and must be adequately funded.
July 2003
The Future of Nuclear Power: An Interdisciplinary MIT Study
Report
By John M. Deutch, International Council Member, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and John P. Holdren, Former Director and Faculty Chair, Science, Technology and Public Policy Program
From the July 29, 2003 MIT press release: A distinguished team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard released today what co-chair Dr. John Deutch calls "the most comprehensive, interdisciplinary study ever conducted on the future of nuclear energy." The report maintains that "The nuclear option should be retained precisely because it is an important carbon-free source of power."
