Richard A. Clarke served for thirty years in national security policy roles in the US government, first in the Pentagon, then the State Department, and finally for an unprecedented decade of continuous service for three Presidents in the White House. In the White House National Security Council for President Bush (41), Clinton, and Bush (43) he served as Special Assistant to the President for Global Affairs, National Coordinator for Security and Counter-terrorism ("Terrorism Czar"), and Special Advisor for Cyberspace (the first "Cyber Czar").
Earlier, in the State Department, he had been appointed as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intelligence in the Reagan Administration and was confirmed by the Senate as Assistant Secretary of State for Politico-Military Affairs in the Bush (41) Administration. In the latter capacity, he coordinated elements in support of the First Gulf War. In the Pentagon and the State Department, he participated in a series of multilateral and bilateral nuclear arms control negotiations.