Douglas Feith

Douglas Feith
Scott Davis, U.S. Army · Public domain · source
Name	Douglas Feith
Birth date	1953
Birth place	New York City
Alma mater	Harvard College, Yale Law School
Occupation	Lawyer, government official, author
Known for	Under Secretary of Defense for Policy

Douglas Feith is an American lawyer, policy analyst, and former government official who served as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy during the administration of President George W. Bush. He played a central role in national security planning, defense policy formulation, and the Iraq War strategy debates. Feith’s career spans private legal practice, think tanks, and senior roles in multiple administrations, generating significant attention from journalists, scholars, policymakers, and courts.

Early life and education

Feith was born in New York City and raised in a family engaged in legal and civic affairs. He attended Harvard College where he studied liberal arts alongside contemporaries who entered public service and law. He earned a law degree from Yale Law School, joining networks that included future members of the United States Department of Defense, United States Department of State, and the United States Supreme Court clerks corps. During his academic years he interacted with scholars from Harvard Law School, Yale University, and policy institutions such as the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute.

Legal and private sector career

After law school, Feith clerked for judges associated with the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and worked in private practice at firms linked to major litigators and partners who later joined administrations in Washington, D.C.. He joined the law firm environment that included alumni from Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Covington & Burling, and other firms that often represent corporations before the United States Congress and federal agencies. Feith later entered the think tank and consulting world, contributing to policy reports alongside analysts from Rand Corporation, Heritage Foundation, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Council on Foreign Relations, and Hudson Institute. His private-sector work included advising multinational clients and liaison with defense contractors connected to Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and technology firms that engaged with Pentagon procurement programs.

Government service and Pentagon roles

Feith served in multiple Republican administrations, linking to officials from President Ronald Reagan, President George H. W. Bush, and President George W. Bush. He held staff positions on Capitol Hill and at the United States Department of Defense, where he interacted with Secretaries such as Donald Rumsfeld and senior officials like Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Perle. As Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, he coordinated policy offices that worked with regional combatant commands such as United States Central Command and United States European Command, engaging counterparts from Secretary of State Colin Powell’s team and military leaders from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Feith’s responsibilities included arms control matters that touched on treaties such as the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and nonproliferation efforts involving the International Atomic Energy Agency and United Nations Security Council members.

Role in Iraq War planning and controversies

Feith was a prominent figure during deliberations leading to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, interacting with policymakers from White House Chief of Staff Andy Card, Vice President Dick Cheney, and national security advisers including Condoleezza Rice. He was involved in intelligence assessments and policy memoranda that referenced Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction and links to al-Qaeda—issues also examined by commissions such as the 9/11 Commission and inquiries including the Duelfer Report by the Iraq Survey Group. Feith’s office oversaw teams that produced alternative intelligence analyses, drawing scrutiny from journalists at outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and magazines including The Atlantic and Time (magazine). Congressional and oversight bodies—including hearings in the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives—questioned elements of policy and intelligence coordination involving the Central Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Controversies included debates over prewar intelligence, postwar reconstruction planning involving firms tied to Halliburton, Bechtel, and KBR, and leaks investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and reporters such as Judith Miller and Bob Woodward.

Post-government activities and writings

After leaving public office, Feith returned to the private sector, joining legal practices and think tanks, affiliating with institutions like the Hudson Institute and contributing to policy debates alongside scholars from Brookings Institution, Council on Foreign Relations, and American Enterprise Institute. He authored books and articles defending policy choices and critiquing institutional failures, published in venues such as Foreign Affairs, National Review, The Wall Street Journal, and academic presses. His writings engaged with topics including intelligence reform initiatives tied to the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 and retrospective analyses that intersect with works by historians like David Petraeus, Bob Woodward, Michael Isikoff, and Thomas Ricks. Feith has lectured at universities including Georgetown University, Harvard Kennedy School, and Yale Law School and participated in panels with figures from NATO, World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.

Personal life and honors

Feith is married and has family connections that include relatives active in law and academia associated with institutions such as Columbia University and Yeshiva University. He has received awards and recognitions from defense and policy organizations, appearing in listings by publications such as Foreign Policy and engaging with professional associations like the American Bar Association and the Association of the United States Army. His career continues to be cited in biographies and histories concerning the Iraq War, September 11 attacks, and U.S. national security policymaking.

Category:American lawyers Category:United States Department of Defense officials Category:Harvard College alumni Category:Yale Law School alumni