General Colin L. Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Colin Powell came from a humble background to become the first African-American US secretary of state.
A highly decorated army officer, he saw service in Vietnam, an experience that later helped define his own military and political strategies.
He became a trusted military adviser to a number of leading US politicians.
- - -
The Powell Doctrine. Essentially, Powell believed that it wasn't until all diplomatic, political or economic means had failed that the US should resort to military force.
However, once military action was launched, then the maximum force necessary should be deployed to subdue the enemy quickly while minimising US casualties. There also had to be considerable public support.
Much of this thinking was rooted in a determination that the US would no longer find itself bogged down in a long, fruitless conflict as it had in Vietnam.
