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Rubio Announces National Security Team

Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio on Monday announced his National Security Advisory Council, consisting of ex-Bush (43) officials and national security experts.

Members of Rubio’s national security team include Michael Chertoff, Michael Mukasey, Elliot Abrams, Eric Edelman, Dan Senor and Dov Zakheim, who served in various defense and national security capacities under former President George W. Bush. General Keith Alexander, who served as Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) from 2004 to 2015, as well as former Senators Jim Talent, Jon Kyl, and Norm Coleman, were also named as members of the national security team.

“The National Security Advisory Council will provide strategic advice to Marco and to the campaign regarding foreign policy, defense, intelligence, and homeland security issues,” the Rubio campaign said in a new release on Monday. “The group will lend their considerable expertise to Marco’s efforts to make the case for American leadership in an increasingly uncertain world. Marco is the most prepared candidate in this race to take on the national security challenges America faces in the 21st century.”

The announcement comes as Rubio seeks to reset his campaign by focusing on national security and foreign policy issues, a field he has an upper-hand over his rivals Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.

Michael Mukasey, who served as a foreign policy advisor to Jeb Bush’s failed campaign for president, said in a statement: “I am proud to support Marco to be our next Commander-in-Chief because no candidate better understands the national security challenges we face. He is the only candidate with the knowledge and judgment needed to confront radical Islamic terrorism, and the commitment to use every legally available tool to prevail in that long-term struggle.”

“From Cuba and Venezuela to Russia, Iran, and China, Marco has always fought to ensure that the United States is on the side of those who are oppressed. He has an innate understanding of America’s important role in supporting freedom and standing up to tyranny,” former Deputy National Security Advisor Elliott Abrams added in a statement.

Read the full list of members that will serve on Rubio’s National Security Advisory Council below:

Elliott Abrams, former Deputy National Security Advisor for Global Democracy Strategy
General Keith Alexander, former Director, National Security Agency
Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of Homeland Security
Eliot Cohen, former Counselor of the Department of State
Senator Norm Coleman
Ambassador Paula Dobriansky, former Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs
Ambassador Eric Edelman, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
Aaron Friedberg, former Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President
Kim Holmes, former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Ambassador Robert Joseph, former Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security
Senator Jon Kyl
John Lehman, former Secretary of the Navy
Michael Mukasey, former Attorney General
Andrew Natsios, former Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development
Dan Senor, former Senior Advisor & Chief Spokesman, Coalition in Iraq
Ambassador Kristen Silverberg, former Ambassador to the European Union
Senator Jim Talent
Dov Zakheim, former Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)

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