Richard P. Lawless

Mr. Richard P. Lawless is President and CEO of Richard Lawless and Associates. Mr. Lawless previously served as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2002-2007. At the direction of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), Mr. Lawless conceptualized, planned, developed and executed U.S. Department of Defense national security policy in the Greater Asia region. This national security policy effort included Alliance relationship management with bilateral security treaty partners Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines and Thailand, as well as defense policy interaction with China, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Taiwan and other East, South and Southeast Asian nations.

From 1972 to 1987, he was an employee at the Central Intelligence Agency, serving in Washington, D.C. and various postings in Asia and Europe. During his tenure at the CIA, Mr. Lawless served at the U.S. Embassy Seoul, Korea (1973-1978), C.I.A. Headquarters- European Division, (1978-1979); U.S. Embassy Vienna, Austria (1980-1982); U.S. Embassy Tokyo, Japan (1982-1985); and Office of the Director C.I.A. Special Projects Officer, C.I.A. Headquarters (1985-1987), the last-mentioned during tenure of Director of Central Intelligence William Casey.

Mr. Lawless entered the private sector in 1987 serving as co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of U.S. Asia Commercial Development Corporation. U.S. Asia specializes in telecommunications and investment technology and market entry strategies in East Asia. He is also a co-founder and former Chairman of Online Environs, Inc., an internet technology development company.

Mr. Lawless received his B.S. in International Relations from Bradley University’s School of International Studies, and studied Korean at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California.

Home | Contact NBR | Feedback | Privacy Policy | Apply to NBR