James W. Pardew

Pardew was appointed the Secretary of Defense Representative to the U.S. Negotiating Team following a tragic vehicle accident in August 1995 in Bosnia, that killed his predecessor, Dr. Joseph Kruzel, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Robert Frasure, and Air Force Colonel Nelson Drew (also members of the negotiating team).[7] Pardew participated in the negotiating process led by Ambassador Richard Holbrooke from his appointment until the parties reached an agreement at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio in November 1995. He participated in the international signing ceremony of the Dayton Agreement, hosted by President Jacques Chirac of France in Paris on December 14, 1995, as the representative of the Secretary of Defense.[8] Pardew was awarded the Department of State Distinguished Honor Award and the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Civilian Service for his contributions to peace in Bosnia.

Pardew was assigned to direct an inter-agency team in Washington in 1996 to implement an informal agreement between U.S. President Bill Clinton and Bosnian President Alija Izetbegović to assist the Bosnian Federation in developing a national defense system which would provide military security within Bosnia.[3]

This unique endeavor, known as the Bosnian Train and Equip Program, consisted of staff officers from the U.S. Defense Department, State Department, and Intelligence Community. Using international donor funding and equipment, and equipment made available to the program by the U.S. Congress, the T&E program assisted the Federation in developing a defensive military capability which ultimately enabled U.S. and NATO forces to reduce their presence in Bosnia. The program was valued at an estimated US$500 million (equivalent to US$932.95 million in 2022). Additionally, the program reduced the influence of extremist elements in the country, oriented Bosnia toward NATO and Europe, and served as the basis for full military integration within Bosnia, providing for a consolidated Ministry of Defense.

From 1999 to 2001, Pardew was the Deputy Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State for Democracy in the Balkans during the NATO conflict in Kosovo and the subsequent peace settlement.[3] In that capacity, Pardew engaged directly in negotiations over Kosovo with President Slobodan Milošević of Serbia and with a variety of Kosovo political leaders. He was the Washington coordinator for the international Kosovo Verification Mission. Following the successful NATO bombing campaign, Pardew assisted in establishing U.S. and international civilian presences in Kosovo and in the development of local Kosovo institutions of government and security.

Secretary of State Powell dispatched Ambassador Pardew to Macedonia in the early summer of 2001 to seek a solution to an ethnic conflict with the potential to escalate into a full-scale civil war with consequences for the entire region. Pardew, as the U.S. negotiator, joined with Francois Leotard of France, the European Union negotiator, to seek a peaceful settlement to the disputes. After weeks of negotiations in Skopje and at the Presidential retreat on Lake Ohrid, the parties agreed to the Framework Agreement for Macedonia. The Ohrid Agreement was signed by the parties and witnessed by Pardew and Leotard in August 2001.[9]

President George W. Bush appointed Pardew the U.S Ambassador to Bulgaria in 2002. During his tenure as the United States Ambassador to Bulgaria[3] from 2002 to 2005, Bulgaria became a full member of NATO and completed all accession negotiations for European Union membership. Bulgaria also cooperated closely with the U.S in establishing a joint military training facility in Bulgaria and in destroying missiles and other military technology left over from the Cold War. In addition, Ambassador Pardew oversaw the completion of a new $70 million (equivalent to US$108.45 million in 2022) U.S Embassy complex in Sofia.[10] The President of Bulgaria presented Pardew with the Stara Planina Medal at the end of his service in Bulgaria.

Pardew was Deputy Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Operation and Crisis Management, from 2005 to 2008.[11] During that period, he directed an international staff organization, based in Brussels, that was engaged in operational policy development for the Secretary General of NATO for its operations in Afghanistan, Kosovo, and the NATO training mission in Iraq.

Based on his extensive background in Balkan conflicts, Pardew also participated as the NATO representative to the Contact Group deliberations, dealing with international policy toward Kosovo. He also provided NATO input to the United Nations organization which produced the Ahtisaari Plan, eventually resulting in the independence of Kosovo.