Richard A. Clarke (born 1951) is a former U.S. government official who specialized in intelligence, cyber security and counter-terrorism. Until his retirement in January 2003, Mr. Clarke was a member of the Senior Executive Service. He served as an advisor to four U.S. presidents from 1973 to 2003: Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. During the September 11, 2001 attacks, Clarke was the chief counter-terrorism adviser on the U.S. National Security Council.
Clarke resigned in January of 2003 to begin writing Against All Enemies, his memoirs about his service in government. The book was published in March 2004, around the time that Clarke was testifying before the 9/11 Commission.
Richard Clarke is currently Chairman, and contributor to GoodHarborReport.com, an online community discussing homeland security, defense, and politics.