WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Riki Ellison, Chairman and Founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA) www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org  announced today that Ambassador Eric Edelman, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from 2005 to 2009 serving under Secretary Robert Gates has accepted a position on the Missile Defense Advocacy's Advisory Board. Ambassador Edelman has served as the former Ambassador to Turkey from 2003 to 2005, the former Ambassador to Finland from 1998 to 2001, and former Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Soviet and East European Affairs, as well as serving at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow as the head of the external political section.

Ellison stated, "Ambassador Edelman's expertise and experience provides in-depth awareness on the critical path forward on Missile Defense with Russia and our allies in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. It is of tremendous value to MDAA's core mission that Ambassador Edelman joins our prestigious Board of Advisors.

"Our mission as a non-profit and nonpartisan organization is to generate public support for the continued testing, development and deployment of missile defense systems to protect our country, our troops and our allies, making our nation and world safer.

"We believe that our organization continues to establish a working group of non-government missile defense experts, second to none in the area of missile defense. Our Advisory Board with the addition of Ambassador Edelman is in a better position to advise on the current and future national and international implications for missile defense. The Advisory Board continues to help lead our grassroots educational efforts across this nation and around the world in the support of the development and deployment of our nation's missile defense systems."

Riki is available for on-the-record interviews on all subjects related to missile defense. Call Barbara Maxwell at 703-299-0060 to schedule.

SOURCE Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance

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http://www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org