Defense News and Military Times Publish "The 100 Most Influential People in US Defense"

SPRINGFIELD, Va., Dec. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time in its history, the Defense News and Military Times newspaper group has compiled a list of "The 100 Most Influential People in US Defense." The inaugural list, published Monday, December 17, ranks the 100 most influential defense players from the worlds of politics, the military, business, government and academia.

A lawyer who never served in the military is ranked as the #1 most influential defense player. A 91-year-old futurist who has helped shape Pentagon strategy under every president since Nixon also makes the Top Ten. Even a soldier accused of aiding the enemy makes the list.

Compiled over five months by two dozen reporters and editors at the world's biggest military newsroom, the list measures each person's relative clout. Making the list was not just about fame. "What makes someone influential? It's all about measuring each person's specific role in shaping American defense policy and strategy," said Richard Sandza, Editor of "The 100 Most Influential People in US Defense" list and Managing Editor of the Army Times.

The staff at Gannett Government Media—which includes Defense News, Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times, Marine Corps Times, Armed Forces Journal and Federal Times—initially compiled a list of more than 200 names. When the front-page news involving CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus broke, the list's editors and reporters started over and examined who was up and who was down in the wake of the Petraeus resignation. "Until recently, Petraeus was America's most powerful general, and his abrupt resignation created a seismic shift in defense, military and intelligence circles," Sandza said. "The challenge for us was to decide where Petraeus and his acolytes belonged on the list, if at all."

"The 100 Most Influential People in US Defense" leaves some boldfaced names on the cutting-room floor. "There may be some bruised feelings today, but our reporters and editors were methodical in their decision-making process," said Tobias Naegele, Editor in Chief of the Gannett Government Media Corporation. "Without fear or favor, they calculated each candidate's relative power in a wide variety of categories before deciding which names to put forward." And, of course, there's always next year.

Defense News is the international weekly newspaper and daily Website covering the business and politics of defense. The Military Times newsweeklies, including Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times, are the weekly newspapers and daily websites serving members of the U.S. armed forces and their families. The products are published by Gannett Government Media, a subsidiary of Gannett Co. Inc.

Since its inception in 1940, Gannett Government Media has a strong heritage and tradition of meeting the highest standards of independent journalism and has expanded with publications serving all branches of the U.S. military, the global defense community, the U.S. federal government, and several special interest, defense-oriented industry sectors.

SOURCE Gannett Government Media