Dr. William Schneider, Jr.: is a Washington based economist and defense analyst.  He served as a U.S. Senate (1971-6) and US House of Representatives (1976-81) professional staff member.  Dr. Schneider subsequently served as the Associate Director for National Security and International Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget (1981-2) prior to being nominated as Under Secretary of State for Security Assistance, Science and Technology by President Reagan (1982-6).  

Dr. Schneider's responsibilities in the Department of State included management and policy coordination of U.S. foreign economic and military assistance abroad, arms transfers, export controls, international telecommunications, and the supervision of U.S. science attaches posted at U.S. embassies abroad.

Subsequent to his government service, Dr. Schneider has served as an advisor to the U.S. government in several capacities.  He served as Chairman of the President's General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament from 1987 to 1993.  He also served on several Presidential commissions and government advisory bodies in the fields of counter-terrorism, intelligence, foreign affairs, defense, and economic policy.  He currently serves as Chairman of the Defense Science Board in the Department of Defense as well as the Department of State's Defense Trade Advisory Group.  In addition, he serves in a consulting capacity to the U.S. Departments of Energy, Defense, and State.

He is the author of several works on defense policy including Why ABM? Policy Issues in the Missile Defense Controversy (Pergamon, 1969); Arms, Men, and Military Budgets (Transaction Press), an annual review of defense budget issues.  He is also wrote Food, Foreign Policy, and Raw Material Cartels (Crane, Russak, 1976), a work on economic warfare.  Dr. Schneider has also published numerous articles and monographs on defense and foreign policy, U.S. strategic forces, theater nuclear forces, and unconventional warfare.

Dr. Schneider received his Ph.D. degree from New York University in 1968.