Robert D Walpole
, National
Intelligence Officer for
Weapons of Mass Destruction and Proliferation
National Intelligence Council
Mr. Walpole was appointed National Intelligence Officer for Weapons of Mass Destruction and Proliferation in April 2004, previously having served from March 1998 to April 2004 as the NIO for Strategic and Nuclear Programs. He also served as the Special Assistant to the DCI for Persian Gulf War Illnesses Issues
Before his appointment as Special Assistant, Mr. Walpole served for nearly five years as a Deputy Director of the DCI Nonproliferation Center (NPC). He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Defense and Arms Control Policy, Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs, from 1989 to 1992. Prior to shifting to a policy portfolio, Mr. Walpole managed intelligence analysis on foreign strategic and nuclear programs as a Division Chief and Office Director in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (1985-89).
Mr. Walpole earned a B.A. in International Relations and in Interior Design from Brigham Young University in 1978 before being recruited to join CIA as an imagery analyst. His honors include the Department of State Superior and Meritorious Honor AWards and the Distinguished Intelligence Medal for work on Gulf war illnesses issues. He speaks and reads Finnish fluently and reads some Russian.