Business Executives for National Security

History

BENS members have used their business experience to find practical solutions to pressing national security challenges since 1982, when the organization was founded by business executive and entrepreneur Stanley A. Weiss. Then, as now, there was a need for a nonpartisan business organization that could cut through ideological debates on national security issues. Members come from a broad range of business sectors and political views yet they are united in their commitment to a strong, effective, affordable defense and developing ways to prevent the use of weapons of mass destruction. BENS' results-oriented approach has produced a solid record of achievement:

BENS played a major role in developing the process for closing obsolete military bases, freeing up billions of dollars in savings and allowing local communities to put unneeded military facilities to more productive use.

BENS was active in garnering support for the Cooperative Threat Reduction program - known as the Nunn-Lugar program - that has funded the dismantling of Russian nuclear weapons.

BENS was an early advocate of the Pentagon developing a five-year business plan and making it available to Congress.

BENS created the BENS Business Force, a public/private partnership bringing states and business together to improve homeland security.

BENS pressed Congress to streamline and improve its oversight of the Department of Homeland Security.

BENS pushed for restructuring the Joint Chiefs of Staff to create a more business-like chain of command and to operate and plan requirements jointly.

BENS' educational effort, combined with members' personal outreach to key Senators, is widely recognized as essential to the successful ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

BENS helped create the U.S.-Soviet Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers that played an important stabilizing role in the U.S.-Soviet nuclear face-off of the 1980s.

As superpower relations improved and nuclear fears ebbed, BENS advocated rigorous weapons testing, increased competition for military contracts, and reforms long a part of business but missing from the Pentagon.