Honoring the Legacy of Robert Bell: Diplomat, Scholar, and Leader

Posted October 17, 2024

Robert G. Bell spent a lifetime in public service. He served in the U.S. Air Force, worked on defense and nuclear policy at the White House, served as a civilian official with NATO and on the Senate Committees on Foreign relations and Armed Services, and then brought all of his experience to bear as a professor of the practice in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs. 

A central figure in the post-Cold War effort to control the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Bell tracked Iraqi compliance with U.N.-mandated weapons inspections following the first Gulf War, closely followed North Korea’s growing ICBM program, and worked to win ratification of an arms control agreement with Russia.

Through it all, he brought a pragmatic approach to international security issues that served him well as a presidential aid, a NATO official, a consultant, and, ultimately, a distinguished professor of the practice in the Nunn School. 

“The debates have become much more partisan, and the choices tend to be articulated in much more extreme black or white terms than I think the truth supports,” Bell told Air and Space Forces Magazine for a 1999 profile. “Usually, the decisions are quite tough and there is merit on both sides. The challenge is to get it right in a way that balances competing interests.”

Bell passed away suddenly in September, leaving behind a lifetime legacy of public service. He was buried in Academy Cemetery at the U.S. Air Force Academy, from which he graduated in 1969. 

“Bob was the ‘baker’s dozen’ of a colleague, teacher, and mentor — always giving something extra,” said Nunn School Professor Vicki Birchfield, who also directs the EU and transatlantic study abroad programs. Birchfield noted Bell frequently lined up high-profile NATO visitors for study-abroad students and hosted them at his home.

“People often say no one is irreplaceable, but it is difficult to imagine anyone with the stature and range of fascinating professional experiences, from inside the White House and Pentagon to his various roles at NATO, who could match Professor Bell. His commanding intellect, wisdom, and joie de vivre will be deeply missed,” Birchfield said.

A Legacy of Service Across Government, NATO, and Academia

Bell's storied career spanned five decades, encompassing high-level roles in U.S. government, NATO, and private consulting. He was commissioned as an Air Force officer in 1969 and served nine years in air traffic control and communications fields. He later earned master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

In 1981, Bell went to work for the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and Armed Services, with part of that time spent working for Armed Services Committee Chair Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia.

He left the Senate in 1993 to go to work on President Bill Clinton’s National Security Council as a special assistant for national security affairs and the NSC senior director for defense policy and arms control.

In was this position that solidified his reputation as a key player in shaping post-Cold War defense strategies. Bell's leadership contributed to the 1997 Presidential Directive that shifted U.S. nuclear policy toward arms control and deterrence.

In 1999, he began serving as NATO’s assistant secretary general for defense investment, where he worked with the defense industry and directed activities related to arms control, air defense, funding, and resources policy, among other things.

He left NATO in 2003 and spent until 2010 in consulting before returning to public service in 2010 as the senior civilian representative of the U.S. defense secretary to NATO, where he worked on coordinating U.S. Department of Defense policies and programs across the continent.

'Simply Star-Struck'

In 2017, Bell joined the Nunn School, where he offered students an unparalleled perspective on the inner workings of NATO. He was later appointed one of the Nunn School’s first diplomats in residence.

Birchfield recounted the incredible work Bell did for students on Georgia Tech study-abroad programs.

“The students and I were simply star-struck witnessing the respect and admiration he enjoyed from all of the high-level speakers he had lined up,” Birchfield said, “Not only did he arrange for senior-level U.S. diplomats to speak with us, but he seemed to have deep connections to many of the other national delegations to NATO as well. While Finland and Sweden were still waiting on full membership, he had the defense advisors from both countries address our group about their momentous decision to join.”

Another colleague, Nunn School Professor Alasdair Young, said Bell was always gracious with his time and insight.

“Every time I asked him, which was multiple times, he agreed to talk to my Transatlantic Relations course about how NATO really works,” said Young.

Gen. Philip Breedlove, IE 1977, who served as a distinguished professor of the practice with Bell, said Georgia Tech was fortunate to become the beneficiary of Bell's talent and effort.

“Bob began his service to this country wearing the uniform of our U.S. military and transitioned to diplomat. His devotion to his country was evident in everything he did,” Breedlove said.

A Robert G. Bell Memorial Scholarship fund has been established in the Sam Nunn School. If you would like to donate in Bell’s memory, make out a check to the Georgia Tech Foundation and write “For the Robert G. Bell Memorial Scholarship” in the memo line. You can mail checks to: Georgia Tech Foundation, Inc., 760 Spring Street NW, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30308.

You can also give online. In the designation box, please click on the first option, “Make a Special Gift to Georgia Tech,” then type in, “For the Robert G. Bell Memorial Scholarship.”