WASHINGTON: Presumptive Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton´s campaign is vetting retired Navy Admiral James Stavridis as a potential vice presidential running mate, a source with knowledge of the process confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday.
Stavridis is dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University near Boston and a former supreme allied commander of NATO.
"Admiral Stavridis is one of the finest military officers of his generation," Michele Flournoy, a former under secretary at the U.S. Department of Defense, told Reuters in a statement.
"He is a person of great ability and integrity, and an exceptional leader. He has the talents, experience, judgment and temperament to serve the American people at the highest levels
of our government.
"Flournoy, who formed a think tank after leaving the Defense Department and is advising the Clinton campaign on foreign policy, did not comment on the vetting process.
Flournoy is thought to be a probable Clinton pick for defense secretary if the candidate wins the White House on Nov.8.Clinton´s campaign declined to comment on the vetting of
Stavridis.
Stavridis and Clinton worked closely together when he was at NATO and she led the U.S. Department of State during Democratic President Barack Obama´s first term.
Introducing Clinton at a 2013 awards dinner, Stavridis said, "She does the work of two, of 20, of 200 with her energy, with her enthusiasm and with her boundless determination to improve
our world.
" He praised her use of "smart power. "In a 2012 TED talk on global security, Stavridis began by saying: "My thesis for us today is, instead of building walls to create security, we need to build bridges.
"Clinton has used similar rhetoric about the role of international diplomacy on the campaign trail.