Profile: General James Jones

General James Jones was Marine commandant from 1999 to 2003

Barack Obama's choice of national security adviser will be the first general in the role since Ronald Reagan appointed Colin Powell in 1987.

James Jones is a much-decorated 64-year-old marine who served as Nato's supreme commander from 2003 to 2006.

Respected by Democrats and Republicans alike, he is a friend of defeated presidential candidate John McCain.

Like Mr Obama, he believes the war in Iraq has caused the US to take its eye off the ball in Afghanistan.

General Jones's selection has been seen by some observers as an attempt by Mr Obama to reassure military leaders, some of whom have been unnerved by his policy of scaling down troop levels in Iraq.

European connection

As national security adviser, the general will have an office in the White House and is likely to meet the president several times a day.

I lived in France for 15 years and I feel culturally at home in Europe, whether it's France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Germany. I've been in all those places as a young person General James Jones

According to the New York Times, Mrs Clinton has told friends "she does not expect the national security adviser to stand between her and the president".

The newspaper also notes, however, that he gets along well with Mrs Clinton, and has even hired some of her former staff to work with him on the energy task force he currently runs in the US Chamber of Commerce.

General Jones had a strong connection with Europe even before he took up his posting (on the recommendation of former Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld) as Nato's supreme commander.

"I lived in France for 15 years (aged 3-18) and I feel culturally at home in Europe, whether it's France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Germany. I've been in all those places as a young person," he told the BBC in 2003.

He still speaks fluent French.

Foreign duty

During his time at Nato, he helped to re-shape the alliance to face the "insidious, elusive threats" of the 21st Century - threats that can come from anywhere, not necessarily within Nato's old geographical remit, nor from any particular nation-state.

FOREIGN ROLES Vietnam: 1967-68 Japan: 1974-75 Northern Iraq: 1991 Deputy director, US European Command: 1992 Chief of staff for joint task force Provide Promise (Bosnia and Macedonia): 1992-4

In 2007, he was appointed by the Bush administration as a special envoy for Middle East security.

Prior to that he was chairman of a Congressional commission that investigated the capabilities of the Iraqi police and armed forces.

He has also travelled to Afghanistan on fact-finding missions for the Department of Defense.

General Jones was commandant of the Marines Corps from 1999 to 2003.

Early in his career he was posted to Vietnam (1967-68) and Japan (1974-75).

He ran an operation providing aid to Kurds fleeing northern Iraq in 1991, in the wake of the first US invasion of Iraq.

Between 1992 and 1994 he was chief of staff for the operation to airlift aid to the besieged population of Sarajevo.

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