[[William S. Cohen]] served as the 20th United States Secretary of Defense from 1997 to 2001, during the Clinton Administration. Prior to his role as Secretary of Defense, he was a United States Senator from Maine.[^1] ### Relationship with Christopher Mellon During his time in the Senate, [[Christopher Mellon]] served as a key advisor to Cohen. When Cohen was appointed Secretary of Defense, he brought Mellon to the Pentagon to serve as his Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. This appointment placed Mellon in a position of significant trust and responsibility within the Department of Defense, with oversight of the entire intelligence apparatus.[^1] ### Footnotes [^1]: Elizondo, Luis. *Imminent*. William Morrow, 2024.