Barry M. Blechman

Nuclear Policy Expert/Think Tank Founder

Barry M. Blechman, well known and respected in Washington's foreign policy and defense circles, died of cancer early Friday, June 27, 2025, at his Washington, DC home, surrounded by his children and life partner.

Blechman, who worked on national security issues for more than 50 years in government and the private sector, enjoyed playing handball and squash, particularly when followed by a dry martini. He was co-founder of the Henry L. Stimson Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank specializing in security and other global issues.

Blechman served in the administration of President Jimmy Carter, wrote or edited more than 20 books and 200 articles, and built the successful DFI International consulting firm. A lifelong Democrat, his work was also admired by leading Republicans, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Blechman was an expert on the defense budget, the importance of the armed forces in supporting the nation's foreign policy and on nuclear policy issues. He advocated and helped implement measures to reduce the risk of nuclear war. Blechman was fond of quoting a nuclear weapons proponent who, after hearing him support their eventual elimination, told him: "You know, of all the crazies, you make the most sense."

Blechman's editorials on defense policy appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post and USA Today. He also worked behind the scenes to improve the effectiveness of U.S. policymaking and was mentor to dozens of young defense analysts, many of whom went on to important positions in the U.S. government. They included Brett Lambert and Christine Wormuth, high-level Pentagon officials during the Obama Administration.

Born in the Bronx in 1943, Blechman later moved to Queens and graduated from Forest Hills High School at 16, after skipping a grade. He received a bachelor's degree in political science from Queens College in 1963, where he was elected chancellor of Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity. Son of a plumber and a bookkeeper, Blechman worked his way through college, including a stint as a Fuller Brush door-to-door salesman. When he quit in 1964 to move to Washington, his manager told him it was a mistake. He was so good at selling that one day he could be manager of all Fuller Brush sales in the Bronx. And that job came with a Cadillac! Blechman later earned a Ph.D. in international relations at Georgetown University.

His government career began in 1964, as a management intern at the Pentagon. Two years later, he moved to the Center for Naval Analyses. In both positions, he built computerized simulations of warfare using now-obsolete machines whose programs could only be fed by punch cards.

In 1971, he joined the Brookings Institution to head its Defense Analysis Project and co-author its annual analysis of the federal budget, Setting National Priorities. The report scrutinized defense issues, incorporating the same methodologies used by the Pentagon. It was the first time this had been done in publicly available documents, prompting one general to grouse: "Every time I testify on Capitol Hill, all the senators have one of those d*mn Brookings pamphlets in front of them."

While at Brookings, Blechman met former Georgia governor Carter, a dark horse candidate for president in 1976, and became one of Carter's defense advisors. After the election, Blechman joined the transition team at the Office of Management and Budget. The President-elect had pledged to cut the defense budget, and Blechman prepared options to implement that promise. Being inexperienced in presidential politics, he didn't realize his transition goal should have been to secure a good position in the new administration and was disappointed with initial offers of employment.

Eventually, he did join the Carter administration as Assistant Director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. A highlight: serving as deputy chairman for talks with the USSR on limiting arms sales.

Returning to the think-tank world, Blechman used his talent for raising funds for projects at a number of institutions. The secret was simple, he said. "Deliver the promised work on time and within budget." His projects led to creation of a direct communications channel between the U.S. and Soviet military commands and a blueprint for overhauling the organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that eventually was approximated by the 1984 Goldwater Nichols Act. He also drafted the report of the Palme Commission, a group of international leaders convened by the prime minister of Sweden to ease the Cold War. In all such endeavors, Blechman followed former Assistant Secretary of War John J. McCloy's maxim that one could accomplish almost anything in Washington if you were willing to let others take the credit.

In the mid-1980s, Blechman decided to start his own firm, DFI International. His office was a spare room in his Dupont Circle rowhouse. His mother thought he was unemployed, because he was always at home. His staff consisted of himself and one research assistant.

DFI's business included foundation grants, government contracts and private consulting jobs. In 1989, he decided to take a risk, rent office space and hire others to write what he called "term papers" while he developed new business. He persuaded Michael Krepon, a former Arms Control and Disarmament Agency colleague, to join him. Foundation contacts told them they would have to create a separate nonprofit organization if they were to receive significant grants. The Henry L. Stimson Center was born in 1989 and continues to thrive today.

DFI flourished, eventually employing close to 200 people. Blechman was proud of being able to retain quality staffers by encouraging them to take ownership of their work and take seriously their contributions to national security. He also maintained a convivial workplace. A "beer wagon" came around Friday for those who worked late, and holiday parties included Blechman's favorite gin martinis and, once, dancing on a conference table.

Blechman sold the company in 2007, but remained active with the Stimson Center, rejoining the board, and heading projects such as a 2020 update of his best-selling book, Force Without War, for the Defense Department.

In his personal life, Blechman married his college sweetheart, Sue Ann Cohen, in 1964. Their marriage ended in divorce. They had two daughters: Jennifer, now a palliative care physician in Bend, Ore.; and Allison, an emergency room forensic nurse in Fairbanks, Alaska.

In 1984, Blechman married Janne Emilie Nolan, a well-known nuclear expert. Their marriage also ended in divorce. Their daughter, Emilie, who earned a law degree and is training to be a pilot, lives in Los Angeles. Since 2002, Blechman's beloved companion has been travel writer Katherine (Kitty) Bean Yancey. They shared a home in Washington for 17 years.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Civil Liberties Union. A celebration of Blechman's life will be announced at a later date.