Business Executives for National Security
Business Executives for National Security (BENS) is an American 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It was founded in 1982 by former mining executive Stanley Weiss.
For almost thirty years, BENS has served as the primary channel through which senior American business leaders contribute special experience and talent to help build a more secure nation. BENS has 6 regional offices across the country and their headquarters in Washington, D.C.
BENS’ early work focused extensively on U.S.-Soviet threat reduction initiatives and on widespread inefficiencies in support functions in the Department of Defense (DoD). After championing base realignment and closure, BENS worked to find and develop opportunities at the affected bases. They have widened our focus over the last decade to encompass a range of new threats that challenge American security. In recent years they also have broadened their government partnerships to include: the Departments of State, Treasury, Homeland Security, including FEMA and the Secret Service, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the CIA. BENS also does work with all of the combatant commands.
BENS believes that the defining strengths of the American private sector – ingenuity, innovation, and efficiency – should be applied to the United States of America's security, by working with government partners to develop creative, new approaches to deal with the challenges we face today.
Programs supported by BENS have included the Base Realignment and Closure program[1] and the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program.
Board members include former AIG chairman, Maurice R. Greenberg; and President and CEO of Boies & McInnis, Mary Boies. The group's current president and CEO is retired Army General Montgomery Meigs. The group's current interim chairman is Bruce Mosler, Chairman of Global Brokerage of Cushman & Wakefield