J. Daniel Howard Carlucci and his deputy, General Colin Powell. Howard focussed on arms control issues and remained through the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in January 1988. He also dealt with many issues associated with the Iran–Contra affair. On December 21, 1987, President Reagan nominated Howard to serve as Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) and Howard would hold this post from February 1988 through May 1989. He worked for Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci and dealt with the aftermath of the shooting down of Iran Air Flight 655 by the U.S.S. "Vincennes" and the explosion of a gun mount
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical & Biological Defense Programs the Secretary of Defense (Atomic Energy) was given control over the Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA), which became the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. In February 1996, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996 (P.L. 104-106) officially created the office of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear & Chemical & Biological Defense Programs, or ASTD (NCB) to replace that of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Atomic Energy). The Clinton administration declined to nominate an Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear & Chemical & Biological Defense Programs between 1997 and 2001, having determined (as