The National Cold War Center in Blytheville recently revealed that former U.S. Secretary of State and CIA Director Mike Pompeo has joined the organization as a special advisor.
In his new role, Pompeo will work closely with the NCWC board of directors and its national advisory board to guide the Center’s strategic direction, fundraising and educational outreach. The National Cold War Center is located on the site of the former Blytheville Air Force Base (later Eaker AFB) in Blytheville. Once a Strategic Air Command facility, the base played a vital role in America’s nuclear deterrence strategy during the Cold War before its closure in 1992. Plans are underway to develop the site into a world-class museum and educational destination.
“The National Cold War Center’s mission of educating Americans on the Cold War and America’s stunning triumph over Soviet tyranny is more important than ever,” Pompeo said in a press release. “I’m proud to be part of this important effort to advance the understanding of this critical period in world history.”
Pompeo served as CIA director in the first Trump administration from 2017 to 2018 before being named the nation’s 70th secretary of state, a role he held through the end of the first Trump term. He is a former Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas.
Opened in late 2020, the National Cold War Center is still under development but features the Blytheville Air Force Base Exhibition, which showcases memorabilia, video and personal stories of the former air base from its 1942 beginnings until its closure in 1992.
Fundraising efforts are currently underway to raise money to build a museum in Blytheville.
“Secretary Pompeo has been active on the international stage since first being elected to Congress in 2010,” said Dr. Christian Ostermann, executive director of the National Cold War Center. “As America’s top diplomat, he brings a unique perspective and global credibility that will significantly advance our mission to tell the story of the Cold War from both sides of the Iron Curtain.”
A graduate of West Point and veteran U.S. Army cavalry officer, Pompeo served on the front lines of the Cold War, leading troops patrolling the Iron Curtain — the symbolic and strategic divide between Soviet and Western influence in Europe.
For more information about the National Cold War Center, visit www.nationalcoldwarcenter.com.
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