Top European affairs aide gets WH post

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WASHINGTON, March 19 (UPI) -- The Obama administration said Tuesday a top European affairs adviser is moving into a post designed to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, presently the senior director for European affairs on the National Security Council and a special assistant to the president, will take on the role of coordinator for defense policy, countering weapons of mass destruction, and arms control, national security adviser Tom Donilon said.

Sherwood-Randall will take up the new post April 8, the White House said in a press release.

Prior to her role as European affairs adviser she was a top foreign affairs adviser to Vice President Joe Biden.

"Liz brings deep expertise and a track record of accomplishment in defense issues and in proliferation prevention," Donilon said. "The president will look to her to bring significant energy and capability to his second term."

During the Clinton administration, Sherwood-Randall worked to rid several former Soviet bloc nations of leftover Cold War nuclear weapons.