Asmus was born to a family of German immigrants who came to Milwaukee , Wisconsin after World War II . He grew up in Milwaukee and Mequon , Wisconsin graduating from Homestead High School . Asmus was an early and strong proponent of expanding NATO into Eastern Europe . He was U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs in the Clinton Administration from 1997 to 2000 . He played an important role in the 1999 Washington summit of NATO , when Poland , the Czech Republic and Hungary joined the Alliance . He was also a senior analyst and fellow at Radio Free Europe , RAND and the Council on Foreign Relations . For his diplomatic work , Asmus was decorated by the US Department of State and the governments of Estonia , Georgia , Italy , Latvia , Lithuania , Poland , and Sweden
1999 Washington summit
1999 Washington summit
Ronald Asmus