Brent Scowcroft's endorsement of Hillary Clinton comes after his fellow foreign-policy realist Richard Armitage's endorsement a week prior. | AP Photo Brent Scowcroft endorses Hillary Clinton

Brent Scowcroft, national security adviser under Republican presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush, endorsed Hillary Clinton for president on Wednesday.

"Secretary Clinton shares my belief that America must remain the world’s indispensable leader," Scowcroft said in a statement, touting her experience as secretary of state. "She understands that our leadership and engagement beyond our borders makes the world, and therefore the United States, more secure and prosperous. She appreciates that it is essential to maintain our strong military advantage, but that force must only be used as a last resort."


Clinton, Scowcroft stated, "brings deep expertise in international affairs, and a sophisticated understanding of the world," qualities he described as "essential for the Commander-in-Chief."

"Her longstanding relationships with a wide array of world leaders, and their sense of her as a strong and reliable counterpart, make her uniquely prepared for the highest office in the land," he added.

Scowcroft's endorsement comes after his fellow foreign-policy realist Richard Armitage, deputy secretary of state under George W. Bush, told POLITICO last week that he would support Clinton over Donald Trump if he is the Republican nominee.

"I believe Hillary Clinton has the wisdom and experience to lead our country at this critical time," Scowcroft stated.

Scowcroft has said little on the record about Trump's foreign policy ideas and qualifications. But Bush, his former boss in the White House, has made no secret of his distaste for Trump. And the Atlantic Council, of which the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security is a part, has offered pointed criticism of Trump's foreign policy prescriptions.

"If Donald Trump wants to 'make America great again' on a global stage, he cannot do so without NATO," wrote Robbie Gramer, an associate director of the Scowcroft Center's Transatlantic Security Initiative, in a March 23 blog post.

R. Nicholas Burns, a board director and Clinton adviser who served as the No. 3 official in George W. Bush's State Department, denounced Trump as "dangerous" in a late April interview.