Pedzisa mutsara unotevera: Ralston akava Mutevedzeri Wachigaro weJoint Chiefs of Staff muna 1996. Akanga achidiwa kuti ave Sachigaro weJoint Chiefs of Staff muna 1997, zvisinei zvichitevera kuzarurirwa kwechiitiko chakavanzika akaramba ari Mutevedzeri weChairman kusvika muna May 2000. Akabva ava Supreme Allied Commander weNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) muEurope kusvika muna Ndira 2003 paakasiya basa. Bill Clinton anonyora mumashoko ake anoti "My Life" kuti Ralston akashandiswa kugadzirisa mamiriro ezvinhu angave akaoma nePakistan umo US yaizoshandisa nzvimbo yemhepo yePakistan kurwisa musangano weAl-Qaeda muAfghanistan zvichitevera kurwiswa kwakaitwa neUnited States.
Kuputika kwebhomba paAmbassy reU.S. muKenya neTanzania. Kwaiva neitiro hanya yeUnited States yokuti masangano ouchenjeri ePakistan aizozivisa vavariro kana kuti kunyange kuipa zvikuru aizofungidzira kuti zvombo zvinobhururuka pamusoro pePakistan zvakabva kuIndia, zvichigona kukonzera rwisano yenyukireya muIndia. Seizvo Clinton anonyora papeji 799 ye"Upenyu Hwangu", "takasarudza kutumira mutevedzeri wasachigaro weJoint Chiefs of Staff, General Joe Ralston, kuzodya kudya kwemanheru nomukuru mukuru wemauto ePakistan panguva iyo denho dzakarongwa. Ralston aizomuudza (mutungamiriri wehondo wePakistan) zvakanga zvichiitika maminitsi mashomanene mapfuti edu asati apinda mudenga rePakistan, achinonoka kunyevera vaTaliban kana kuti Al-Qaeda, asi munguva yakakodzera kudzivisa kuvauraya kana kuti kuvaparira kurwisa kweIndia".