Program on National Security Conference

Defense Showstoppers: National Security Challenges for the Obama Administration

A Conference Sponsored by the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Reserve Officers Association

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Reserve Officers Association
One Constitution Avenue NE, Washington, DC.

The Obama Administration will face numerous challenges to U.S. national security. Among these, several stand out for their potential as “showstoppers,” where, if the challenge is not met, the U.S. may suffer a strategic loss of capability:

What is the proper balance between counterinsurgency and traditional military formations in our planning?
With respect to the procurement process, the defense industrial base, and the budget, are we short-changing the future?
Can the U.S. meet its responsibilities with the current active-reserve structure? And if not, how?
Seven years into the Long War, how can we improve coordination among Defense, State, the CIA, and others?

In this conference, our objective is to set forth clearly the actions needed to sustain America’s defense capability.

Conference Report

Defense Showstoppers: National Security Challenges for the Obama Administration— A Conference Report, Michael P. Noonan, 3/2009

Speakers and Topics

Opening Remarks

Lt. General Dennis M. McCarthy (USMC, Ret.), Executive Director, ROA
Harvey Sicherman, President, FPRI

Panel 1: How Will We Fight? (Roles and Missions)

Audio/video: How Will We Fight?

Paper:

T.X. Hammes

Commentators:

Stephen Biddle, Senior Fellow for Defense Policy, Council on Foreign Relations
Roger Carstens, Senior Fellow, Center for a New American Security

Moderator: Michael Horowitz, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania, and Senior Fellow, FPRI

Panel 2: At What Cost? (Procurement/Defense Budget)

Towards a Balanced and Sustainable Defense, FPRI E-Notes, 3/2009

Audio/video: At What Cost?

Paper:

Frank Hoffman, Research Fellow, Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, and Senior Fellow, FPRI

Commentators:

Mackenzie Eaglen, Senior Policy Analyst for National Security, Heritage Foundation
Christopher Preble, CATO Institute

Moderator:

Michael P. Noonan, Director, National Security Program, FPRI

Keynote: Joint Warfare in the 21^st Century

Joint Warfare in the 21st Century, Gen. James Mattis, FPRI E-Notes3/2009

Audio/video: Joint Warfare in the 21st Century

Gen. James Mattis, USMC, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation and Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command
Introduction by the Hon. John Hillen, Trustee, FPRI

Panel 3: Who Will Fight For Us? (Personnel)

Audio/video: Who Will Fight For Us?

Paper:

Michael O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Brookings Institution

Commentators:

Thomas L. McNaugher, Senior Principal Researcher, RAND Corporation
Frederick W. Kagan, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute

Moderator:

Mackubin T. Owens, Editor, Orbis, and Associate Dean, U.S. Naval War College

Panel 4: Brother, do you have a DIME? (Interagency) (Or, how to improve relations among U.S. agencies responsible for marshalling the four elements of national power – Diplomatic, Information, Military, and Economic?)

America’s Broken Interagency, FPRI E-Notes, Hon. Thomas A. Schweich, 3/2009

Audio/video: Brother, do you have a DIME?

Paper:

Janine Davidson, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, George Mason University

Commentators:

Ralph Peters, author
Hon. Thomas A. Schweich, Visiting Professor of Law and Ambassador in Residence, Washington University in St. Louis

Moderator:

Frank Hoffman, Research Fellow, Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, and Senior Fellow, FPRI

Concluding remarks: Harvey Sicherman, President, FPRI

FPRI Wishes to Thank its 2011 Partners
Who help make all our programs possible.

On November 15th at the FPRI annual dinner Fouad Ajami was presented with the Seventh Annual Benjamin Franklin Public Service Award. The event was attended by over 360 people.
Dr. John M. Templeton, Jr. was dinner chairman.