Defense Showstoppers: National Security Challenges for the Obama Administration
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
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:
- 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:
- Moderator:
- Keynote: Joint Warfare in the 21st 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:
- Commentators:
- Moderator:
- 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
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