Join us for the seventh installment of the Chuck Hagel Forum in Global Leadership series, hosted in partnership with the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). This series explores solutions to today’s biggest global challenges, featuring elected officials, policymakers and thinkers in conversation with former US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.

Secretary Hagel was joined this year by Rear Admiral John F. Kirby, who most recently served as National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House. Kirby previously held roles as principal spokesperson at both the State Department and the Pentagon, where he was the first uniformed officer to hold the position. He was also an adjunct lecturer at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a military and diplomatic analyst at CNN. 

The event took place on Wednesday, April 2 at UNO’s Strauss Performing Arts Center. Frederick Kempe, President and CEO of the Atlantic Council, provided welcoming remarks. 

Other speakers in this series have included former Vice President Joe Biden in 2019, former US Secretary of State John Kerry in 2020, former US Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge in 2021, former Governor of Arizona Janet Napolitano in 2022, former Washington Executive Editor of the Wall Street Journal Gerald F. Seib in 2023, and former US Attorney General Eric Holder in 2024.

Hagel served as chairman of the Atlantic Council from February 2009 to February 2013. He is currently a distinguished statesman and serves as a member of the Council’s International Advisory Board.

An edited and condensed version of the event will be broadcast on the Atlantic Council’s webpage and social media platforms.

Opening remarks

Speakers

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