On July 19, the National Defense University’s Center for Transatlantic Security Studies and the Atlantic Council held a major conference to present the conclusions of a comprehensive project on the future of the United States European Command (EUCOM).

This year-long study, co-chaired by Hans Binnendijk, Robert Hunter, Harlan Ullman, and Barry Pavel, was conducted to provide EUCOM with an assessment of the intended, likely, and uncertain consequences of recent events and trends in defense policy. The conference featured a presentation of multiple issue briefs that assess the following conditions and circumstances and what they mean for the future of EUCOM:

  • Implications for EUCOM and the broader South and Central Asian region of the drawdown of coalition forces from Afghanistan;
  • Implications for EUCOM in the aftermath of NATO’s Operation Unified Protector in Libya and of the ongoing political turmoil and violence in the greater Middle East;
  • Implications for EUCOM of major cuts to defense spending in Europe and the United States and especially inside NATO.

Please contact isp@acus.org or (202) 778-4955 with any questions or to RSVP.

AUDIO (.mp3)

PROGRAM (PDF)

8:30 a.m. Registration and Coffee
9:00 – 9:15 Welcome and Opening Remarks

  • BARRY PAVEL, Director, International Security Program, Atlantic Council
9:15 – 10:30 Panel Discussion: The Way Ahead

  • KURT VOLKER, Senior Advisor, International Security Program, Atlantic Council
  • ROBERT HUNTER, Director, Center for Transatlantic Security Studies, National Defense University
  • HARLAN ULLMAN, Senior Advisor, International Security Program, Atlantic Council
  • BARRY PAVEL
10:30 – 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 – 12:15 Panel Discussion: Regional Assessments

  • J. PETER PHAM, Director, Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, Atlantic Council
  • SHUJA NAWAZ, Director, South Asia Center, Atlantic Council
  • BARBARA SLAVIN, Senior Fellow, South Asia Center, Atlantic Council
  • FRANKLIN D. KRAMER, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council
12:15 – 12:45 Lunch Break
12:45 – 1:45 Panel Discussion: Functional Implications

  • CHARLES L. BARRY, Senior Research Fellow, National Defense University
  • ISABELLE FRANCOIS, Distinguished Visiting Research Fellow, National Defense University
  • LEO MICHEL, Distinguished Research Fellow, National Defense University
  • DAMON WILSON, Executive Vice President, Atlantic Council
1:45 – 2:00 Coffee Break
2:00 – 3:30 Panel Discussion: Strategic Implications

  • FRANCIS G. HOFFMAN, Director, NDU Press, National Defense University
  • JEFF LIGHTFOOT, Deputy Director, International Security Program, Atlantic Council
  • BOYKO NOEV, Member, Strategic Advisors Group, Atlantic Council; Senior Fellow, European Program, Center for the Study of Democracy
  • KORI SCHAKE, Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
  • BARRY PAVEL
3:30 – 3:45 Closing Remarks

  • ROBERT HUNTER
  • HARLAN ULLMAN

MEDIA MENTIONS

EUCOM ISSUE BRIEFS

Implications of the Arab Spring for EUCOM
Michele Dunne

The Future of US European Command in a Post-Afghanistan, Post-Arab Spring, Chaotic, Unpredictable, and Financially Constrained “New, New World”
Harlan Ullman

US and European Defense Capabilities and Cooperation: Widening Gaps
Charles Barry and Hans Binnendijk

The Future of US European Command: Enduring Missions, New Challenges
Michael Durkee

United States European Command and Russia in 2012 and Beyond: Dealing with Cold War Leftover While Looking Ahead
Isabelle François

Alternative American Grand Strategies: Implications for NATO and EUCOM
Francis Hoffman

Reforming EUCOM: Maintaining Transatlantic Strategic Interoperability
Julian Lindley-French

NATO, the European Union, and the United States: Why not a Virtuous Ménage à Trois?
Leo Michel

An Unstable Pakistan under Increasing Stress
Shuja Nawaz

Engagement, Coalitions, and Reciprocity—A European Perspective on the Future of EUCOM under the New Defense Strategic Guidance
Boyko Noev

Africa in the “New, New World”
J. Peter Pham

Winning the Argument on NATO
Kori Schake

Iran’s Role in a Post-Afghanistan, Post-Arab Spring, Chaotic, Unpredictable, and Financially Constrained “New, New World”
Barbara Slavin