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Please join the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and its Forward Defense practice area for our latest Commanders Series event on “Advancing Army priorities for the future of warfare: A conversation with the Acting Secretary and the Chief of Staff of the Army,” featuring acting Secretary of the Army HON John E. Whitley and Chief of Staff of the Army GEN James C. McConville. This event will take place on Monday, May 10, 2021, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EDT via Zoom. To receive the Zoom link, please register by clicking the REGISTER button above.

The US Army has long served as a stalwart defender of vital national interests, but emerging security challenges pose newfound concerns for the future of the Army. In recent years, the Pentagon’s prioritization of great-power competition has driven many of the Army’s robust modernization plans, but key questions remain about the ideal force structure and force posture necessary to deter China and Russia, among other revisionist actors. This is especially pressing as rapidly evolving developments in cyber, space, and the electromagnetic spectrum increase the complexity of multi-domain operations and the future of warfare. Moreover, nontraditional challenges such as climate change and biological agents threaten the resilience of mission-critical military bases and the vital personnel who operate them. In a potentially difficult budget environment, how will the Army allocate resources to deter and defend against these emerging security challenges, while maintaining an enduring advantage in the land domain and beyond?

As the most senior civilian and military leaders of the US Army, respectively, HON John E. Whitley and GEN James C. McConville will join us in conversation with Nancy A. Youssef, National Security Reporter at the Wall Street Journal, to discuss how the Army will meet the most pressing challenges of the twenty-first century.

We hope you can join us for what promises to be an important and timely discussion. To receive the virtual Zoom link, please register by completing the registration form below.

Photo: US Army Flickr
Photo: US Army Flickr

Welcome remarks by

Mr. Michael Andersson
Board Director
Atlantic Council
Head of Strategic Partnerships and International Affairs
Saab

A keynote discussion featuring

HON John E. Whitley
Acting Secretary of the Army
US Department of the Army

GEN James C. McConville
Chief of Staff of the Army
US Department of the Army

Moderated by

Ms. Nancy Youssef
National Security Correspondent
The Wall Street Journal

The Commanders Series, generously supported by Saab, is the Atlantic Council’s flagship speakers’ forum for senior military and defense leaders.

The event is the latest installment of the Scowcroft Center’s Commanders Series, generously supported by Saab, which serves as the Atlantic Council’s flagship speakers’ forum for senior military and defense leaders. The series provides a platform to discuss current strategic issues with an impressive audience drawn from across Washington’s policy community, including think tanks, media, industry, embassies, and the US government.