Please join the Scowcroft Center’s Forward Defense program for our latest event titled “Prevailing in an Age of Danger.” This event will take place on Tuesday, May 30, 2023 from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. ET in-person and via Zoom. Register by filling out the form on the right.

While competition with China and Russia remains the dominant factor driving US security strategy, the United States must now also contend with a myriad of new and emerging military and nonmilitary challenges including drones, cybersecurity, pandemics, and climate change. Yet, the US defense ecosystem, particularly the Pentagon and intelligence community, is stuck in the past and still designed to address post-9/11 counterterrorism problem sets. The US national security apparatus must adopt an agile and less military-centric approach to address today’s complex, varied, and dynamic challenges. This event will explore how the US intelligence community and Department of Defense can adapt to better detect, deter, and defeat emerging security threats.

The discussion will feature Thom Shanker and Andrew Hoehn, whose recently released book titled “Age of Danger: Keeping America Safe in an Era of New Superpowers, New Weapons, and New Threats” argues that the US national security apparatus must be retooled to rapidly respond to today’s global security challenges. We will be joined by the book authors, alongside a distinguished panel of experts, to discuss how US leaders should craft strategies and policies to prepare for and address emerging security issues. To register to attend in-person or receive the virtual Zoom link, please complete the form on the right.

Keynote remarks by

Gen Richard Myers, USAF (ret.)

15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, US Department of Defense

Fireside chat featuring

Thom Shanker

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council; Director, Project for Media and National Security, The George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs

Andrew R. Hoehn

Senior Vice President, Research and Analysis, RAND Corporation

Panel discussion featuring

John K. Culver

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Global China Hub, Atlantic Council

Jaclyn Levy

Director, US Policy, AMR Action Fund

Erin Sikorsky

Director, The Center for Climate and Security; Director, The International Military Council on Climate and Security

Tom Wingfield

Senior International Defense Researcher, RAND Corporation

Moderated by

Helene Cooper

Pentagon Correspondent,
New York Times

Forward Defense

Forward Defense, housed within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, generates ideas and connects stakeholders in the defense ecosystem to promote an enduring military advantage for the United States, its allies, and partners. Our work identifies the defense strategies, capabilities, and resources the United States needs to deter and, if necessary, prevail in future conflict.