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Please join the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and its Forward Defense practice area for a public conversation on “The Future of US National Security,” featuring former National Security Advisors Gen James L. Jones, the Hon. Robert McFarlane, and Amb. John R. Bolton. This latest event in the #ACElections2020 Series and the Commanders Series will take place on Monday, October 19, 2020 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. EDT, and will be held online through Zoom video-conference technology. To receive the Zoom link, please register by clicking the REGISTER button above.
In accordance with the legacy of our late namesake, former National Security Advisor General Brent Scowcroft, the Scowcroft Center seeks to convene a strategic conversation, beyond the politics of the moment, on future security challenges and how US national security strategists might address them. The United States simply cannot afford solely to address today’s and tomorrow’s threats. Instead, policymakers must look beyond the horizon to develop comprehensive national strategies to best position the country, working closely with our allies, for sustained, long-term success. Therefore, this conversation will address key security threats and priorities for the next Presidential administration (be it Democratic or Republican) and beyond, suggesting a path forward for the United States as it enters a particularly complex security and defense environment over the next two decades.
This long-term, nonpartisan focus is essential, as today’s daunting challenges are redefining national security and defense. Over the course of 2020, the coronavirus has caused hundreds of thousands of casualties, ravaged economies around the world, and impacted military readiness, definitively proving that the homeland is no longer a sanctuary from the most dangerous security threats. Adversaries have undoubtedly taken notice, and almost certainly will seek to add biological weapons to their expanding arsenal of asymmetric tools like cyberattacks and disinformation. Meanwhile, great-power competition is likely to further intensify as the decade proceeds, as China leverages economic coercion, a rapidly modernizing military force, world-leading technology investments, and an increasingly sophisticated hybrid toolset to achieve revisionist goals across the world.
Having served as Assistants to the President for National Security Affairs (more commonly referred to as National Security Advisors) under three different presidential administrations, Gen James L. Jones, the Hon. Robert McFarlane, and Amb. John R. Bolton will join us to share their extensive experience in harnessing national power and building interagency consensus to combat complicated security challenges. This conversation will be moderated by Vivian Salama, National Security Correspondent at CNN.
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.
Opening remarks by:
Mr. Michael Andersson
Board Director, Atlantic Council; Head of Strategic Partnerships & International Affairs, Saab
Featured panelists:
Amb. John R. Bolton
27th National Security Advisor to the President of the United States
Moderated by:
Commanders Series
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.
America’s role in the world
Join the Atlantic Council for conversations on the most critical issues at the intersection of domestic and international affairs that will influence this year’s US elections.
This event is also part of the Atlantic Council’s Elections 2020: America’s Role in the World, a series of conversations on the top foreign policy priorities for the next four years, featuring the most prominent voices shaping the national dialogue. From the Conventions to the Elections, the series will explore key questions concerning America’s role and interests in the world, bringing a foreign policy perspective to the conversation and addressing the most critical issues at the intersection between the domestic and international spheres.