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About the series

The Commanders Series, generously supported by Saab, is 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. In 2020, the Atlantic Council hosted Chief of Staff of the US Army General James C. McConville, Commander of US Transportation Command General Stephen R. Lyons, Commanding General of the US Army Futures Command General John M. Murray, then-Chief of the National Guard Bureau General Joseph L. Lengyel, Department of the Air Force Secretary Barbara M. Barrett, then-Chief of Staff of the US Air Force General David L. Goldfein, Chief of Space Operations General John W. Raymond, and former US National Security Advisors General James L. Jones, the Honorable Robert McFarlane, and Ambassador John R. Bolton.

Upcoming & recent events

Fri, September 17, 2021 • 2:15 pm ET

Toward integrated deterrence: A conversation with vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen John E. Hyten, USAF

Vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen John E. Hyten, USAF discusses the way forward for US defense and deterrence as part of Forward Defense’s Commanders Series.
China Defense Industry Defense Policy Defense Technologies
Photo: U.S. Air Force
Thu, July 1, 2021 • 3:30 pm ET

Fight and flight in modern air warfare: A conversation with Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen Charles Q. Brown, Jr.

US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen Charles Q. Brown, Jr. discusses the Department’s priorities in preparing for twenty-first century warfare as a part of Forward Defense’s Commanders Series.
Cybersecurity Defense Industry Defense Policy Defense Technologies
Wed, June 9, 2021 • 2:15 pm ET

Competition and deterrence in Europe: A conversation with General Tod D. Wolters, USEUCOM Commander and SACEUR

Ahead of the NATO Summit, General Wolters, Commander of US European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, discusses NATO’s new approach to everyday competition and how the United States can prevail in twenty-first century warfare.
Crisis Management Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia NATO
Mon, May 10, 2021 • 1:00 pm ET

Advancing Army priorities for the future of warfare: A conversation with the Acting Secretary and the Chief of Staff of the Army

Acting Secretary of the Army HON John E. Whitley and Chief of Staff of the Army GEN James C. McConville discuss the US Army’s priorities and posture in light of emerging security threats and a potentially difficult budget as a part of Forward Defense’s Commanders Series events.
Defense Policy Defense Technologies Missile Defense National Security
Photo: US Army Flickr
Mon, October 19, 2020 • 10:00 am ET

The future of US national security

An #ACELECTIONS2020 and COMMANDERS SERIES Event: Former National Security Advisors Gen James L. Jones, the Hon. Robert McFarlane, and Amb. John R. Bolton address key security threats and priorities for the next Presidential administration and beyond.
China Coronavirus Crisis Management Defense Policy
Tue, July 21, 2020 • 1:30 pm ET

North Star: The first Department of the Air Force Arctic strategy

ONLINE EVENT – The Secretary of the Air Force and two members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff launch the Air Force’s Arctic Strategy, the Department of the Air Force’s first service-specific strategy for the region.
Defense Policy Energy & Environment Intelligence National Security
Thu, May 28, 2020 • 3:30 pm ET

War against the invisible: Heroism and sacrifice in the National Guard’s response to the coronavirus

ONLINE EVENT – Gen. Joseph L. Lengyel, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, joins the Atlantic Council’s Commanders Series to discuss stories of heroism from the National Guard’s response to the Coronavirus and the Guard’s plans to move forward while the pandemic continues.
Coronavirus Crisis Management National Security United States and Canada

Distinguished speakers we’ve hosted

The future Army in great-power competition: A conversation with Army Chief of Staff James McConville

In a renewed era of great-power competition, Army Chief of Staff James C. McConville joins the Atlantic Council’s Commanders Series to discusses how the Army is preparing itself for the future of geostrategic competition and military conflict.

The future of the Army in great-power competition: A conversation with SECARMY Mark Esper

In this installment of the Commanders Series, Secretary of the Army Mark Esper addresses the modernization priorities of the US Army. He discusses how the Army sees its role in a new era of great-power competition, reviewing how great-power rivals pose a challenge to the Army’s current posture in Europe and Asia.

US military strategy in the era of great-power competition: A conversation with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Drawing on more than four decades of distinguished service in the US Marine Corps, General Joseph F. Dunford joins the Atlantic Council’s Commanders Series to discuss the US military priorities of today and into the 2020s. In this conversation moderated by CNN’s Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr, General Dunford focuses on challenges to US military superiority; US military approaches to combating long-term threats; and maintaining dominance and lethality in all domains (air, sea, land, space, and cyber).

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All Commanders Series events

Fri, September 17, 2021 • 2:15 pm ET

Toward integrated deterrence: A conversation with vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen John E. Hyten, USAF
China Defense Industry Defense Policy Defense Technologies
Thu, July 1, 2021 • 3:30 pm ET

Fight and flight in modern air warfare: A conversation with Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen Charles Q. Brown, Jr.
Cybersecurity Defense Industry Defense Policy Defense Technologies
Mon, May 10, 2021 • 1:00 pm ET

Advancing Army priorities for the future of warfare: A conversation with the Acting Secretary and the Chief of Staff of the Army
Defense Policy Defense Technologies Missile Defense National Security
Mon, October 19, 2020 • 10:00 am ET

The future of US national security
China Coronavirus Crisis Management Defense Policy
Tue, July 21, 2020 • 1:30 pm ET

North Star: The first Department of the Air Force Arctic strategy
Defense Policy Energy & Environment Intelligence National Security
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Oct 5, 2018

The Next Battle of the Atlantic? A Conversation with Admiral James G. Foggo on Transatlantic Security

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US Marine Corps: A Strategic Look with General Neller

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May 4, 2017

Commanders Series Event with Chief of Staff of the Army General Mark Milley

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On May 4, the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center for International Security hosted Chief of Staff of the Army General Mark Milley at the Army and Navy Club on Farragut Square in downtown Washington DC. Dr. Nora Bensahel interviewed General Milley after his opening statements and a welcome by former Secretary of the Army John […]

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Dec 20, 2016

A Call for the Transatlantic Community to Stand Up to Russia

Deborah Lee James, secretary of the US Air Force, said the transatlantic community is facing significant challenges In light of numerous instances of Russian aggression around the world, the transatlantic security community must stand together in a coordinated show of force so as to deter Russian revanchism, Deborah Lee James, secretary of the US Air […]

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Jul 13, 2016

US SOUTHCOM: A Strategic Look with ADM Kurt W. Tidd

By Alex Ward

On July 13 the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security hosted a Commanders Series event with Admiral Kurt W. Tidd, the Commander of US Southern Command, on US SOUTHCOM’s strategy for Latin America. The issues discussed included the strategy that SOUTHCOM was asked to execute, how SOUTHCOM aims to execute that strategy, and […]

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Forward Defense, housed within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, shapes the debate around the greatest military challenges facing the United States and its allies, and creates forward-looking assessments of the trends, technologies, and concepts that will define the future of warfare.

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