Special Operations Policy Forum 2019
New America, the Center on the Future of War and McCain Institute of Arizona State University (ASU), the Global SOF Foundation, and the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College are pleased to extend to you an invitation to attend the Special Operations Policy Forum, to be held at New America’s offices in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, September 18, 2019 beginning at 8:45AM.
The purpose of the invitation-only forum is to convene senior U.S. government leaders, leading academics, and national security policy professionals on how to confront the unconventional threats facing Special Operations Forces and how the U.S. military and U.S. government should respond to these threats. These questions extend beyond the purely hard-power and kinetic contexts and into the use of soft-power and the provision of SOF in support of foreign nations’ forces. New America, ASU, the Global SOF Foundation, and the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College are privileged to work together on this project and see this as an important step in advancing U.S. SOF policy for the future.
Opening Remarks featuring Meaghan Keeler-Pettigrew, COO, Global SOF Foundation; Peter Bergen, Vice President, Global Studies and Fellows, New America; Board Chairman, Global SOF Foundation; and Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO, New America
What Wars of the Future Will Congress Need to Plan For? featuring Rep. Adam Smith, U.S. Representative, Washington’s 9th District; Rep. Michael Waltz, U.S. Representative, Florida's 6th District; and, Rep. Seth Moulton, U.S. Representative, Massachusetts's 6th District. Moderated by Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO, New America
What Counterterrorism Lessons Can be Learned from the Bin Laden Documents? featuring Daniel Rothenberg, PhD, Co-Director, Center on the Future of War, ASU; Senior Fellow, New America and Nelly Lahoud, PhD, Senior Fellow, International Security Program, New America
What is the Future of Afghanistan? In Conversation with Ambassador Rahmani featuring H.E. Roya Rahmani, Afghan Ambassador to the United States and Peter Bergen, Vice President, Global Studies and Fellows, New America; Board Chairman, Global SOF Foundation
What is the Future of Afghanistan: Politically, Economically and Militarily? featuring Linda Robinson, Senior International/Defense Researcher, RAND Corporation; Emily King, CEO and Founder, Global Venture Consulting; Fellow, International Security Program, New America; Ioannis “Gianni” Koskinas, CEO, Hoplite Group; Senior Fellow, International Security Program, New America; and, COL Frank Stanco, Chief of Staff of the Army Senior Fellow, New America. Moderated by COL (ret.) Isaiah Wilson III, PhD, Director, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College; Fellow, International Security Program, New America
How Should Artificial Intelligence be Integrated into Special Operations? featuring BG Matthew Easley, PhD, Director, Army Artificial Intelligence, Army Futures Command and David Spirk, Chief Data Officer, U.S. Special Operations Command. Moderated by Peter W. Singer, PhD, Strategist and Senior Fellow, New America
How Do We Create Effective Networks on the Ground to Gather Local Atmospherics and Information? featuring Candace Rondeaux, Professor of Practice, Arizona State University; Senior Fellow, Center on the Future of War and Ioannis “Gianni” Koskinas, CEO, Hoplite Group; Senior Fellow, International Security Program, New America
What is the Future of Terrorism? A New America Assessment featuring David Sterman, Senior Policy Analyst, International Security Program, New America and Melissa Salyk-Virk, Senior Policy Analyst, International Security Program, New America. Moderated by Joshua Geltzer, PhD, Former Senior Director, Counterterrorism, National Security Council; 2018 ASU Future of War Fellow, New America
What is the Future of Terrorism? Response from former Senior Directors for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council featuring Luke Hartig, Former Senior Director, Counterterrorism, National Security Council; Fellow, International Security Program, New America; Joshua Geltzer, PhD, Former Senior Director, Counterterrorism, National Security Council; 2018 ASU Future of War Fellow, New America; Javed Ali, Former Senior Director, Counterterrorism, National Security Council; Policymaker in Residence, University of Michigan; and, Nicholas Rasmussen, Former Senior Director, Counterterrorism, National Security Council; Senior Director, McCain Institute. Moderated by Melissa Salyk-Virk, Senior Policy Analyst, International Security Program, New America
How Does Leadership in Special Operations Need to Evolve to Win the Future Fight? featuring MAJ Nicole Alexander, Operations Officer, U.S. Army; LTC Kevin Trujillo, National Security Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School; Col Meghan M. Ripple, Senior Military Evaluator, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Director, Operational Test and Evaluation; and, MSgt Michael W. MacKay, Enlisted Leader, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. Moderated by M. Lyla Kohistany, President and Co-Founder, PROMOTE; Director, Government Programs, Cultural Intelligence Center
What Follows the Fall of ISIS’s “Caliphate”? featuring Sinan Hatahet, PhD, Senior Fellow, Omran Center for Strategic Studies; Nate Rosenblatt, Fellow, International Security Program, New America; and, Azadeh Moaveni, Author of "Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS," 2018 ASU Future of War Fellow, New America. Moderated by Candace Rondeaux, Professor of Practice, Arizona State University; Senior Fellow with the Center on the Future of War
What is the Future of Special Operations Forces in an Era of Great Power Competition? featuring COL (Ret.) Stu Bradin, President and CEO, Global SOF Foundation and ADM (Ret.) William McRaven, Former Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command. Moderated by Nicholas Rasmussen, Former Senior Director, Counterterrorism, National Security Council; Senior Director, McCain Institute