Presented by The International Institute for Strategic Studies-Americas and the Kaplan Public Service Foundation.
You are invited to a joint IISS/KPSF Program on the current state of the United States Armed Forces. Moderated by Dr. Genevieve Lester, our speakers will explore the ongoing evolution of the United States Military in the 21st century. Our panelists, who join us from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) 2019-2020 Military Fellows Program, will draw upon their expertise from their respective branches to highlight current and future trends. This event is organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies-Americasin partnership with the Kaplan Public Service Foundation, an organization focused on educating and informing the public on the mission, heroism, and challenges faced by the United States Military.
Please join us on Tuesday, November 5, from 6:00 to 7:30pm at One Grand Central Place, 60 East 42nd Street, First Floor Conference Center, New York, NY 10165. There will be a reception beginning at 6:00pm, and the program will run from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. Please RSVP by clicking the button above or emailingevents-washington@iiss.org as soon as possible.
DISCUSSION
Reception 6:00-6:30pm
Discussion with Q&A 6:30-7:30pm
LOCATION
One Grand Central Place
60 East 42nd Street
First Floor Conference Center
New York, NY 10165
SPEAKERS
Colonel Curtis R. Bass
Military Fellow, United States Air Force, Council on Foreign Relations
Colonel Michael A. Brooks
Military Fellow, United States Marine Corps, Council on Foreign Relations
Colonel Michael J. Jackson
Military Fellow, United States Army, Council on Foreign Relations
Captain Brian L. Sittlow
Military Fellow, United States Navy, Council on Foreign Relations
Captain Edward M. St. Pierre
Military Fellow, United States Coast Guard, Council on Foreign Relations
Chair
Dr. Genevieve Lester
Francis W. DeSerio Chair for Strategic and Theater Intelligence, The United States Army War College
Colonel Curtis R. Bass of the US Air Force most recently commanded the 461st Air Control Wing at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia and the 609th Combined Air Operations Center in Southwest Asia. Bass is a Master Air Battle Manager with more than 2,500 hours in the E-3 AWACS and E-8 Joint STARS command and control aircraft. He has commanded at the squadron, group, and wing levels. He has served on the personal staff of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Commander of Air Forces Central Command, and the North American Aerospace Defense Command Operations staff. Bass received his commission in the US Air Force from Mississippi State University Air Force ROTC. He holds a BA in international relations and law from Mississippi State University, an MA in military operational art and science from Air University, and an MA in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College.
Colonel Michael A. Brooks of the US Marine Corps has commanded in combat at the company, battalion, and brigade levels, most recently commanding a multinational special operations task force in Iraq. Brooks is a special operations officer with experience in counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations. He has served in the Navy Secretariat and the Joint Staff within the Department of Defense. He holds a BS in political science from the Naval Academy and an MS in national security studies from the National War College.
Colonel Michael J. Jackson of the US Army has served as Chief for Information Operations and Special Activities at the brigade, division, theater special operations command, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operational, and global combatant command levels. Jackson is an Information Operations Officer with extensive experience integrating information–related capabilities across the Department of Defense, within the whole of the US government, with NATO allies, and with partner nations. His assignments include positions at the US European Command, Special Operations Command Europe, NATO, First Armored Division, First Infantry Division, and Second Infantry Division. His overseas assignments include Germany, Portugal, Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, and Kosovo. He earned a BA from Ohio University, an MS from Naval Postgraduate School, and an MMAS from the College of International Security Affairs.
Captain Brian L. Sittlow of the US Navy commanded Submarine Squadron 4 and USS Boise and has held a variety of other leadership positions throughout his career in the submarine force. Sittlow has conducted several deployments in the Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific Oceans on fast attack and strategic ballistic missile submarines. He earned a degree in marine engineering from the Naval Academy, received an MA in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College, and was the first American to complete the Norwegian Submarine Command “Perisher” Course.
Captain Edward M. St. Pierre of the US Coast Guard has commanded three Coast Guard cutters including the Anacapa, the Venturous, and the Morgenthau. St. Pierre’s staff assignments include Coast Guard Senate liaison, Chief of the Office of counter narcotics and law enforcement training at US Africa Command, Director of the Coast Guard National Command Center, and chief of staff to the Coast Guard Atlantic Area commander. He is a graduate of the Coast Guard Academy and earned an MBA from Virginia Tech, an MS in defense and strategic studies from the Naval War College, as well as an MS in national security and strategic studies from the National War College.
Dr. Genevieve Lester is the DeSerio Chair of Strategic and Theater Intelligence and an Associate Professor at the US Army War College. Prior to her position at the US Army War College, Dr. Lester was an assistant professor in the National Defense University’s Joint Special Operations Master of Arts program, located at Fort Bragg. Previously, Dr Lester served as the Visiting Assistant Professor and Faculty Coordinator of Intelligence Studies and Faculty Coordinator for Analytic Methods at the Security Studies Program, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, a Senior Fellow at the Center for Security Studies also at Georgetown. She also served as a Senior Research Fellow and lecturer at the University of California, Washington Center, a Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC, and a Research Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. She was also a Fulbright Scholar at the Technical University in Berlin. She holds a PhD and MA in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. She recently published her first book, When Should State Secrets Stay Secret? Accountability, Democratic Governance, and Intelligence with Cambridge University Press.