US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars President and CEO Jane Harman, and American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Anthony Romero at the 2013 Aspen Security Forum.
The continuing conflict in the Middle East, the geopolitical rise of China, and the future of warfare are just a few of the topics that will be discussed at the 2014 Aspen Security Forum from July 23 to 26 in Aspen, Colorado. The Forum will bring together high-ranking security and military officials, ambassadors, and top experts to discuss some of the world’s conflicts, and the US’ role in helping to solve these issues.
Scroll down for our top five Forum discussions that you won’t want to miss. Mark your calendars so that you can watch these events as they happen on the Forum’s livestream page, and share your comments by tweeting us at @AspenInstitute.
Note: The times listed are in Mountain Time.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
6:00 – 7:00 PM MDT
“This We’ll Defend:” The Army’s Role in Defending the Nation Against Today’s Security and Fiscal Challenges : The US Army’s chief of staff surveys the foreboding global scene and explains how the Army can rise to meet the threats facing us, despite fewer troops and less money.
- Gen. Ray Odierno, chief of staff, US Army
- Moderator: David Sanger, chief Washington correspondent, The New York Times
Thursday, July 24, 2014
12:45 – 1:45 PM MDT
Assessing the Department of Homeland Security: Are we safer today than we were when DHS was created more than a decade ago? What progress has it made? What more must it do to secure the homeland?
- Jeh Johnson, secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security
- Moderator: Dina Temple-Raston, counterterrorism correspondent, NPR
5:30 – 6:30 PM MDT
Bringing into Balance the Military Instrument of Power: With a war-weary public and a declining military budget, but no end of security threats from one end of the globe to the other, what should be the military’s role in countering these threats?
- Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense
- Moderator: Lesley Stahl, correspondent, “60 Minutes,” CBS News
Friday, July 25, 2014
4:00 – 5:00 PM MDT
“Pivoting” to Asia: This session will explore the geopolitical rise of China, the threat it poses to its neighbors in the region, and the implications for American security.
- Daniel Russel, assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State
- Amb. Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, ambassador of Singapore to the US
- Amb. Christopher Hill, former assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; dean, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver
- Moderator: Josh Rogin, senior correspondent, The Daily Beast
Saturday, July 26, 2014
2:45 – 4:00 PM MDT
The Mideast in Crisis, Again: Various experts weigh in with their views as to what, if anything, can be done to resolve the many conflicts roiling the region.
- Amb. Mohamed Tawfik, ambassador of Egypt to the US
- Amb. Robert Ford, former ambassador of the US to Syria; senior fellow, Middle East Institute
- Gen. James Mattis (Ret.), former commander, US Central Command; distinguished fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
- Amb. Dennis Ross, former special assistant to the president and senior director for the central region, National Security Council; William Davidson Distinguished Fellow and Counselor, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
- Moderator: Margaret Brennan, correspondent, CBS News
5:15 – 6:15 PM MDT
The Global Threat Picture as the Defense Intelligence Agency Sees It: The director of the Pentagon’s intelligence agency gives us his take on the security challenges of the day and a preview of those to come.
- Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, director, Defense Intelligence Agency
- Moderator: Evan Perez, justice and national security reporter, CNN
