Agenda & Speakers Announced for 2021 Aspen Security Forum

July 29, 2021

United States and world leaders address critical questions about national security and foreign policy

Contact: Jon Purves
Senior Media Relations Manager
The Aspen Institute
Jon.Purves@aspeninstitute.org

Washington, DC, July 29, 2021 – The Aspen Strategy Group today confirmed the agenda and speaker lineup for the 2021 Aspen Security Forum, which will take place as a free-to-access digital event on Tuesday, August 3 and Wednesday, August 4. The annual event will feature foreign heads of government, cabinet ministers, current and former U.S. government officials, business leaders, key academics, and prominent journalists.  

Confirmed speakers in order of appearance include: 

Tuesday, August 3rd

Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore

S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India

Michèle Flournoy, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy

Julie Bishop, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia

C. Raja Mohan, Director, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore

Tomiko Ichikawa, Director General, the Japan Institute of International Affairs

Zalmay Khalilzad, Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation

David Petraeus, former Director, Central Intelligence Agency

Roya Rahmani, Ambassador of Afghanistan to the U.S.

P. Michael McKinley, former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Ambassador of the U.S. to the U.N.

Gary Gensler, Chairman, Securities and Exchange Commission

Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah bin Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Liz Cheney, U.S. Representative for Wyoming’s At-Large Congressional District

Myron Brilliant, Executive Vice President and Head of International Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce 

Mike Froman, former U.S. Trade Representative

Robert Zoellick, former President, World Bank

Susan Schwab, former U.S. Trade Representative 

Song Young-gil, President of the Democratic Party of Korea

 

Wednesday, August 4th

 Jin Liqun, President, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

Stuart Levey, CEO, Diem Association

Brad Garlinghouse, CEO, Ripple

Sigal Mandelker, former Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence 

Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology

Ron Green, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer, Mastercard

Robert Hannigan, former Director, GCHQ

Martin Rees, Royal Astronomer, the United Kingdom

Ankit Panda, Stanton Senior Fellow, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland

Paschal Donohoe, President, the Eurogroup, and Minister of Finance of Ireland

Joseph Nye, Co-Chair, the Aspen Strategy Group

Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman, the Munich Security Conference

John Aquilino, Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command

Stephen Biegun, former Deputy Secretary of State

Matt Pottinger, former Deputy National Security Advisor

Susan Shirk, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State (East Asian Bureau)

Elizabeth Economy, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution

Alok Sharma, President, COP26

Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senator from Alaska

Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senator from Alaska

And many other distinguished speakers.

“We are very pleased to welcome an impressive group of international and American leaders to the 12th annual Aspen Security Forum. They will join the global debate on the most challenging issues of our time,” said Nicholas Burns, Executive Director of the Aspen Strategy Group.

“Protecting our cyber networks, addressing China’s rising global influence, and looking at the space race of the 21st century are just a few of the compelling topics we will be covering over two days of conversation with our speakers and the world’s top journalists,” said Anja Manuel, Director of the Aspen Strategy Group.

The agenda, which is subject to change, is available here. Topics to be addressed include China’s rising influence, global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, America’s future relationship with Afghanistan, the Biden administration’s global diplomatic strategy and its trade agenda, cybersecurity and emerging technologies, the promise and peril of cryptocurrencies, UFOs and the private-sector space race, and more.

All programming will broadcast live on Zoom, with conversations running throughout both days from 8:00am ET up to 4:00pm ET. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask speakers questions during the live broadcast, and all conversations will be available to watch afterwards on the Aspen Institute’s YouTube page and the Aspen Security Forum website. Join the conversation on social media with #AspenSecurity and follow the Forum on Twitter @AspenSecurity. 

The Aspen Security Forum will also hold an in-person convening in Washington, DC, from November 2-4, 2021 with further details to be announced later in the year, alongside other virtual events throughout the rest of the year.

Editor’s Note: Media interested in covering the Aspen Security Forum are encouraged to register in advance for the freely accessible Forum here for day 1  and here for day 2. If you have questions or would like to broadcast footage from the Forum, please contact Jon Purves: Jon.Purves@aspeninstitute.org. 

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The Aspen Strategy Group’s mission is to convene decision makers in resolutely non-partisan public and private forums to address key foreign policy challenges facing the United States. The ASG organizes its annual Summer Workshop in Aspen along with Track II dialogues with Brazil, China, Europe, and India. It also presents the annual Aspen Security Forum, a three-and-a-half-day public conference that engages current and former senior U.S. administration officials, conservatives and liberals, to take part in discussions on the most vital national security challenges of our time. For more information, visit http://www.aspeninstitute.org/asg

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

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