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With President Obama nominating Ashton Carter, a former Deputy Secretary of Defense, for the top job at the Pentagon, the Department of Defense (DoD) is at a crossroads. Carter, slated to become President Obama’s fourth Secretary of Defense, will face a number of institutional and national security challenges – all of which will require him to draw from his vast experience in the department. Obvious objectives will include the formulation of a more effective strategy against ISIS, a determination on how to counter a revanchist Russia, tackling elements of defense reform, and the restoration of budgets that are consistent with the unpredictable strategic operating environment in which U.S. forces find themselves.

Join us for a discussion of the defense and foreign policy issues that Ashton Carter is sure to face as Secretary of Defense and what to look for during his confirmation hearing.

More About the Speakers

Daniel Gouré, Ph.D.
Vice President, Lexington Institute

Bryan McGrath
Deputy Director, Center for American Seapower, Hudson Institute

Jerry McGinn, Ph.D.
President, McGinn Defense Consulting LLC

Michaela Dodge
Policy Analyst, Defense and Strategic Policy, The Heritage Foundation

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Christopher Griffin
Executive Director, Foreign Policy Initiative