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Johns Hopkins SAIS Merrill Center and Duke University’s Program in American Grand Strategy to host 2021 Conference on Civil-Military Relations on April 7 and 8

MEDIA ADVISORY 

The Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS and Duke University’s Program in American Grand Strategy will host the 2021 student-led conference on civil-military relations on April 7 and 8: “Politics, Protests, and the Post-Pandemic World: Civil-Military Relations Moving Forward.” The conference, supported by the America in the World Consortium, a dynamic partnership of schools seeking to create a more vibrant debate among policy-interested academics about America’s role in the world, will highlight student voices, academics, and senior leaders to objectively examine civil-military relations under the Trump administration and the challenges faced by the Biden administration.
 
Additionally, the conference will seek to develop a common understanding of what sustainable trust looks like in American civil-military relations. Discussions during the conference will focus on how partisanship, politicization, and cyberwarfare are impacting civil-military relations domestically. 

Registration

This conference is open and free to the public and media, with registration

Time and Date

Wednesday, April 7 and Thursday, April 8
5:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. EDT 

Agenda 

Wednesday, April 7

5:00 p.m.-5:15 p.m. (U.S. EDT)
Welcome and opening remarks
 
5:15 p.m.-6:15 p.m.
Panel Discussion I:  The American Public and Its Military 

Panelists

Matthew Donovan
President and CEO, Airpower Associates LLC
Former Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness, U.S. Department of Defense
Former Under Secretary of the Air Force, U.S. Department of Defense
 
Randee Farrell
Fellow, Counterterrorism and Public Policy Program at the Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University
 
Debra Wada
Senior Advisor, The Roosevelt Group
Vice Chair, National Commission on Military, National and Public Service
Former Assistant Secretary for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, U. S. Department of the Army
 
6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Panel Discussion II:  Politicization of the Military

Panelists

Jessica D. Blankshain
Assistant Professor of National Security Affairs, U.S. Naval War College
 
Eric S. Edelman
Roger Hertog Distinguished Practitioner in Residence, Philip Merrill Center at Johns Hopkins SAIS
Former U.S. Ambassador to Finland and Turkey
 
Jim Golby
Senior Fellow, Clements Center for National Security at University of Texas at Austin
Adjunct Senior Fellow, Military, Veterans, and Society Program at Center for a New American Security
Co-host, “Thank You for Your Service” Podcast 

Thursday, April 8 

5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Panel Discussion III:  Civil-Military Relations at the Senior Level
 
Panelists
Suzanne Nielsen
Professor of Political Science and Head of the Department of Social Sciences, U.S. Military Academy
 
Alexander Vindman
Ph.D. Candidate, Johns Hopkins SAIS
Retired Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army
 
Kathryn Wheelbarger
Former Acting Assistant Secretary for International Security Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense
 
6:15 p.m.-7:15 p.m.
Panel Discussion IV: A New Dimension in Civil-Military Relations: Military, Civilian Government, and the Private Sector in Cyberspace 

Panelists

David Burbach
Associate Professor of National Security Affairs, U.S. Naval War College
 
Marc Losito
Carlucci Fellow and Fellow in American Grand Strategy at the Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University
 
Thomas Rid
Professor of Strategic Studies, Johns Hopkins SAIS
 
7:15 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Closing remarks 

Media Contact

Jason Lucas
Communications Manager
Johns Hopkins SAIS
+1 (202) 663-5620
[email protected]

Merrill Center for Strategic Studies

The Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies explores the relationship between politics and the many kinds of military power, aiming to promote dialogue and innovative research on pressing national security issues. It operates as a center for strategic thought and education, promoting the study of the relationship between politics and military power to the national security community and providing graduate students with extracurricular programming. For more information, visit www.merrillcenter.sais-jhu.edu@SAISStrat (Twitter) or @SAISStrategicStudies (Facebook). 

Duke University Program in American Grand Strategy

The Duke University Program in American Grand Strategy's mission is to prepare the next generation of strategists by studying past generations and interacting with current strategic leaders. The program strives to build a research community of faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates who are committed to deepening their understanding of America’s role in the world – past, present and future. For more information, visit https://ags.duke.edu/ or @Duke_AGS

America in the World Consortium

Launched in 2018 by a team of scholar-practitioners from Johns Hopkins SAIS, Duke University, and the University of Texas-Austin, the America in the World Consortium (AWC) is a dynamic partnership of schools seeking to create a more vibrant debate among policy-interested academics about America’s role in the world. The mission of the AWC is to prepare the next generation to confront geopolitical challenges and advance American national interests and values abroad.  The Consortium seeks to achieve its mission by better training national security professionals at all levels.  The community promotes original research, a respect for intellectual diversity and provides additional experience for future practitioners and policy makers. For more information, visit: awconsortium.org.   

Johns Hopkins SAIS

A division of Johns Hopkins University, the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a global institution that offers students an international perspective on today's critical issues. For more than 75 years, Johns Hopkins SAIS has produced great leaders, thinkers, and practitioners of international relations. Public leaders and private sector executives alike seek the counsel of the faculty, whose ideas and research inform and shape policy. Johns Hopkins SAIS offers a global perspective across three campus locations: Bologna, Italy; Nanjing, China; and Washington, D.C. The school's interdisciplinary curriculum is strongly rooted in the study of international economics, international relations, and regional studies, preparing students to address multifaceted challenges in the world today.
 
For more information, visit sais.jhu.edu or on Twitter @SAISHopkins
 
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Date: 
Monday, March 29, 2021