past event

Reuters/Jason Reed - U.S. Army General Petraeus shakes hands with Committee Chairman Skelton at end of a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington
Thursday, July 31, 2008
11:30 AM to 1:00 PM
Washington, DC
Brookings’ 21st Century Defense Initiative and the U.S. Army War College hosted Rep. Ike Skelton, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, for a discussion on fostering innovative leaders within the U.S. military. Often referred to as “game changers,” these individuals are essential as the military faces a continually changing global environment. Rep. Skelton speech focused on the deep challenges the military faces in how to foster, train, integrate and retain these unique leaders.
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Defense Strategy, U.S. Military, Revolution in Military Affairs, Defense, National Security
past event

Ian Livingston - Michael Fullilove (l) converses with the Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon MP
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
Washington, DC
On July 15, the 21st Century Defense Initiative at Brookings and Lowy Institute for International Policy hosted the Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon MP, the Australian minister for defense. Minister Fitzgibbon outlined the new government’s priorities and discussed the role of the U.S.-Australia alliance in shaping peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region.
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Defense, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, Foreign Policy
past event

Reuters - General Ward, commander of U.S. Africa Command, meets with Ugandan troops in Jinja, Uganda
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
9:00 AM to 10:30 AM
Washington, DC
On May 27, Brookings’s 21st Century Defense Initiative hosted Vice Admiral Robert T. Moeller, deputy to the commander for military operations, United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), for a discussion on the aims, status and future mission for AFRICOM as it approaches its first anniversary this fall.
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Africa, Defense, U.S. Military, Defense Strategy
SPOTLIGHT: Defense

Reuters/Benjamin Dennis - U.S. Navy Air Force and Marine Corps aircraft fly over the Philippine Sea
Michael E. O'Hanlon, June 2008
The next American president will inherit an overseas military base realignment process guided by an effort known as the Global Posture Review. As Michael O'Hanlon argues, a successful outcome will depend on the next U.S. administration refining the current plan—and redefining the broader national security policy context in which base realignment will be viewed.
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Defense, Iraq, Afghanistan, China, U.S. Military
SPOTLIGHT: Defense

Reuters/Jim Bourg - U.S. Army equipment specialists demonstrate prototypes of the "Scorpion" and "Future Warrior" combat uniforms
Peter W. Singer, May 02, 2008
As the movie Iron Man debuts in theaters, Peter Singer writes that the superhuman strengths enabled to the star character, through use of a suit, are "no mere fiction." Instead, Singer details how this vision of technology overcoming the weaknesses of the human body has led the Pentagon to invest billions of dollars into creating a military of supersoldiers.
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Defense, Military Technology, U.S. Military, U.S. Department of Defense, Technology