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Thursday January 8, 2009

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Past Event

Opportunity 08

The State of the Military Today

Defense, U.S. Military, Revolution in Military Affairs, Defense Strategy


Event Summary

The next President will inherit the role of commander in chief of a military that boasts unmatched power and capability. However, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have stretched that military thin. On June 29, the Opportunity 08 project at the Brookings Institution, in conjunction with Brookings 21st Century Defense Initiative, examined the state of the United States military today and the challenges it faces for the future.

Event Information

When

Friday, June 29, 2007
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM

Where

Falk Auditorium
The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Map

Contact: Brookings Office of Communications

E-mail: events@brookings.edu

Phone: 202.797.6105

Participants included Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow in Foreign Policy Studies and director of Opportunity 08; Brookings Senior Fellow and Director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative, Peter Singer; Brookings Senior Fellow and former Bush Administration Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Rodman; and Retired Lieutenant U.S. General Dan Christman.

Martha Raddatz, ABC news chief and White House correspondent, moderated the discussion which examined the war in Iraq and beyond, the threats of modern day warfare and how our next President should proceed to ensure that troops remain strong and proficient. As well as how the current administration should do in its remaining 18 months in office.

Opportunity 08 aims to help presidential candidates and the public focus on critical issues facing the nation, providing ideas, policy forums, and information on a broad range of domestic and foreign policy questions.

Transcript

PETER SINGER: As part of Opportunity 08, Mike asked us to wrestle with the challenges that the next President will face, whoever that is, and when it comes to the role as Commander and Chief, it's a good-news/bad-news story. The good news for them is that they'll become commander-in-chief of the best-trained, best-equipped, most educated force not only out there today but probably in history. The bad news is that that excellence is under siege as it's never been before in the period of the all-volunteer force.

Participants

Moderator

Martha Raddatz

ABC News Chief and White House Correspondent

Panelists

Lieutenant General Dan Christman

Retired U.S. General

Michael E. O'Hanlon

Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy

Peter W. Rodman

Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy

Peter W. Singer

Director, 21st Century Defense Initiative


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