The Future of Global Engagement: A Discussion with Adm. Michael G. Mullen

On May 18, the 21st Century Defense Initiative at Brookings hosted Admiral Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Admiral Mullen discussed the nature of global military engagements over the next decade and how our national security institutions should assess the future spectrum of threats in order to properly organize, resource and respond.

Admiral Mullen is the highest ranking officer in the United States armed forces and serves as the principal military adviser to the president, the secretary of defense, the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council. He has served for over 40 years in a wide variety of assignments at sea and on shore, in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. He is known as an operational innovator and a military leader who supports a forward-thinking security strategy that encompasses civilian as well as military operations.

Brookings Senior Fellow Peter W. Singer, director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative and author of the new book Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century (Penguin Group, 2009), provided introductory remarks. Senior Fellow Michael O’Hanlon, author of the forthcoming Budgeting for Hard Power: Defense and Security Spending Under Barack Obama (Brookings Institution Press, 2009), moderated the discussion. After the program, Admiral Mullen took audience questions.