The future of recruitment, retention, and education in national security
On March 27, the Brookings Institution’s Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology will resume holding its annual forum that convenes the federal executive fellows (FEFs) from military services and federal agencies that spend a year as scholars with the Foreign Policy program with other experts to reflect on some of the most critical issues facing the national security community.
This year’s forum will focus on the future of recruitment, retention, and education in the military and national security communities and on the importance of investing in personnel to maintain a competitive edge. The FEFs will host and moderate three panels and a keynote conversation with panelists from think tanks, academia, the private sector, and the U.S. military to discuss these matters and their role in national security in this era of great power competition.
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Agenda
Opening remarks
Michael E. O’Hanlon
Director of Research - Foreign Policy
Director - Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology
Co-Director - Africa Security Initiative
Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology
Philip H. Knight Chair in Defense and Strategy
Panel 1: Education, recruiting, and retaining talent for the future intelligence community
The first panel will consider the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for the next generation of intelligence officers in the United States and discuss whether continuing education helps retain a competent, engaged, and motivated workforce in the intelligence community.
John C. Gannon
Former Assistant Director of Analysis and Production - Central Intelligence Agency
Former Chairman - National Intelligence Council
Amy Kardell
Dean of the College of Strategic Intelligence - National Intelligence University
Cynthia G. Snyder
Assistant Director of National Intelligence for Human Capital - Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Scott Englund
Assistant Dean - College of Strategic Intelligence
Federal Executive Fellow - Foreign Policy, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology
Panel 2: Recruiting talented people
The second panel will assess limiting factors and practical solutions for recruiting talented people into the national security enterprise.
Katherine L. Kuzminski
Senior Fellow and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society (MVS) Program - Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
Thomas Spoehr
Director, Center for National Defense - Heritage Foundation
Lt. Gen. - U.S. Army (retired)
Marcos A. Melendez III
Colonel - United States Marine Corps
Federal Executive Fellow - Foreign Policy, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology
Panel 3: Retaining talented people
Once personnel have been recruited into the national security enterprise, retention is essential. The third panel will focus on ways to meet the needs of the individuals and retain a robust military, civilian, and private sector workforce capable of ensuring national security.
Meredith Kleykamp
Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Sociology, Director of the Center for Research on Military Organization - University of Maryland
Heidi Urben
Professor of Practice and Director of External Education and Outreach - Georgetown University
Brad McNally
Captain - U.S. Coast Guard
Federal Executive Fellow - Foreign Policy, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology
Keynote
Lori Robinson
Nonresident Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology
Jason Wolff
Colonel - United States Air Force
Federal Executive Fellow - Foreign Policy, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology
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