Seminar Video and Photo Albums
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The 69th U.S. Army War College (USAWC) annual National Security Seminar (NSS), held on June 3-6, 2024, was the capstone event for this academic year's resident course. The NSS brought 160 guests from across the country to the USAWC, allowing them to meet and engage with this year's 366 resident course graduates, including 75 international officers from 72 different countries. The U.S. graduates are America's future strategic leaders, thinkers, and advisors. International graduates of the USAWC have reached the highest levels of leadership in their respective countries. The NSS also provided an opportunity for the U.S. students to better understand the society they serve and for the international officers to gain an appreciation for the diverse opinions among the American population.
The NSS kicked off with an icebreaker reception for arriving guests at the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center on the evening of Sunday, June 2. The NSS officially opened on Monday, June 3, with a formal welcome address in Bliss Auditorium by the Commandant, Major General David C. Hill, followed by NSS guests meeting with the students in one of 24 seminar groups. In the afternoon, the Honorable David Norquist, currently President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Defense Industrial Association (who previously served as the 34th Deputy Defense Secretary), served as the first guest speaker of the NSS program. Mr. Norquist presented on industry's role in national strategy and today's challenging strategic environment. He stressed the central role of industrial preparedness in deterrence. After Mr. Norquist's talk and robust discussion with the audience, NSS participants returned to their seminars to explore its topics in greater detail. That evening, each seminar gathered for dinner at various locations around Carlisle to socialize and review the day's events.
On Tuesday morning, NSS guests attended a “Meet Your Army” event at the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center. The event allowed guests to meet Army soldiers and noncommissioned officers from Carlisle Barracks and the local area, interact with soldiers in equipment stations, and learn more about the Army's history and current-day roles and composition. In the afternoon, Dr. Shannon French, the Inamori Professor in Ethics at Case Western Reserve University, discussed the challenges artificial intelligence poses to military ethics. She emphasized that AI must augment human professional judgment; its use does not abdicate moral responsibilities. NSS participants spent the rest of the afternoon discussing French's ideas in more depth. The day's final event was a reception at the Commandant's residence, where students, faculty, and NSS guests enjoyed a social mixer and networked with their seminar colleagues and guests.
On Wednesday, Professor Michael Neiberg chaired a four-person faculty panel focused on the future of regional security. Prof. Michele Devlin detailed the polar regions' strategic challenges, including climate change. Prof. Nelly Lahoud explored the security challenges of the Middle East, including the current war in Gaza. Prof. Zenel Garcia, provided his thoughts on the challenge that China poses to the Western Pacific and globally. Finally, Prof. Neiberg examined the future of security in Europe, especially the war in Ukraine and NATO. Each panelist then engaged in discussion with the NSS participants. Following the panel and subsequent seminar discussion, USAWC historians led the NSS guests and their spouses on a Gettysburg Battlefield tour.
Dutch Admiral Robert Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, was Thursday morning's guest speaker. His speech coincided with the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, and he began his remarks by highlighting that this international crusade to liberate Europe preserved democracy and led to the formation of NATO. Admiral Bauer's remarks emphasized that NATO is a military alliance with profound economic and cultural ties. He discussed current challenges and opportunities for NATO, from the war in Ukraine to the expansion of NATO. Admiral Bauer engaged with the audience in a lively, informative, and at times humorous discussion. The Commandant then closed the week with his concluding remarks, thanking the NSS participants for the part each played in making the event a noteworthy success.
The 2024 NSS was an engaging and thought-provoking week. NSS guests provided positive feedback, highlighting the opportunity they received in their seminar groups to discuss issues and to understand the perspective of rising military and government leaders. Keys to this year's NSS success were the diversity of the NSS guests and excellent distinguished speakers.