Join the Strauss Center for International Security and Law and the Clements Center for National Security on Tuesday, September 22, for “The Law of the Sea Treaty at Risk,” with former Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter. The Law of the Sea Treaty was the product of the third UN convention on law of the sea held from 1973 to 1982 with more than 160 states participating. Currently, however, many states, including the US and Iran, still have not ratified the treaty. Furthermore, some states that have ratified the treaty, such as the PRC, blatantly ignore treaty provisions. At a time when maritime commerce represents over 80% of world trade, can the international community let this treaty effectively become irrelevant? Join Secretary Winter as he answers these questions.
Biography
Dr. Donald C. Winter is an independent consultant supporting national and international security interests in the US and allied nations. He served as the 74th Secretary of the Navy from January 2006 to March 2009. As Secretary of the Navy, he led America’s Navy and Marine Corps Team and was responsible for an annual budget of over $125 billion and almost 900,000 people. Dr. Winter’s prior business career in the aerospace and defense industry spanned over 30 years as a systems engineer, program manager and corporate executive.
From 2009 to 2020, he was a Professor of Practice at the University of Michigan where he taught graduate level courses on systems engineering, satellite design, and maritime policy. He was reappointed to this role in 2024. Since 2011 he has served in multiple roles assisting the Commonwealth of Australia in their efforts to reconstruct the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet and establish a sustainable shipbuilding capability. During 2019 to 2021 he also served as the US DoD’s Senior Defense Industry Advisor for Ukraine. Dr. Winter was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 2002 and served as its chair from 2020 to 2024.