On Thursday, November 13th, the Clements Center for National Security, the Robert M. Gates Global Policy Center, and the Strauss Center for International Security and Law hosted “Beyond the Battlefield: Influence, Incentive, and Coercion in the New Era of Great Power Competition,” the sixth installment of our Texas National Security Forum. After a five-year hiatus, this signature conference returned to Austin, convening top voices from government, academia, and the private sector to examine how the instruments of national power are evolving in a new strategic era.

We hosted the Honorable Robert M. Gates, former Secretary of Defense and Director of Central Intelligence, for a keynote conversation with Will Inboden, Executive Vice President and Provost of the University of Texas at Austin. We also featured General (Ret.) Vince Brooks, U.S. Army, General (Ret.) Peter W. Chiarelli, U.S. Army, and General (Ret.) Tod Wolters, U.S. Air Force, for a keynote panel, and renowned defense expert Kori Schake for a conversation with Paul Edgar, Deputy Executive Director of the Clements Center.

In an era of renewed great power competition, the tools of influence extend far beyond the battlefield. This conference explored how diplomacy, economic statecraft, intelligence, emerging technologies, and historical lessons inform the United States’ ability to shape the global environment without overreliance on military force. As current and future leaders confront rising global challenges, these tools are more critical than ever to protecting American interests and sustaining leadership. Through a series of focused panels, a keynote address from Robert Gates, and a keynote conversation with senior military leaders, we examined how all instruments of national power must be integrated into a comprehensive strategy to sustain American leadership and counter rival powers. The event brought together senior policymakers, scholars, military leaders, and practitioners to chart a path forward for U.S. national security in the 21st century.

AGENDA

9:00 am • Doors open

Coffee available

9:15 am – 9:30 am • Welcome Remarks

Joe Maguire, Executive Director, Clements Center for National Security

9:30 am – 10:30 am • Keynote Conversation: “The Return of Strategic Competition”

• The Honorable Robert M. Gates, Former Secretary of Defense and Director of Central Intelligence
• Moderator: Will Inboden, Provost and Executive Vice President of The University of Texas at Austin

10:30 am – 11:30 am • A Conversation on National Security Strategy

• Kori Schake, Senior Fellow and Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute; Former Member of the National Security Council and the Department of State Policy Planning Staff
• Moderator: Paul Edgar, Deputy Executive Director, Clements Center for National Security

11:30 am – 12:30 pm • Keynote Panel: “Commanding Beyond Combat: Military Leadership in the Struggle for Global Influence”

• General (Ret.) Vince Brooks, U.S. Army, Former Commander, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea; Distinguished National Security Fellow, Clements Center for National Security and Strauss Center for International Security and Law
• General (Ret.) Peter W. Chiarelli, U.S. Army, 32nd Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, President of the Robert M. Gates Global Policy Center
• General (Ret.) Tod Wolters, U.S. Air Force, Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander of U.S. European Command
• Moderator: Angelica Martinez, Associate Director, Clements Center for National Security

12:30 pm – 1:00 pm • Lunch

Buffet lunch provided for participants and registered guests
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm • Panel One: Intelligence and Technology

• Kelly Magsamen, Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs
• Paul Pope, Senior Fellow at the Intelligence Studies Project
• Alexandra Sukalo, Assistant Professor of National Security Affairs at the LBJ School of Public Affairs; Senior National Security Fellow at the Clements Center for National Security
• Moderator: Adam Klein, Director of the Strauss Center for International Security and Law

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm • Panel Two: Diplomacy and Economic Statecraft

• Himamauli Das, Senior Managing Director and Counsel; K2 Integrity; Former Director, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (Acting)
• Simone Ledeen, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East
• Ambassador (Ret.) David C. Litt, Executive Director Emeritus, Institute for Defense & Business, Chapel Hill, NC; Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates
• Vince Trovato, CEO of Global Strategies; Senior National Security Fellow at the Clements Center for National Security
• Moderator: Michael Anderson, Professor of Instruction and Director, International Relations and Global Studies, The University of Texas at Austin

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm • Panel Three: Information, Development and Humanitarian Assistance

• Daniel Balke, Former Senior Policy Advisor to United States Agency for International Development (USAID); Current Employee of a Multilateral Institution
• Michael Greene, Senior Foreign Service Officer with USAID (Retired)
• Mark Pomar, Senior National Security Fellow, Clements Center for National Security; Former Director of the USSR Division at the Voice of America
• Moderator: Kate Weaver, Associate Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs; Executive Director of Operations, Innovations for Peace and Development, The University of Texas at Austin

4:00 pm • Forum Adjourns

Add to My Calendar