FOUNDATION NEWS, No. 4/Winter 2008 (March 2008)

Foundation sponsors first National Security Roundtable at CGSC

Business leaders and military professionals convened at the Lewis and Clark Center Nov. 27-28, 2007, to participate in the first in a series of “National Security Roundtable” forums.

The intent of the roundtables is to bring together a forum of leaders several times each year from business, finance, industry, academia and the government sectors to discuss and examine the national security environment, in general, followed by an in- depth examination of a particular region or country.

For this first roundtable CGSC Deputy Commandant Brig. Gen. Mark E. O’Neill chose China for an in-depth look.

“We selected China because it has the largest population and one of the fastest growing economies in the world,” said O’Neill. “China also exerts great influence in the Eurasian and Asian-Pacific regions, and is an emerging world power.”

The first day of the roundtable the participants had the opportunity to tour the Lewis and Clark Center and attend a reception and dinner. O’Neill delivered some welcoming remarks and Dr. Richard Barbuto provided the group with an historical overview of Fort Leavenworth.

On the second day, participants were given a class on “National Security Strategy Formulation” by Mark Wilcox, an Assistant Professor of CGSC’s Joint Interagency & Multinational Operations department. After the class, a group of panelists led the participants through two roundtable discussions: Eurasian Flashpoints and Challenges and China: Threats, Challenges & Opportunities.

General comments from participants were that the roundtable discussions were extremely informative and intellectually stimulating.

“We’re extremely proud to be able to support such a great forum,” said CGSC Foundation CEO Bob Ulin. “These are the types of events in which we feel the Foundation can really make a difference.”