Civilian, military leaders explore leader development during NSRT

The U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC) and the CGSC Foundation and Alumni Association hosted 18 leaders from around the country in the National Security Roundtable (NSRT) program from March 9-11, 2026. The group was comprised of 16 civilian leaders and two from the command leadership team of Army University. The theme for this NSRT was “The Converging Battlespace: Leadership at the Intersection of Innovation, Irregular Threats, and Great Power Competition.”

CGSC students from both the Command and General Staff School (CGSS) and the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) were the escorts for each individual guest. Additionally, more than 10 NSRT alumni and CGSC Foundation trustees also attended to remain connected with the Foundation and the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) and to assist with the new guests.

The NSRT program is a CGSC Foundation outreach program conducted in concert with the Command and General Staff College. During each program, civilian business and community leaders are nominated by NSRT alumni to participate. Upon arrival at Fort Leavenworth, NSRT guests are partnered with CGSC students to navigate the program as they explore topical national security issues. Over the course of three days, the guests explore the subject matter with their student escorts and have the opportunity to develop a greater appreciation for the competence and professionalism of the faculty and students, as well as an understanding of the role that Fort Leavenworth and the College play in educating mid-level military leaders. Conversely, CGSC students and faculty have the opportunity to learn about the challenges civilian leaders face in their respective industries.

On March 9, guests were welcomed at the hotel just outside Fort Leavenworth by CGSC Foundation Chairman Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Chris Hughes and President/CEO Lora Morgan and other members of the Foundation staff. The guests took advantage of an optional Fort Leavenworth tour led by Hughes, which ended at the Lewis and Clark Center where the guests had the opportunity to participate in an online interview with retired Gen. David Petraeus, as he spoke about “Great Power Competition and the Future of U.S. Strategy” and answered many questions about the current strategic environment from his perspective.

After the interview with Petraeus, Hughes led a tour of the Lewis and Clark Center, after which CGSC Foundation President/CEO Lora Morgan provided an overview of the next three days’ agenda. Fort Leavenworth Commanding General Lt. Gen. Jim Isenhower arrived to meet/greet all the guests along with CGSC Commandant Col. Ethan Diven, Command and General Staff School Director Col. David Norris, and School of Advanced Military Studies Director Col. Dwight Domengeaux, Jr. The participants also met their student escorts and spent the rest of the evening getting acquainted during the social event hosted by the Foundation.

March 10, the second day of the NSRT, began with welcome and introductions from CGSC Foundation Chairman Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Chris Hughes and Fort Leavenworth Commanding General Lt. Gen. Jim Isenhower. During his remarks, Isenhower spoke about the Army University organization and the role that CGSC plays in educating leaders for the joint force in a complex national security environment.

After Isenhower’s remarks, CGSC Commandant Col. Ethan Diven provided the “scene setter” presentation. He said that the results of the converging dynamics of innovation, irregular threats and great power competition are complex and ominous.

“[The convergence of these dynamics creates] a competition space where industrial capacity matters as much as maneuver. Horizons where supply chains are strategic terrain and forward positions are critical footholds. And a political environment where information dominance may determine campaign outcomes before the first missile or drone is fired,” Diven said. “This is not merely a military problem. It is a national one that requires our combined best efforts. – And that is precisely why this Roundtable exists.”

Diven explained that the current National Security Strategy reminds us that America’s advantages include its economy, innovation ecosystem, alliances, financial system, and industrial base. He said those advantages reside not only inside the Pentagon — but in boardrooms, laboratories, classrooms, factories, and communities across this country. And the answer, he said, is not simply more technology, it is leadership, which is the focus of CGSC.

Following a break and a group photo, faculty members from the Department of Joint, Interagency and Multinational Operations, led by Lt. Col. Tim Devine, presented the first panel discussion entitled “Great Power Competition, Irregular Threats, and AI-Enabled Warfare.” Members of the panel were Lt. Col. Tony Nelson, who explained “great power competition;” followed by Lt. Col. J.P. Smock, who made a presentation on “translating national strategic guidance” and the levels of command that graduates of the Command and General Staff Officers Course would be operating. Lt. Col. David Thompson presented “grappling with irregular threats;” and finally, Maj. Anthony Joyce spoke about “human-machine teaming,” or AI, in professional military education at CGSC. The participants had ample opportunity to ask questions and delve deeper into each of the topics discussed.

During a working lunch, Dr. Dave Cotter, CGSC dean of academics, provided the group with an overview of the recent changes in Army University and CGSC’s place within it as part of the Army’s professional military education (PME) program for officers. After the dean’s briefing and a networking break, CGSC Foundation President/CEO Lora Morgan provided the NSRT guests with an overview of the CGSC Foundation mission and its various programs to support the officer-students and their families at CGSC.

In the afternoon period, faculty members from the School of Advanced Military Studies led by Dr. Bruce Stanley, Ph.D., led a panel discussion entitled “Leading in Complex Environments.” Panel member Dr. Glen Downing, Ph.D., addressed “Systems Thinking;” Dr. Jim Greer, Ph.D., discussed “Design and Systems Thinking in the Operational Environment;” and finally, Col. Matt Furtado discussed “Complexity and Implications for Effective Organizational Leadership.” Each of the faculty members’ presentations drove home the point to the NSRT guests that CGSC, and especially the SAMS curriculum, is designed to teach students “how to think,” not “what to think.”

At the end of day two, attendees, their student escorts, and the College and Foundation leaders had dinner at the Frontier Conference Center with a feature presentation by CGSS Director Col. David Norris entitled “10 Months for 10 Years.” Norris explained in detail how the professional military education at CGSC prepares mid-level officers for the next 10 years of their careers in complex operational environments.

On March 11, the third and last day of the NSRT, guests spent the morning with their student escorts in their respective classrooms to get a closer look at CGSC subject matter and learning environment. These visits typically make the biggest impression on NSRT guests, who get to see first hand what the students are studying and how the educational process really works in CGSC classrooms.

After their time in the classrooms, the guests reconvened in the Arnold Conference Room for lunch, during which the School of Advanced Military Studies Director Col. Dwight Domengeaux, Jr., provided an overview of the SAMS program.

Following the SAMS brief, Foundation Chairman Maj. Gen. (Ret,) Chris Hughes led the final discussion panel entitled “High Intensity Conflict,” with Foundation Trustee and former Fort Leavenworth Commanding General/CGSC Commandant Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Robert Caslen, and Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Tim McGuire. Each spoke about their experiences leading and training and operating in operations formally labeled “high intensity,” versus the more recent naming convention, “large scale combat operations.”

The NSRT ended with a close out discussion led by CGSC Commandant Col. Ethan Diven. Following that discussion Diven, CGSC Cmd. Sgt. Maj. Matthew Ladd, and Foundation President/CEO Lora Morgan presented each guest with a NSRT graduation certificate. Foundation President/CEO Lora Morgan also presented each guest with a coin and each student escort with a CGSC lapel pin in appreciation for their assistance with the program.

Part of the program includes a survey for participants to provide feedback on the experience. One of the questions is the standard, “what would you change?” question, to which one participant answered: “More of it! It’s increasingly more important to build bridges between the military and civilian community.” — According to Foundation President/CEO Lora Morgan, that response effectively sums up the reason the Foundation and CGSC host the NSRT program each year.

2026 NSRT Participants

• Maj. Gen. Trevor J. Bredenkamp, President and Commanding General, Army University, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
• Cmd. Sgt. Maj. Charles Gregory, Command Sergeant Major, Army University, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
• Mr. Karl Beckstein, Senior Business Development Manager, Amazon, Raleigh, N.C.
• Ms. Angie Besendorfer, Chief Learner Experience & Success Officer, Univ. of Maryland Global Campus, Adelphi, Md.
• Mr. Matt Collins, COO, Logistics Systems, Inc., Alexandria, Va.
• Mr. Johan “Kip” Eideberg, Senior Vice President, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, Washington, D.C.
• Sgt. Nate Elwood, Sergeant, Iowa State Patrol, District 3, Council Bluffs, Iowa
• Col. (Ret.) Michael Greenberg, Senior VP, Decision Lens, Arlington, Va.
• Mr. David Johnson, President & CEO, Thrasio, Nashville, Tenn.
• Mr. Geoff Koch, VP of Product Development, McElroy Manufacturing, Tulsa, Okla.
• Mr. Marty Kobza, Superintendent, USD 469, Lansing, Kan.
• Mr. Pete Mackey, Ph. D., President, Mackey Strategies, Amherst, Mass.
• Mr. Ryan Manies, General Counsel, McCownGordon Construction, Kansas City, Mo.
• Mr. Todd Nevenhoven, SVP, COO, Wellabe, Des Moines, Iowa
• Mr. Rand Stagen, CEO, Stagen Leadership Academy, Dallas, Texas
• Mr. Steve Tolbert, CEO, Decision Lens, Arlington, Va.
• Mr. Brian Witt, VP Revenue, Rivet Work, Overland Park, Kan.
• Mr. Chris Zenthoefer, VP of Product Strategy, McElroy Manufacturing, Tulsa, Okla.

The CGSC Foundation leadership wishes to thank the sponsors of the 2026 NSRT: Foundation Trustee Terry Lillis, McElroy Manufacturing, Ferguson Hotel Development, Mr. Luke Bomer, Wellabe, Mr. Jeffrey Kramer, Robert and Clare Powell, and Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Rich Keller.

For more photos from this NSRT visit these albums on the CGSC Foundation Flickr site:

Day 1/March 9 (building tour/evening reception)

Day 2/March 10 (welcome/intros, scene setter brief, group photo, CGSS panel, CGSC Dean brief, Foundation brief, SAMS panel, dinner)

Day 3/March 11 (SAMS brief, High Intensity Conflict panel, closeout discussion, certificate presentations)