Distinguished Speaker Series – NATO’s Ambitious Agenda and Challenges – Preparing for the Future

You are invited to a Distinguished Speaker Series dinner event on April 15, 2026, at the Riverfront Community Center in downtown Leavenworth, Kansas (123 S. Esplanade St.). A reception begins at 5:30 p.m., the buffet dinner starts at 6 p.m. and the presentation will begin at 7 p.m.

In recognition of the 77th anniversary of NATO April 4, 2026, this edition of the Distinguished Speaker Series features a presentation by Maj. Gen. (Ret.) William Hickman, a veteran with extensive NATO experience. Hickman will lead a discussion on NATO’s evolution since the Cold War, its current 360-degree approach to deterrence and defense, and emerging challenges to alliance cohesion. He assisted in drafting NATO’s first military strategy since the Cold War, initiated work on NATO’s Warfighting Capstone Concept, and represented Allied Command Transformation at NATO’s Defense Planning, which focused on long-term military capabilities.

Tickets are $35/person in advance or $40/person at the door.

Please register using the form below.

Major General William B. Hickman, U.S. Army, Retired, brings decades of military leadership and strategic insight to his role as a commentator on defense and security issues.

As a former director of Strategic Plans and Policy for NATO Allied Command Transformation, Hickman is well-versed in alliance dynamics and global security challenges. His distinguished career underscores his commitment to advancing international security cooperation and readiness.

Today, Hickman advises executives, boards, and nonprofit leaders on strategy, leadership development, and crisis management. He is also a guest lecturer at Vanderbilt University and co-editor of Understanding the U.S. Military, an interdisciplinary overview of America’s armed forces.

The CGSC Foundation through its Simons Center conducts the Distinguished Speaker Series (DSS) program to offer extracurricular, educational lectures intended to help enrich the Command and General Staff School curriculum and provide opportunities for outreach to the public. Topics covered in the Distinguished Speaker Series of lectures span the gamut of leadership and ethics, organizational effectiveness, collaboration, as well as current events and issues in business, government and the military.