**Please note that all times are local Aspen time (MDT)**
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25
6:00 – 7:15 p.m. At the Point of the Spear: The Role of Special Operations Forces in America’s Post-9/11, Post-Iraq/Afghanistan Defense Strategy
(Greenwald Pavilion)
The Commander of the Pentagon's Special Operations Command will discuss the ever expanding role of "SOCOM" in counterterrorism operations around the world, and the outsize role Special Operations Forces are now playing within the Pentagon, in partnership with the intelligence community, in defending the nation and protecting our global security interests.
Admiral William McRaven, Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command
Moderator: Wolf Blitzer, Host, “The Situation Room,” CNN
7:15 – 8:30 p.m. Opening Reception
(Doerr-Hosier Center)
THURSDAY, JULY 26
8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Breakfast
(Barksdale Lobby, Doerr-Hosier Center)
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. The National Counterterrorism Center’s Role in Counterterrorism
(McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Center)
With the arguable exception of the Department of Homeland Security itself, no other post-9/11 government organization has been more key to our efforts to prevent another terrorist attack than the National Counterterrorism Center. The present and former leaders of NCTC will explain the role the agency plays in synthesizing and analyzing the intelligence produced by the entire intelligence community to provide as comprehensive a picture as possible of the ever evolving terrorism threat.
Matthew Olsen, Director, National Counterterrorism Center
Michael Leiter, Former Director, National Counterterrorism Center; Senior Counselor, Palantir Technologies
Moderator: David Sanger, Chief Washington Correspondent, The New York Times
10:00 – 10:15 a.m. Break
10:15 - 11:15 a.m. DOD and Counterterrorism
(McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Center)
This session will explore the vexing global threat environment, and DOD's approach to protecting America's security interests at a time of war weariness and fiscal austerity.
Michael Sheehan, Assistant Secretary for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflicts, Department of Defense
Paul N. Stockton, Assistant Secretary for Homeland Defense and Americas’ Security Affairs, Department of Defense
Admiral (Ret.) Eric Olson, Former Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command
Moderator: Eric Schmitt, Senior Writer & Terrorism Correspondent, The New York Times
11:15 – 11:30 a.m. Break
11:30 – 12:30 p.m. The Director of National Intelligence’s Role in Counterterrorism
(McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Center)
Has the wholesale reorganization of the intelligence community, and the creation of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence as the overall coordination body, resulted in making America safer? If so, how, and, if not, why not?
Admiral (Ret.) Dennis Blair, Former Director of National Intelligence
John Negroponte, Former Director of National Intelligence; Former Deputy Secretary of State; Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; Former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq
Moderator: Steve Coll, Staff Writer, The New Yorker; President, New America Foundation
12:30 – 12:45 p.m. Lunch Break
(Barksdale Lobby, Doerr-Hosier Center)
12:45 – 2:00 p.m. Cybersecurity
(McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Center)
Policymakers say that America faces the prospect of the cyber-equivalent of Pearl Harbor. How prepared is the nation for cyber war, and what about the threats of cyber-terrorism; political, economic, and military espionage; organized crime; and basement hackers?
General Keith Alexander, Director, National Security Agency; Chief, Central Security Service; Commander, United States Cyber Command
Moderator: Pete Williams, Correspondent, NBC News
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Differing Perspectives on Terrorism
(McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Center)
Experts from a variety of backgrounds, inside and outside government, give their differing perspectives on the nature of the terror threat today and how best to combat it.
Peter Bergen, Co-Director, Counterterrorism Strategy Initiative, New America Foundation; National Security Analyst, CNN
P.J. Crowley, Former Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs; Fellow, Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication, The George Washington University
Jane Harman, Former Representative, 36th Congressional District of California; Director, President, and CEO, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Philip Mudd, Former Deputy Director of National Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Former Deputy Director, Counterterrorist Center, Central Intelligence Agency; Senior Global Advisor, Oxford Analytica
Maurice Sonnenberg, Senior International Advisor, J.P. Morgan Chase
Moderator: Ken Dilanian, Correspondent, Los Angeles Times
3:00 – 3:15 p.m. Break
3:15 – 4:15 p.m. The CIA, NSA, and DHS and Counterterrorism
(Paepcke Auditorium)
Seasoned veterans of three key intelligence agencies give their views on how best to secure the homeland against today’s terrorism threats.
General (Ret.) Michael V. Hayden, Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency; Former Director, National Security Agency
John McLaughlin, Former Deputy and Acting Director, Central Intelligence Agency; Distinguished Practitioner-in-Residence at the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
Charlie Allen, Former Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis, Department of Homeland Security
Moderator: Catherine Herridge, American Homeland Security Correspondent, Fox News
4:15 – 5:30 p.m. The State Department’s Role in Counterterrorism
(Paepcke Auditorium)
Terrorism is a global, transnational phenomenon, and diplomacy can and must be a key part of the solution. What role does Foggy Bottom play in homeland security?
Robert Godec, Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Department of State
Cofer Black, Former Ambassador-at-Large, Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Department of State; Former Director, Counterterrorist Center, Central Intelligence Agency
Hank Crumpton, Former Ambassador-at-Large, Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Department of State
Moderator: Jill Dougherty, Foreign Affairs Correspondent, CNN
5:30 – 5:45 p.m. Break
5:45 – 7:45 p.m. Dinner
(McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Center)
8:00 – 9:30 p.m. Film Screening and Discussion of Showtime’s “Homeland”
(Paepcke Auditorium)
“Hollywood” continues to play a key role in keeping terrorism at the top of the national security agenda. Is the threat overblown, or is the threat as real as the media makes it out to be?
Alex Cary, Executive Producer, “Homeland,” Showtime
Mitchell Silber, Former Director, Intelligence Analysis, NYPD Intelligence Division; Executive Managing Director for Intelligence and Analytic Solutions, K2 Intelligence
Richard Ben-Veniste, Former Commissioner, 9/11 Commission; Partner, Mayer Brown, LLP
Moderator: Suzanne Kelly, Intelligence Correspondent, CNN
FRIDAY, JULY 27
8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Breakfast
(Barksdale Lobby, Doerr-Hosier Center)
9:00 – 10:15 a.m. Aviation Security
(McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Center)
As the latest plot by Al Qaeda’s Yemeni affiliate underscores, terrorists are determined to find and exploit vulnerabilities in aviation security. How can we keep at least one step ahead of them?
John Pistole, Administrator, Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security
Moderator: Terry Moran, Co-Anchor, “Nightline,” ABC
10:15 – 10:30 a.m. Break
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Law Enforcement and Homeland Security
(McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Center)
What role do international, federal, and state and local law enforcement agencies play in securing the homeland, and what more can they do to keep us safe?
Brad Brekke, Vice President, Assets Protection, Target
Sean Joyce, Deputy Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Bart Johnson, Former Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, Department of Homeland Security
William Webster, Former Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency
Timothy Williams, Director, Washington Bureau, INTERPOL
Moderator: Dina Temple-Raston, Counterterrorism Correspondent, NPR
11:30 – 12:30 p.m. The White House’s Role in Counterterrorism
(McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Center)
The White House is the nerve center for the nation’s counterterrorism efforts. Three experts will reflect on their time in office, and assess how well their successors are grappling with the problems they faced.
Quintan Wiktorowicz, Senior Director for Community Partnerships, National Security Staff, The White House
Juan Zarate, Former Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser for Combating Terrorism
Kenneth Wainstein, Former Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; Former Assistant Attorney General for National Security
Moderator: Michael Crowley, Senior Correspondent & Deputy Washington Bureau Chief, TIME Magazine
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch
(McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Center)
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Industry and Innovation
(McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Center)
The private sector plays a key role in securing the homeland, in part by providing the technology, hardware, and software needed to fight terrorism. Senior executives from different parts of the defense industry will expound upon their respective roles in the fight.
Brad Buswell, President & CEO, Morpho Detection
Thomas Grumbly, Vice President, Civil Government Programs, Washington Operations, Lockheed Martin
John Harris II, President, Raytheon Technical Services Company LLC
Roger Krone, President, Network and Space Systems, The Boeing Company
Wesley Rhodes, Deputy Chief Technology Officer, IBM Federal
Moderator: Adam Entous, National Security Correspondent, The Wall Street Journal
2:30 – 2:45 p.m. Break
2:45 – 7:00 p.m. American Wars and Foreign Policy
(McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Center)
2:45 – 4:00 p.m. Iraq
The long war in Iraq is finally over, at a huge cost in blood and treasure. Was it worth it?
James F. Jeffrey, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq
John Negroponte, Former Director of National Intelligence; Former Deputy Secretary of State; Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; Former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq
Stephen Cambone, Former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
Christopher R. Hill, Former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq
Moderator: Kim Dozier, Intelligence and Counterterrorism Correspondent, The Associated Press
4:00 – 4:15 p.m. Break
4:15 – 5:45 p.m. Afghanistan and Pakistan
The still longer war in Afghanistan is ending, at an even bigger cost in blood and treasure. At the end of the day, will it have been worth it? And, as for Pakistan, is it friend or foe?
Lt. General (Ret.) Douglas E. Lute, Special Assistant to the President for Afghanistan and Pakistan
Eklil Hakimi, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the United States
Sherry Rehman, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the U.S.
Lt. General (Ret.) Karl Eikenberry, Former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan
Moderator: Steve Kroft, “60 Minutes,” CBS
5:45 – 6:00 p.m. Break
6:00 – 7:00 p.m. International Organizations and European Partners
Various nations, regional organizations, and international bodies are key players in America’s fight against terrorism. Representatives of a number of them will give us their perspectives on terrorism today.
Gilles de Kerchove, EU Counter-terrorism Coordinator
Richard Barrett, Coordinator, United Nations Al-Qaida Taliban Monitoring Team
Peter Ammon, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United States
Karen Betts, Counsellor, Foreign and Security Policy Group, British Embassy, Washington
Moderator: Susan Glasser, Editor in Chief, Foreign Policy
SATURDAY, JULY 28
7:30 – 8:30 a.m. Breakfast
(Barksdale Lobby, Doerr-Hosier Center)
8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Forecasting Global Trends
25 years from now, what national security challenges will America face? How can we prepare ourselves today to combat, or better yet, prevent, tomorrow’s threats?
Christopher Kojm, Chairman, National Intelligence Council, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Christopher Ahlberg, CEO & Co-Founder, Recorded Future
Geoff Baird, President, SafeCity Global Business Unit, AGT International
Moderator: Dana Priest, National Security Correspondent, The Washington Post
9:00 – 9:15 a.m. Break
9:15 – 10:15 a.m. The Rule of Law and the War on Terrorism
(McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Center)
Do “the rule of law” and the “war on terrorism” belong in the same sentence? What, if any, legal parameters should there be in the fight against terrorism, and, if there are any, what should they be?
Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, National Security Division, Department of Justice
Alberto Mora, Former General Counsel of the Navy
Ali Soufan, Former FBI Special Agent; CEO, The Soufan Group
Moderator: Dan Klaidman, Former Managing Editor, Newsweek
10:15 -11:15 a.m. Media Panel
(McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Center)
The media has a delicate balancing act to play in, on the one hand, sensitizing the public to the gravity of the terror threat, and, on the other, not doing terrorists’ work for them by scaring the public to death. How are they doing?
Paula Broadwell, Author, All In: The Education of General David Petraeus
Rajiv Chandrasekaran, National Editor, The Washington Post
Michael Isikoff, Investigative Journalist, NBC News
Josh Meyer, Author, The Hunt for KSM; Lecturer & Director of Education and Outreach, National Security Journalism Initiative, Northwestern University
Moderator: Clark Bell, Journalism Program Director, Robert R. McCormick Foundation
11:15 – 11:30 a.m. Break
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Securing the Nation’s Largest City
As Mayor Bloomberg has often said, when you catch a terrorist, he always has a map of New York City is his pocket. New York is, and will likely always be, at the very top of terrorists’ target list. How does Ray Kelly manage to keep New York City safe?
Raymond Kelly, Commissioner, New York Police Department
Moderator: Walter Isaacson, President & CEO, The Aspen Institute
12:30 – 12:45 p.m. Lunch Break
(Barksdale Lobby, Doerr-Hosier Center)
12:45 – 1:45 p.m. Decision 2012 and National Security
(McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Center)
If a new president is inaugurated in January or the same one, will our counterterrorism policies change? Should they? A Romney supporter and an Obama surrogate will give their views on this and related questions.
P.J. Crowley, Former Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs; Fellow, Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication, The George Washington University
Douglas Feith, Former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; Senior Fellow and Director, Center for National Security Strategies, Hudson Institute
Moderator: Josh Gerstein, White House Correspondent, Politico
1:45 – 2:00 p.m. Break
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Terrorism Finance
(McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Center)
Money is as important a weapon in terrorist’s arsenal as bombs. How are we doing in choking off their money supply?
David Cohen, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Department of the Treasury
Moderator: Margaret Brennan, Correspondent, CBS News
3:00 –4:00 p.m. Investing in the Security & Defense Sector
(McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Center)
Financiers provide the capital that fuels the innovation that can give us the edge on terrorists. Investors in the homeland security/defense sector give us their perspective on what’s hot and why.
Devin Talbott, Managing Partner, Enlightenment Capital
Kevin DeSanto, Managing Director, Kipps DeSanto & Co.
Michael R. Steed, Chairman, Founder & Managing Partner, Paladin Capital Group; Chairman, Paladin Homeland Security Fund Investment Committees
Thomas Sass, Director of Platfor for HFR Asset Management, HFR Group LLC
Moderator: Noah Shachtman, Contributing Editor, Wired; Nonresident Fellow, Brookings Institution
4:00 – 4:15 p.m. Break
4:15 – 5:15 p.m. The Department of Homeland Security: Past, Present, and Future
(McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Center)
Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security. Is the department living up to the promise of its name?
Jane Holl Lute, Deputy Secretary, Department of Homeland Security
Admiral (Ret.) Jim Loy, Former Deputy and Acting Secretary, Department of Homeland Security; Former Administrator, Transportation Security Administration; Senior Counselor, The Cohen Group
Michael Chertoff, Former Secretary, Department of Homeland Security; Managing Principal & Co-Founder, The Chertoff Group
Moderator: Barton Gellman, Editor-at-Large, TIME Magazine
5:15 – 5:30 p.m. Break
5:30 – 6:45 p.m. The Changing National Security Landscape for the Warfighter
(Greenwald Pavilion)
This session will examine the changing character of war—the advent of "Shadow Wars"—as we look ahead over the next decade and beyond. What will the next war (or wars) look like? How will it be changed by rapid technological advances combined with the lessons of the last ten years? How should we reshape the military, given existing threats and emerging capabilities, and the downward pressure on defense budgets? What kind of military do we need now, and why?
Vice Admiral Michael LeFever, Deputy Director for Strategic Operational Planning, National Counterterrorism Center
Lieutenant General (Ret.) David Barno, Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow, Center for a New American Security; Former Commander Combined Forces Command - Afghanistan 2003-2005
Moderator: Dana Priest, National Security Correspondent, The Washington Post
6:45 – 7:30 p.m. Closing Reception
(Doerr-Hosier Center)