NATO and the Future of American Security

On Tuesday, February 6, the Atlantic Council, NATO ACT, the Canadian Consulate General, and UT-Austin’s Center for European Studies, Strauss Center for International Security and Law, and Clements Center for National Security convened a public conference of NATO officials, former policymakers, and scholars engaging in a critical discussion about the role of the transatlantic alliance and its enduring value for Texans, featuring keynote remarks from General Philippe Lavigne, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO.

This year’s historic NATO Summit will take place in the United States from July 9 to 11. As Allies gather to celebrate 75 years of NATO, the future of the world’s strongest military alliance will be a key topic of discussion for Heads of State and Government preparing for an era of unprecedented strategic competition and endemic geopolitical disruption.

Agenda:

9:30 am – 10:00 am   •   Registration

        Coffee available

10:00 am – 10:05 am   •   Room Called to Order

        Jujhar Singh, Senior, International Relations and Global Studies, The University of Texas at Austin

10:05 am – 10:15 am   •   Welcome Remarks

        Robert Chesney, Dean of UT-Austin School of Law, Honorable James A. Baker III Chair in the Rule of Law and World Affairs

10:15 am – 10:45 am   •   Keynote 1

        General Philippe Lavigne, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, NATO Allied Command Transformation

10:45 am – 12:00 pm   •   Panel 1: Securing NATO’s Future: The Challenges of a New Era 

        Audra Plepytė, Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to the United States

        General (Ret.) Robert Neller, former Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps

        Kevin Rex, Former Ambassador of Canada to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia

        Chris Skaluba, Director, Transatlantic Security Initiative, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council

        Vlasta Zekulic, Head, Strategic Issues and Engagements, NATO Allied Command Transformation

        Moderator: Michael Mosser, Executive Director, Global Disinformation Lab; Assistant Director, Center for European Studies

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm   •   Lunch

12:45 pm   •   Word from Brussels

        Marie Doha Besancenot, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm   •   Panel 2: North America and NATO: Fostering Political and Policy Dialogue

        Adam Klein, Director of the Strauss Center for International Security and Law

        Leo Michel, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Transatlantic Security Initiative, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council

        Lieutenant General (Ret.) Christine Whitecross, Former Commandant of NATO Defense College

        Valbona Zeneli, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Transatlantic Security Initiative, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council

        Moderator: Sewell Chan, Editor-in-Chief, Texas Tribune

2:30 pm – 2:55 pm   •   Keynote 2

        Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO

2:55 pm – 3:00 pm   •   Concluding Remarks

      Christopher Skaluba, Director, Transatlantic Security Initiative, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council

3:00 pm   •   Conference Adjourns