Security in Transition: National Security Challenges Facing the Next President

This year’s forum is sponsored by the Herzstein and Moody Foundations and hosted by the Clements Center for National Security, Strauss Center for International Security and Law, the White House Transition Project, the LBJ Presidential Library, the Center for Politics and Governance, the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

The Forum is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required for each session. NOTE: Advance registration does not guarantee admission. Plan to arrive early to secure your seat!

AGENDA

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
National Security Issues Confronting the Next President 
(Etter-Harbin Alumni Center Ballroom) 

9:00 – 10:15 am    Session 1: Asia
                             Moderator: Rana Siu Inboden, Distinguished Scholar, Strauss Center for International Security and Law
                             Michael Green; former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security
                             Council
                             Philip Zelikow; former Counselor, Department of State

10:30 – 11:45 am  Session 2: Middle East
                             Moderator: Lawrence Wright, Author and staff writer for The New Yorker magazine
                             James Jeffrey; former Deputy National Security Advisor and former Ambassador to Iraq, Turkey, and Albania
                             Kimberly Kagan; Founder and President of the Institute for the Study of War
                             Derek Chollet; former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs

12:00 – 1:30 pm   Lunch and Conversation on National Security Challenges Facing the Next President
                            William McRaven; Chancellor of The University of Texas System and former Commander of U.S. Special Operations                                             Command
                            James Steinberg; former Deputy Secretary of State and former Deputy National Security Advisor
                            John Negroponte; former Deputy Secretary of State and former Director of National Intelligence

2:00 – 3:15 pm     Session 3: Europe/Russia
                            Moderator: Ryan Evans, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of War on the Rocks 
                            Kurt Volker; former U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European                                   and Eurasian Affairs
                            Kristen Silverberg; former Ambassador to the European Union and former Assistant Secretary of State for International 
                            Organization Affairs
                            Philip Breedlove; former Commander of U.S. European Command and former Supreme Allied Commander Europe 

3:30 – 4:45 pm     Session 4: Terrorism
                            Moderator: Paul Pope, Senior Fellow, Intelligence Studies Project, University of Texas 
                            Farah Pandith; former Special Representative to Muslim Communities for the Department of State and former Director for 
                            Middle East Initiatives at the National Security Council
                            John McLaughlin; former Deputy Director of Central Intelligence 
                            Nicholas Rasmussen; Director of the National Counterterrorism Center and former Special Assistant to the President and 
                           Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council

4:45 – 6:00 pm     Break

6:00 – 7:30 pm     Keynote Address
                            James Clapper; Director of National Intelligence

                           Introduction by
                           William McRaven; Chancellor of the University of Texas System and former Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command

                           Followed by Plenary Panel
                           Moderator: Mark Updegrove, Director of the LBJ Presidential Library 
                           James Clapper; Director of National Intelligence
                           Stephen Hadley; former National Security Advisor
                           Bob Inman; former Director of the National Security Agency and former Deputy Director of Central Intelligence

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
The Process of Presidential Transitions on National Security
(LBJ Presidential Library 10th Floor Atrium)

8:15 am                Welcome by Terry Sullivan and Martha Kumar; The White House Transition Project 

8:30 – 9:15 am      First Plenary: Reflections on the White House NSC Transition from Bush to Obama
                             Moderator: Peter Feaver, former Special Advisor for Strategic Planning at the National Security Council 
                             Stephen Hadley; former National Security Advisor

9:15 – 10:30 am    Session 1: Intelligence Support to the Nominees, President-elect, and the Transition Process
                             Moderator: Steve Slick, Director of the Intelligence Studies Project at the University of Texas at Austin
                             James Clapper; Director of National Intelligence
                             John McLaughlin; former Deputy Director of Central Intelligence
                             John Helgerson; former CIA Inspector General and former Chairman of the National Intelligence Council

10:45 – 12:00 pm  Session 2: Managing Diplomacy–Shaping a new State Department and Coordinating with a new President and White House Team
                             Moderator: William Inboden, Executive Director of the Clements Center for National Security, University of Texas at Austin
                             James Steinberg; former Deputy Secretary of State and former Deputy National Security Advisor
                             Philip Zelikow; former Counselor, Department of State
                             John Negroponte; former Deputy Secretary of State and former Director of National Intelligence

12:00 – 1:00 pm     Break

1:00- 2:00 pm       Second Plenary: Responsible transitions: The White House transition from Bush to Obama
                             Moderator: Martha Kumar, Director of the Whe White House Transition Project 
                             Joshua Bolten; former White House Chief of Staff

2:00 – 3:15 pm     Session 3: A Commanding Presence–Effecting the President’s Role as Commander in Chief: The View from the Pentagon
                             Moderator: Christine Abizaid, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia
                             Norton Schwartz; former Chief of Staff of the Air Force
                             Philip Breedlove; former Commander of U.S. European Command and former Supreme Allied Commander Europe
                             Peter Feaver, former Special Advisor for Strategic Planning at the National Security Council 
                             Julianne Smith; former Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President

3:15 – 4:30 pm     Session 4: The Transfer of Security While in the Middle of Politics: The National Security Council
                            Moderator: Paul D. Miller, Associate Director of the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin
                            Joshua Bolten; former White House Chief of Staff
                            Julianne Smith; former Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President
                            Peter Feaver; former Special Advisor for Strategic Planning at the National Security Council
                            Meghan O’Sullivan; former Special Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor

Join the conversation online at #TxNSF and follow us at @clementscenter, @strausscenter, and @UTIntel.