31
October 2023
Past Event
Preparing the Department of Defense for Irregular and Special Warfare

Event will also air live on this page.

 

Inquiries: [email protected]

Preparing the Department of Defense for Irregular and Special Warfare

Past Event
华体会
October 31, 2023
Share:
Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict
Caption
Sailors assigned to various naval special warfare commands operate a diver propulsion device during high-altitude dive training. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Alex Perlman/Released)
31
October 2023
Past Event

Event will also air live on this page.

 

Inquiries: [email protected]

Speakers:
Ezra Cohen

Adjunct Fellow

Chris Miller
Chris Miller

Former Acting Secretary of Defense

Mark Mitchell
Mark Mitchell

Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict

Over the past 22 years, the United States Department of Defense has optimized the American Special Operations Forces (SOF) for the Global War on Terror. While terrorist threats remain鈥攅specially from Iranian proxies鈥攖he DoD is now calling upon SOF to return to its irregular warfare roots to counter nation-states. Civilian control and leadership of special operations is key to expediting this transformation, and Congress has elevated the role of assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict (ASD SO/LIC) to include acting as the service secretary for special operations.

Hudson Adjunct Fellow Ezra Cohen, who served as ASD SO/LIC, will be joined by two other previous ASD SO/LICs, Mark Mitchell and former Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller, to discuss civil-military relations within the special operations community, the transition from counterterrorism to irregular warfare, and how to optimize intelligence forces and SOF for the next generation of challenges.

Related Events
03
June 2025
In-Person Event | 华体会
Unbroken: One Uyghur鈥檚 Fight for Freedom with Rushan Abbas
Featured Speakers:
Rushan Abbas
Dean Baxendale
Damon Wilson
Moderator:
Olivia Enos
Getty Images
03
June 2025
In-Person Event | 华体会
Unbroken: One Uyghur鈥檚 Fight for Freedom with Rushan Abbas

Join Hudson for a discussion of the book and the ways the United States and other countries can support the Uyghur people in their time of need.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Rushan Abbas
Dean Baxendale
Damon Wilson
Moderator:
Olivia Enos
22
May 2025
Past Event
US-China Rivalry in the Middle East Conference
Featured Speakers:
Senator Ted Cruz
Congressman Kevin Hern
Elliott Abrams
Michael Doran
Mary Kissel
Bernard Haykel
Joshua Meservey
John Lee
Aaron MacLean
Ray Takeyh
Thomas J. Duesterberg
Jonathan Hessen
Joel Scanlon
Jason Hsu
Dan Blumenthal
Michael Sobolik
Garrett Exner
Ilan Berman
Mike Watson
Moderators:
Liel Leibovitz
Zineb Riboua
Ethan Gutman
Adhwaa Alsaleh
Daniel Samet
(US-China Rivalry in the Middle East logo)
22
May 2025
Past Event
US-China Rivalry in the Middle East Conference

Former policymakers and leading national security experts will join Hudson to assess how China鈥檚 growing influence is reshaping the regional order鈥攁nd how the US should respond.

(US-China Rivalry in the Middle East logo)
Featured Speakers:
Senator Ted Cruz
Congressman Kevin Hern
Elliott Abrams
Michael Doran
Mary Kissel
Bernard Haykel
Joshua Meservey
John Lee
Aaron MacLean
Ray Takeyh
Thomas J. Duesterberg
Jonathan Hessen
Joel Scanlon
Jason Hsu
Dan Blumenthal
Michael Sobolik
Garrett Exner
Ilan Berman
Mike Watson
Moderators:
Liel Leibovitz
Zineb Riboua
Ethan Gutman
Adhwaa Alsaleh
Daniel Samet
19
May 2025
Past Event
Time Change | Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West
Featured Speakers:
Josh Hammer
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Getty Images
19
May 2025
Past Event
Time Change | Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West

Join Keystone Defense Initiative Director Rebeccah Heinrichs for a conversation with Hammer about the book and the future of US-Israel relations.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Josh Hammer
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
19
May 2025
Past Event
The Rt. Hon. Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP on How the West Can Overcome the Totalitarian Axis
Featured Speakers:
Sir Iain Duncan Smith
Daniel Kochis
Getty Images
19
May 2025
Past Event
The Rt. Hon. Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP on How the West Can Overcome the Totalitarian Axis

Join Hudson for a discussion with Sir Iain on the economic, political, and security measures the US and its allies need to take to defeat the rising authoritarian axis.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Sir Iain Duncan Smith
Daniel Kochis