The Modern War Institute hosted its first annual Class of 2006 War Studies Conference in November 2016. Over three days at the United States Military Academy at West Point, the conference brought together distinguished representatives from the private sector, government, academia, the think-tank community, and the joint military services to debate and discuss issues related to modern war and warfare. This year’s conference explored the question of whether deterrence, a hallmark of Cold War-era defense policy, is still relevant in a world increasingly characterized by threats posed by violent non-state actors, hackers, a multitude of small wars, as well as the proliferation of nuclear armed states and our traditional near-peer adversaries like China and Russia. On this page, you can find videos of keynote speakers, links to the conference program and post-conference report, detailed descriptions of each of the conference’s five panel discussions, and a list of conference participants.
The conference report provides detailed summaries of keynote remarks, panel discussions, and Q&A sessions, including conclusions reached about the enduring value of deterrence as a strategic concept in the 21st century.
Conference Panels
Conference Videos
“I think it is entirely possible that we are on the verge of some major geopolitical disruption.”
Those were the words of Dr. Eliot Cohen of Johns Hopkins University, delivered in a keynote speech at MWI’s inaugural War Studies Conference. In his remarks and a discussion with the New York Times’ David Sanger, Cohen explored the impact of domestic political transformation on the usefulness of deterrence as a strategic tool in the modern world.
On the second day of MWI’s War Studies Conference, former Commissioner of the New York Police Department Ray Kelly delivered remarks to attendees. In a discussion with Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Kelly spoke about his experience with the NYPD, the steps taken to protect New York City against the threat of terrorism after the 9/11 attacks, and his assessment of a range of security threats confronting the United States today.
Conference Participant List
Name
Gen. (Ret) John P. Abizaid
Dr. Omar Bashir
Ms. Elmira Bayrasli
Dr. Lionel Beehner
Mr. Kenneth Bell
Dr. Bernedetta Berti
Dr. Ryan Burke
Dr. Risa Brooks
Mr. Kevin Carroll
Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen, Jr.
Maj. Matt Cavanaugh
Dr. Dianne Pfundstein Chamberlain
Dr. Eliot Cohen
Col. Liam Collins
Mr. Yochi Dreazen
Maj. Nathan Finney
Dr. Karen Greenberg
Dr. Jairus Victor Grove
Adm. Harry B. Harris
Ms. Jennifer Harris
Lt. Gen. (Ret) Rhett Hernandez
Dr. Scott Helfstein
Brig. Gen. Diana Holland
Dr. Michael Hunzeker
Gen. (Ret) Charles H. Jacoby, Jr.
Brig. Gen. Cindy R. Jebb
Dr. Seth G. Jones
Dr. Emmanuel Karagiannis
Dr. Nori Katagiri
Mr. Raymond Kelly
Mr. Michael Kofman
Dr. Nina A. Kollars
Dr. Margaret E. Kosal
Dr. Matthew Kroenig
Ms. Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
Dr. Jon R. Lindsay
Dr. Nuno P. Monteiro
Dr. John Mueller
Dr. T. Negeen Pegahi
Dr. Michael Poznansky
Dr. Daryl G. Press
Lt. Col. Douglas A. Pryer
Ms. Alex Quade
Mr. Stuart Reid
Lt. Col. Aaron Ressler
Brig. Gen. (Ret) Kevin Ryan
Mr. David E. Sanger
Dr. Todd Sechser
Dr. Adam Segal
Mr. Nicholas Thompson
Mr. Vincent Viola
Affiliation
JPA Partners
Financial Integrity Network
Foreign Policy Interrupted
Modern War Institute
Raytheon
TED
United States Air Force Academy
Marquette University
Babel Street
United States Military Academy
Modern War Institute
Columbia University
Johns Hopkins University
Modern War Institute
Vox
The Strategy Bridge
Fordham University School of Law
University of Hawaii at Manao
United States Pacific Command
Council on Foreign Relations
Army Cyber Institute
Combating Terrorism Center
United States Military Academy
George Mason University
Modern War Institute
United States Military Academy
RAND
Kings College London
Saint Louis University
K2 Intelligence
Kennan Institute
Franklin & Marshall College
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgetown University
Council on Foreign Relations
University of Toronto
Yale University
Ohio State University
Naval War College
University of Pittsburgh
Dartmouth College
Joint Chiefs of Staff
War reporter
Foreign Affairs
United States Air Force Academy
Harvard University
The New York Times
University of Virginia
Council on Foreign Relations
The New Yorker
Virtu Financial
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