This event will be held in a hybrid format, and the Potomac Institute will welcome a limited number of individuals to attend in-person at their Arlington Headquarters (901 N. Stuart Street, Arlington, VA 22203). Participants will have to opportunity to indicate their interest in the registration form. The Institute adheres to the most current CDC recommendations regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, and all in-person attendees will be required to attest to their vaccination status.

Register: https://potomacinstitute-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/7716414205981/WN_6YCri8jtRrGAZeLDcrH1bQ 

About the Event

The event will draw largely on the context set by the recent article by Hon. Zach Lemnios, "US National Security in a New Era of Intense Global Competition." While the United States has competed effectively at a societal level in its past, the stakes and players were different in the past. America was not dependent on the Soviet Union economically or otherwise during the Cold War, nor did we depend on Germany or Japan in a similar manner during World War II. Today however, we are economic codependents with China, as are many of our closest partners across the globe.What does this mean forhow we think about and prepare for conflictacross the spectrum from to day-to-day competition to all-out war?What are the thresholds distinguishing war from peace and who has the responsibility and authority to respond?What are the leverage points for deterrence?

Furthermore, to gain competitive advantage,China and Russia have increased “grey zone” activities (to include propaganda, media mis/disinformation, economic manipulation and coercion), focused on disrupting the vitality of the US economy by targeting industrial supply chains that can compromise the weapons, technology, and infrastructurethe US relies on for national security. How do government-industry partnerships evolve to better address national security challenges at a societal level, given the character of the globally competitive environment, to include relationships with partners and allies?

The world is interconnected at an unprecedented level in history, from an information and economic standpoint. Is DOD, Congress, and the budget process still too focused on developing and fielding traditional platforms and capabilities rather than those which address the realities of the current threat environment?

Speakers

Dr. Tim Welter, Senior Research Fellow at Potomac Institute 

Hon. Zach Lemnios, Former Vice President at IBM Research; Former Assistant Secretary of Defense (Research & Engineering); and Member of the Board of Regents at Potomac Institute  

Dr. Will Roper,  Former Assistant Secretary of the US Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics and CEO at Volsani

Ms. Lois Nicholson, Counsellor Defence Acquisition and Technology at the British Embassy in Washington, DC

About the Project

The Global Competition Project (GCP) commissions a spectrum of experts from diverse fields to present insights as to the primary challenges/opportunities associated with societal level competition in the Information Age. The Potomac Institute will host a series of seminars to foster animated discussion on a variety of topics important to the Institute’s work – and global societal interaction – and publish associated articles on the topics.