Main speakers will include:

Philip Auerswald

 Senior Fellow in Entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation and associate professor at the School of Public Policy at George Mason University. He is the author of several books, most recently The Coming Prosperity: How Entrepreneurs Are Transforming the Global Economy, out next month;

Nathan Hodge

Author of Armed Humanitarians: The Rise of the Nation Builders and a DC-based writer who specializes in defense and national security; and

Peter Choharis

International lawyer and investor, and an adjunct fellow at ASP. He is the founder of Choharis Global Solutions—affiliated law and consulting firms that assist U.S. and foreign companies and governments on investment, dispute resolution, and compliance issues.

moderated by:

Joshua Foust

Fellow at ASP who researches the role of market-oriented development strategies in post-conflict environments, and the use of market forces as a strategic foreign policy planning. He is also a columnist for PBS and The Atlantic Monthly.

The current system of aid and economic development is broken. Not just in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but around the world, the U.S. has proven incapable of reliably developing the economies of post-conflict societies – wasting billions of dollars and thousands of lives in the process.

ASP has been a leader in discussing the national security implications of supporting entrepreneurship in asymmetric operations. Last year, we published “Expeditionary Economics: A New Approach to Foreign Aid,” as a benchmark for thinking about new ways to strategically support the development of business communities to support national security.

There is a widespread recognition that something must change in the way America relates to failed states. Learning how to support struggling economies, instead of pouring money into massive reconstruction projects, is possibly a way of achieving effectiveness in an austere budget environment.

We hope you can join us.

The briefing will take place on Thursday, February 16, 2012 at ASP’s office, 1100 New York Ave., Suite 710W. 

The briefing will begin promptly at 12:30 PM. Please arrive by 12:15 for registration.

Sandwiches will be served.

Please Reply by Tuesday, February 14 to RSVP to this event as space is limited.

To RSVP for this event, email events@americansecurityproject.org.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN SECURITY PROJECT

The American Security Project is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy and research organization dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of a range of national security issues, promoting debate about the appropriate use of American power, and cultivating strategic responses to 21st century challenges. For more information, visitwww.americansecurityproject.org.

Subject: New Start: A Year Later – how NEW START has increased our national security, and next steps with Russia

What: Assistant Secretary of State ROSE GOTTEMOELLER will be the special guest in discussing the New START Treaty, how it’s working so far, plus taking forward further nuclear security treaties – incl. with Russia

When: January 31st,  12:00 – 14:00

Location: 1100 New York Avenue NW, Suite 710W / Conference Room E

Sec. Gottemoeller will have 10-15 mins for prepared remarks, followed by general discussion and questions

To RSVP for this event, email events@americansecurityproject.org.

For a detailed summary of what happened in the event, see our blog post on this event here.

The American Security Project (ASP) will be hosting a briefing on returning R&D investment to a national priority at 8:45 AM, Friday, January 20.

Norm Augustine, ASP Board Member and one of the country’s leading industrialists will brief attendees and the press on the need for a comprehensive policy to promote investment in R&D. He outlined the case for greater R&D in an Op-Ed published in The Hill, “The Research and Development Gap”.

Members of ASP’s board of are sending a letter to Congressional Leadership asking that R&D investment be prioritized as a new “national mission”.

America is in grave danger of losing its edge. For over one hundred years, American leadership in science, technology, engineering, and manufacturing has been unrivaled. It has created for us not only one of the highest standards of living any civilization has ever achieved, but also brought American preeminence in the world and a strong national defense.

Now, unfortunately, this is all at risk due to the lack of long-term planning, little political will, and slowing investment in science and engineering research.

The briefing will take place on Friday, January 20, 2012 at ASP’s office, 1100 New York Ave., Suite 710W. 

ABOUT THE AMERICAN SECURITY PROJECT

The American Security Project is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy and research organization dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of a range of national security issues, promoting debate about the appropriate use of American power, and cultivating strategic responses to 21st century challenges. For more information, visit www.americansecurityproject.org.

Our CEO, BGen Stephen Cheney, USMC (Ret), and Lt Gen Norman R. Seip, USAF (Ret) will discuss how U.S. national security is compromised by its dependence on oil for transportation, and how improved fuel economy standards could help mitigate this dependence.

To RSVP for this event, email events@americansecurityproject.org.

The event will take place at the ASP office on 1100 New York Ave NW, Suite 710, Washington, D.C.

John Mankins, the President of Artemis Innovation, will give a presentation on why space-based solar power is important to energy security and the status of global initiatives to develop it.

It is estimated that a solar power station in orbit could harness five times the solar energy captured by stations on the ground. How? Satellites in geosynchronous orbit – that is, in rotation with Earth – do not pass into night, thus an unlimited amount of solar energy could be captured and transmitted to Earth. This process could be achieved using technology we have available today.

This event is part of ASP’s series on next-generation energy, “America’s Future Energy Choices,” led by ASP’s Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate, Andrew Holland.

Over the next decade, the United States will face a series of choices about how to power its economy. Choices made in Washington—and around the country—on energy in the coming decade will have broad effects on American national security, economic growth, and environmental safety. We hope that the events here at ASP will aid the continued debate.

Other notable participants include:

Click here to register and learn more…

The United States faces a series of challenges over the next few decades in energy use and production. That means policymakers need to make decisions soon.

This event showed that fusion is real and it is happening now.

For America to retain its leadership in this field and commercialize this technology – with all the major benefits that it would bring to Americans – political and economic will is required.

The well-attended event heard from Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ), co-chair of the House R&D caucus, Lt. Gen. Christman, Dr. Stewart Prager, Dr. Ed Moses, Dr. Laura Berzak, Brig. Gen. Steven Cheney, and Andrew Holland.

Lt. Gen. Christman, Senior Vice President at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, discussed the energy challenges and opportunities facing America. You can find his presentation here.

Dr. Laura Brezak gave a short presentation on the basics of fusion energy and benefits that fusion power would bring.  You can find her presentation here.

Dr. Stewart Prager, Director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, briefed the audience on the amazing advancements in magnetic fusion energy and the next steps needed to commercialization. You can find his presentation here.

Dr. Ed Moses, Principal Associate Director for the National Ignition Facility, presented the details of scientists’ incredible work on laser ignition fusion energy and how close they are to building a pilot fusion power plant (LIFE). You can find his presentation here.

You can find our more about fusion from our white paper and our accompanying factsheet.

The American Security Project also published its major white paper on America’s Energy Choices, on 2 August 2011. You can find details here.

Take our poll on what those choices should be here.

Former Senator Gary Hart, Chairman of ASP, will provide opening remarks. The forum will also feature an address by Roger Cressey, former Director of Transnational Threats on the U.S. National Security Council, followed by a moderated discussion between Harvey Rishikof of the National War College and Benjamin Wittes of the Brookings Institution. In light of the federal trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the closing of the prison at Guantanamo, the discussion will focus on the legal implications of current U.S. counter-terrorism strategies.

When: Tuesday, December 15, 2009
9:30 am – 11:40 am

Where: U.S. Senate Dirksen Building
Room 562
First and C streets, NE
Washington, DC 20510

When: Friday, December 4, 2009, 9:30 am – 12:00 pm

Where: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Conference Center
1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC, 20036

RSVP: Please RSVP to ASP2@americansecurityproject.org.

Panelists:
• Mr. Steven Clemons, Director, American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation
• Dr. Evelyn Farkas, Senior Fellow at the American Security Project and former Executive Director of the Commission on the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction Prevention and Terrorism
• Dr. Bernard I. Finel, Senior Fellow at the American Security Project and former Executive Director of the Security Studies Program and Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University
• Mr. Jonathan Landay, National Security and Intelligence Correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers
• Ms. Caroline Wadhams, Senior Policy Analyst for National Security at the Center for American Progress and former foreign policy Legislative Assistant to Senator Russ Feingold

Background: With an announcement on U.S. troop levels and strategy in Afghanistan, the American Security Project is sponsoring a discussion to assess the President’s proposed plan. This timely event features analysts with diverse backgrounds and expertise who will provide an overview of security, counterproliferation, counterterrorism, and human rights policy options and implications in Afghanistan followed by a Q&A discussion.

Dr. Finel will provide insight into the effectiveness of counterinsurgency measures and U.S. strategies in the Middle East and Asia. He will also discuss ASP’s new book, Iraq Uncensored: Perspectives, which draws on the insights of public officials, intelligence officers, national security experts, faith leaders and scholars to assess the rationale for the war in Iraq, the conduct of the war, and the impact of the conflict on American politics and foreign policy choices.

Prior to joining ASP, Dr. Finel was a professor of military strategy and operations at the U.S. National War College, and he served as Executive Director of the Security Studies Program and Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University.