The Debrief

Synopsis:How have new technologies, such as autonomous drones and applying artificial intelligence, changed how strategists and policymakers view conflict in the 21st century? While they have had clear impacts in the tactical and operational levels of war, how game-changing are they when it comes to strategic objectives? Are we in thrall to "strategic myths" arising from technological determinism? Join us for this important conversation.About the Speaker:LTC Paul Lushenko is an Assistant Professor and Director of Special Operations at the U.S. Army War College. He earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in International Relations from Cornell University. He also holds an M.A. in Defense and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College, an M.A. in International Relations and a Master of Diplomacy from The Australian National University, and a B.S. from the U.S. Military Academy. Paul has deployed continuously, directing intelligence operations at the Battalion, Combined Task Force, and Joint Task Force levels. In his most recent operational assignment, Paul served as the Senior Intelligence Officer for the Joint Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan and was also responsible for shaping the coalition’s strategy to defeat the Islamic State and helping to regionalize U.S. counterterrorism policy and strategy. Paul is a Council on Foreign Relations Term Member, Adjunct Research Lecturer at Charles Sturt University, and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute. He is the co-editor of Drones and Global Order: Implications of Remote Warfare for International Society (2022), which is the first book to systematically study the implications of drone warfare on global politics. He also has a book forthcoming on the public’s perceptions of legitimate drone strikes, entitled The Legitimacy of Drone Warfare: Evaluating Public Perceptions (2024).The views presented by the faculty or other guest speakers do not reflect official positions of the Naval War College, DON or DOD.

Synopsis:The 2022 National Security Strategy identifies the People’s Republic of China as “the only competitor with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do it.” What is the nature of the threat China poses, and how is the United States adapting to meet it? To address these questions, The Debrief draws on the expertise of Kathleen Walsh, Associate Professor of National Security Affairs and Director of the Asia Pacific Studies Group at the U.S. Naval War College, and Brian Chao, Assistant Professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College and associate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for the Study of Contemporary China.About the Speakers:Kathleen (Kate) Walsh is associate professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College where she has taught policy analysis since 2006. Walsh is a member of the Faculty Advisory Council, the NWC’s Asia Pacific Studies Group (APSG) director and the founder/director of the Oceanography & Maritime Security Group (OMSG). She was a senior consultant to Washington, D.C.-area think tanks including senior associate at the Stimson Center and senior associate at a D.C.-area defense consulting firm, among other past positions there. Her research focuses on China and the Asia-Pacific region, particularly issues of security, technology, innovation and ocean or "blue" economy issues.Prof. Brian C. Chao researches great-power relations, naval power and geostrategy, and US Indo-Asia-Pacific defense and foreign policies. His work appears in “Navies in Multipolar Worlds: From the Age of Sail to the Present" (Routledge), “Security, Development and Sustainability in Asia: A World Scientific Reference on Major Policy and Development Issues of 21st Century Asia” (World Scientific), International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, and Territory, Politics, Governance, among others. He teaches theater and national-security decision-making, as well as an elective course on Taiwan. He is also an associate of the University of Pennsylvania's Center for the Study of Contemporary China.The views presented by the faculty or other guest speakers do not reflect official positions of the Naval War College, DON or DOD.

Synopsis:The interagency process coordinates the development and implementation of national security policies across executive departments at all levels of the federal government. How does the Defense Department translate policy guidance into operational-level planning, and how do national security professionals in regional theaters coordinate with their interagency counterparts to implement these policies? Capt. Jeff W. Benson, USN, joins The Debrief to address these questions, drawing on his experience in contributing to the interagency process on U.S. strategy in the Indo-Pacific region. Capt. Benson will be the first Commanding Officer of the new Flight III guided missile destroyer, USS LOUIS H. WILSON, JR (DDG 126), being built in Bath, ME. He is a graduate of the Naval War College and previously served as the Division Chief for China and Taiwan on the Joint Chiefs of Staff (J5).About the Speaker:Capt. Benson will be the first Commanding Officer of the new Flight III guided missile destroyer, USS LOUIS H. WILSON, JR (DDG 126), being built in Bath, ME. He is a graduate of the Naval War College and previously served as the Division Chief for China and Taiwan on the Joint Chiefs of Staff (J5).The views presented by the faculty or other guest speakers do not reflect official positions of the Naval War College, DON or DOD.

Synopsis:The African continent is often viewed through the prism of humanitarian crises, a region defined by famines and pandemics. This approach ignores Africa’s critical importance to the global economy, especially in the transition to “green” technologies; its role as an interconnector between the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific basins; its role as part of the rise of the Global South in the 21st century. Dr. Naunihal Singh lays out a new strategic approach for the United States to the continent grounded in Africa’s importance for achieving its national security objectives.About the Speaker:Professor Naunihal Singh joined the Naval War College in 2016. He earned his Ph.D. at Harvard University and his B.S. at Yale University. He is a scholar of African Politics, Civil-Military Relations. Author of “Seizing Power: The Strategic Logic of Military Coups” (2014) a book on the dynamics and outcomes of military coups based on 300 hours of interviews and a statistical analysis of 471 coup attempts.The views presented by the faculty or other guest speakers do not reflect official positions of the Naval War College, DON or DOD.