Past Event

2018 Global Security Forum: Prospects and Priorities for U.S. Gray Zone Competition

Prospects and Priorities for U.S. Gray Zone Competition

Tuesday, November 27, 2018 9:00 am - 11:30 am
CSIS Headquarters

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Over the past 27 years, the United States has often planned and operated as though competition has ended and that there would be an inexorable pull toward U.S.-led institutions and world views. The growing reemergence of state-based competition, even when it falls short of military conflict, signals that the optimism of U.S. policy has outpaced the reality of other countries’ own ambitions to create their own realities.

Events over the past decade have led to a growing realization that several states have been investing in the tools and concepts necessary for them to gain advantage—economically, politically, and geographically—in ways that do not involve the military. Some of the most well-known examples are Russian efforts to sow discord in national elections throughout NATO members and China’s building of military outposts in international waters in the South China Sea. Many other examples exist where states compete while avoiding risking war. It has taken Washington some time to realize these activities are deliberate efforts to advance a country’s interest and often at the expense of the United States or a U.S. ally.

CSIS’s 2018 Global Security Forum will focus on the challenges these gray zone tactics pose for U.S. security and the policy priorities needed. The event will feature an armchair discussion between Dr. Kathleen Hicks and Admiral Michael S. Rogers, 2nd Commander of the United States Cyber Command and 17th Director of the National Security Agency, the launch of a new report, Zone Defense, highlighting insights from the 2018 GSF Experts’ Workshop, and a series of interactive public education videos on the topic. Following the armchair discussion and product releases, Heather A. Conley will lead a panel on gray zone threats and U.S. priorities for the future of competition.

Introductory Remarks by

John J. Hamre
President and CEO, CSIS

William J. Lynn III
Chief Executive Officer, Leonardo DRS; and Former Deputy Secretary of Defense, United States Department of Defense

Armchair Discussion with

Admiral Michael S. Rogers
2nd Commander of the United States Cyber Command and 17th Director of the National Security Agency

Kathleen H. Hicks
Senior Vice President; Henry A. Kissinger Chair; and Director, International Security Program

Panel Discussion with

Heather A. Conley
Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia, and the Arctic; and Director, Europe Program

David S. Cohen
Partner, WilmerHale; former Deputy Director, CIA; and former Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, United States Department of the Treasury

Ambassador Derek Mitchell
President, National Democratic Institute; former U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar (Burma); and former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Asian and Pacific Security Affairs

Thomas Wright
Director, Center on the United States and Europe; and Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Project on International Order and Strategy, The Brookings Institution

Suzanne Spaulding
Senior Adviser, Homeland Security Program and International Security Program; and Director, Defending Democratic Institutions

This event is made possible by support from Leonardo DRS.

Featuring

Admiral Michael S. Rogers

2nd Commander of the United States Cyber Command and 17th Director of the National Security Agency

William J. Lynn III

Chief Executive Officer, Leonardo DRS; Former Deputy Secretary of Defense, United States Department of Defense

David Cohen

Partner, WilmerHale; Former Deputy Director, Central Intelligence Agency; Former Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, United States Department of the Treasury

Derek Mitchell

President, National Democratic Institute; former U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar (Burma); and former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Asian and Pacific Security Affairs

CSIS Experts