The 2013 edition of the Aspen Security Forum from the Aspen Institute is shaping up to be an engaging array of people, ideas and issues. Aspen Public Radio has you covered with live broadcasts from the series. If you miss a broadcast, Aspen Public Radio will provide archive podcasts on demand for you within 24 hours of each event.
Here's the current broadcast schedule for the Aspen Security Forum on Aspen Public Radio
Wednesday, July 17th at 6:00pm
Off We Go into the Wild Blue Yonder: The Air Force’s Role in Countering Terrorism and Advancing America’s Interests in the World
As then departing Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said so famously, “In my opinion, any future defense secretary who advises the president to send a big American land army into Asia or the Middle East or Africa should have his head examined...” With the war in Iraq ended and the war in Afghanistan ending, a war-weary, battle-scarred, and budget-stretched America is unlikely to send the Army or Marines into battle overseas in large numbers again anytime soon. But, that does not mean that we can afford to rely on diplomacy and foreign aid alone to protect and defend us. Increasingly, working in concert with Special Operations Forces and the Navy, we will see the Air Force play an even greater role in our national defense. The Air Force's top military commander will explore this issue in considerable detail.
Gen. Mark Welsh, Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force
MODERATOR: John King, Chief National Correspondent, CNN
Thursday, July 18th at 1:00pm
Doing More with Less—Simply an Oxymoron or Also an Imperative: Refashioning Today's Pentagon to Fight the Wars of the Future
The leaders of the Pentagon today cannot afford to be merely expert military strategists and prescient forecasters of future security threats. In this age of austerity, they must also be skilled at stretching every dollar to the maximum to ensure that America remains the preeminent world power. The Department of Defense's “COO” will discuss the challenge of maintaining America's place in an ever more complicated world, while dealing with an unprecedented budget crisis.
Dr. Ashton B. Carter, Deputy Secretary of Defense
MODERATOR: David Sanger, Chief Washington Correspondent, The New York Times
Friday, July 19th at 10:00am
Mission Accomplished? Has the Intelligence Community Connected All the Dots?
By some estimates, we have spent more than a trillion dollars since 9/11 to improve our ability to collect, synthesize, and analyze the massive amount of intelligence at our fingertips. But, as the Boston marathon bombing illustrates, all these many years later, there are still dots to connect. Two former Directors of National Intelligence, an office created to see to it that the “dots” all across the intelligence community are connected, will discuss its successes to date and the challenges that remain.
Adm. Dennis Blair (Ret.), Former Director of National Intelligence
Amb. John Negroponte, Former Director of National Intelligence; Vice
Chairman, McLarty Associates
MODERATOR: Barton Gellman, Contributing Editor At Large, TIME
Monday, July 22nd at 6:00pm
At the Center of the Action: The National Counterterrorism Center and its Role in Securing the Homeland
If there is one “nerve center” for the nation's counterterrorism efforts, it is the NCTC. The present and past director will look back and look forward as the terrorist threat that created it evolves with time.
Matthew G. Olsen, Director, National Counterterrorism Center
Mike Leiter, Former Director, National Counterterrorism Center; Senior Counsel, Palantir Technologies
MODERATOR: Ryan Lizza, Washington Correspondent, The New Yorker
Tuesday, July 23nd at 6:00pm
MANHUNT: The Search for Osama Bin Laden
This session will feature an excerpted screening of the acclaimed HBO documentary, MANHUNT, based on the book of the same name by noted terrorism expert and CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen. Bergen, and the film’s director and producer, Greg Barker, will discuss the film and the story it tells.
Peter Bergen, Author, Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden from 9/11 to Abbottabad; National Security Analyst, CNN.
Greg Barker, Director and Producer, MANHUNT, Passion Pictures
MODERATOR: Dan Raviv, National Correspondent, CBS News
Wednesday, July 24th at 6:00pm
Clear and Present Danger: Cyber-Crime; Cyber-Espionage; Cyber-Terror; and Cyber-War
The nation's point man on cyber threats, National Security Agency Director and the Pentagon's Cyber Command Commander General Keith Alexander will discuss cyber-threats and the steps being taken to combat them.
Gen. Keith Alexander, Director, National Security Agency; Commander, U.S. Cyber Command
MODERATOR: Pete Williams, Chief Justice Correspondent, NBC News
Thursday, July 25th at 6:00pm
International Perspectives on Terrorism and Counterterrorism
European and multi-national experts give their perspectives on terrorism. What can we learn from them? What can they learn from us?
Gilles de Kerchove, European Union Counter-Terrorism Coordinator
Richard Barrett, Former Coordinator, United Nations Al-Qaida Taliban Monitoring Team; Senior Vice President for Special Projects, The Soufan Group; Director, The Qatar International Academy of Security Studies
MODERATOR: Edward McBride, Washington Bureau Chief, The Economist
Friday, July 26th at 6:00pm
TSA: Rethinking Aviation Security in the Post-Bin Laden Era
TSA Administrator John Pistole is moving the agency away from a “one size fits all” approach to aviation security. Is his “risk-based” strategy the answer to striking the right balance between security and liberty?
John Pistole, Administrator, Transportation Security Administration
MODERATOR: Brian Ross, Chief Investigative Correspondent, ABC News