Speakers

Gen. David W. Allvin is the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. As Chief, he serves as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of 689,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the general and other service chiefs function as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council and the President.

Gen. Allvin graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1986. He has commanded at the squadron and wing levels, including the 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. He has held major command staff assignments and served on the Joint Staff.

Gen. Allvin served as Commanding General, NATO Air Training Command - Afghanistan; Commander, 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, Kabul, Afghanistan; Commander, 618th Air and Space Operations Center; Director, Strategy, Concepts and Assessments; Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Requirements, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force and Director, Strategy, Plans and Policy, Headquarters U.S. European Command; Vice Director, Strategy, Plans and Policy, the Joint Staff; and Director for Strategy, Plans and Policy, J-5, Joint Staff. Prior to his current assignment, the general was the Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force

Gen. Allvin is a command pilot with more than 4,600 hours in over 30 aircraft, including 800 flight test hours and 100 combat hours.

Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere is Commander, Air Force Global Strike Command and Commander, Air Forces Strategic - Air, U.S. Strategic Command, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. AFGSC provides strategic deterrence, global strike capability, and combat support to USSTRATCOM and other geographic combatant commands. The command is comprised of more than 33,700 professionals operating at two numbered air forces; 11 active duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve wings; and the Joint Global Strike Operations Center. Weapons systems assigned to AFGSC include all U.S. Air Force intercontinental ballistic missiles and bomber aircraft, UH-1N helicopters, E-4B National Airborne Operations Center aircraft, and the U.S. Air Force NC3 weapons system.

Gen. Bussiere is a 1985 distinguished graduate of Air Force ROTC from Norwich University. He has held a variety of flying, staff and command assignments including the Deputy Director for Nuclear, Homeland Defense and Current Operations, Joint Staff; Inspector General, Headquarters, AFGSC; Advanced Programs Division, Headquarters, Air Combat Command and duty as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Multi-National Force-Iraq, Camp Victory, Baghdad. He commanded the 325th Bomb Squadron, 13th Bomb Squadron, 509th Operations Group and the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB, Missouri. He also served as the Commander, Alaskan Command, United States Northern Command; Commander, Eleventh Air Force, Pacific Air Forces; and Commander, Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; Commander, Eighth Air Force; Commander, Joint-Global Strike Operations Center, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, and Commander, Joint Functional Component for Global Strike; Commander, Task Force 204, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Nebraska. Gen. Bussiere is a graduate of the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies and the U.S. Army War College Advanced Strategic Arts Program. Prior to his current position, Gen. Bussiere served as Deputy Commander, USSTRATCOM.

Gen. Bussiere is a command pilot with more than 3,400 hours in the T-38 Talon, F-15C Eagle, B-2A Spirit, B-1B Lancer and F-22 Raptor. He led F-15C combat missions during operations Southern Watch and Vigilant Warrior and B-2 combat missions during operations Allied Force and Iraqi Freedom.

Bryan Clark is a senior fellow and director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at Hudson Institute. He studies naval operations, cyber and electromagnetic warfare, autonomous systems, military competitions, and wargaming.

From 2013 to 2019, Mr. Clark was a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) where he led studies for the DoD Office of Net Assessment, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Defense Advanced Research Products Agency on new technologies and the future of warfare.

Prior to joining CSBA in 2013, Mr. Clark was a career enlisted and officer submariner. His last assignment was as director of the Chief of Naval Operations Commander’s Action Group, where he led development of Navy strategy and implemented new initiatives in electromagnetic spectrum operations, undersea warfare, expeditionary operations, and personnel and readiness management.

General Randy A. George assumed duties as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army on September 21, 2023 after most recently serving as the 38th Vice Chief of Staff of the Army. George commissioned from the U.S. Military Academy in 1988 as an infantry officer. He served as a lieutenant in the 101st Airborne Division and deployed in support of Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Following the Armor Officer Advanced Course in 1993, George was stationed at Fort Carson where he was the assistant operations officer for 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division and then commanded C Company and later Headquarters Company in 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment. George received his Master of Science in Economics in 1999 from Colorado School of Mines and then served at the National Simulation Center in Fort Leavenworth before attending the Command and General Staff College. In 2001 George went to Italy and served as the executive officer of 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade. He was later executive officer and then deputy commander of the brigade, during which time he deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Returning to the 101st Airborne Division in 2004, George commanded 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment and deployed a second time to Iraq. He then went to United States Naval War College as an instructor and then student. He deployed again as part of the initiatives group for the commanding general, MultiNational Corps-Iraq in 2007. In 2008 George returned to the 4th Infantry Division, where he commanded 4th Brigade Combat Team and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Following command, he was a fellow on the Council of Foreign Relations, chief of the strategic policy division for the Pakistan-Afghanistan coordination cell on the Joint Staff, executive officer to the 33rd Vice Chief of Staff of the Army and then executive assistant to the commander of U.S. Central Command. He then returned to Fort Carson as the deputy commanding general (maneuver) of 4th Infantry Division. After two staff assignments as the director of force management for the Army G-3/5/7 and deputy director for regional operations and force management in the J-3, George took command of the 4th Infantry Division in June 2017. In this role he deployed again to Afghanistan. George’s most recent command was of I Corps at Joint Base Lewis McChord, after which he served as the senior military assistant to the Secretary of Defense. He is married to his West Point classmate, Patty. They have two children, Grant and Andrea.

COL Joshua G. Glonek, a native of Gordon, WI, graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2003 and was commissioned as an Infantry Officer. He served as a Rifle Platoon Leader, Support Platoon Leader, and Company Executive Officer with the 1-504 PIR, 82nd Airborne DIV, deploying to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He later commanded a rifle company and headquarters company with the 5th Stryker BCT, 2nd Infantry DIV, and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. COL Glonek also served as an Assistant Professor of Economics at West Point, and held staff positions with the 101st ABN DIV, including G5 plans officer and BN S3, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of Operations Inherent Resolve and Resolute Support. He also served as the Speechwriter to the Secretary of the Army and Chief Speechwriter to the Secretary of Defense. COL Glonek commanded the 2nd BN, 87th Infantry Regiment, and served as the G3 of the 10th Mountain DIV, deploying to Europe. Most recently, COL Glonek completed an Army Fellowship at Stanford University where he studied the nexus of emerging technologies and future warfare. A devoted family man, COL Glonek is married to his wife Dana, and they have three daughters, Gloria, Jacqueline, and Faye. He holds Master's Degrees from the University of Chicago and the Command and General Staff College and is a graduate of the School of Advanced Military Studies, Ranger School, and other advanced military courses.

James Holmes holds the J. C. Wylie Chair of Maritime Strategy at the Naval War College and served on the faculty of the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs. A former U.S. Navy surface-warfare officer, he was the last gunnery officer in history to fire a battleship’s big guns in anger, during the first Gulf War in 1991. He earned the Naval War College Foundation Award in 1994, signifying the top graduate in his class. His books include Red Star over the Pacific, an Atlantic Monthly Best Book of 2010 and a fixture on the Navy Professional Reading List. General James Mattis deems him “troublesome.”

Dr. Richard D. Hooker, Jr. is a Senior Fellow with The Atlantic Council and a Senior Associate with the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center.  He previously served as The Theodore Roosevelt Chair in National Security Affairs at the National Defense University and as University Professor at NDU’s National War College.  In previous assignments he served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Europe and Russia with the National Security Council, The White House; Director, Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) at NDU; as Dean of the NATO Defense College in Rome; and as Director for Iraq 2006-2008 and Director for Defense Policy 1992-1993 with the NSC.  He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Distinguished Fellow with the Jamestown Foundation. As a career Army officer, Dr. Hooker taught at West Point and commanded parachute infantry units at the company, battalion and brigade level.  While on active duty he participated in military operations in Grenada, Somalia, Rwanda, the Sinai, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.  His military service also included tours in the offices of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff of the Army. He holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia and an M.S. in Strategic Studies from the National War College.  He has published eight books and more than 80 articles on defense and security.

Gen. John D. Lamontagne is Commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

The command serves as U.S. Transportation Command’s air component, executing the air mobility mission in support of the joint force, allies and partners. The command encompasses Eighteenth Air Force, the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, the 618th Air Operations Center, 17 wings and two groups, which provide rapid global mobility from more than 100 locations worldwide. Air Mobility Command includes over 40,000 active-duty personnel, nearly 8,000 civilians, and 551 aircraft. The Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve add another 56,000 Airmen and civilians and 512 aircraft that operate in support of national defense. The command’s missions include providing command and control of inter-theater and intra-theater airlift, air refueling, aeromedical evacuation, global air mobility support, and presidential and senior leader air transport in support of national interests.

Robert B. Murrett is a Professor of Practice on the faculty of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, and serves as the Deputy Director of the Institute for Security, Policy and Law at the University.  In addition, he is a staff member at the Institute for Defense Analyses, for work on Defense Department and National Intelligence issues, and chairs the MITRE Intelligence Advisory Board (IAB).  He also serves on the Advisory Board for the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse.

Previously, Murrett was a career intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy, serving in assignments throughout the Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East through his thirty-four years of duty, retiring in the grade of Vice Admiral.   His duty stations included service as Operational Intelligence Officer for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Assistant Naval Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, Norway. As a Flag officer, he served as Vice Director for Intelligence on the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Director of Naval Intelligence, and Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).

Vassili is a technology leader specializing in AI/ML and data-driven platforms for National Security, with experience across various industries. He has a proven track record in creating innovative solutions and aligning technology investments with business goals. Before joining Microsoft, he was a Principal AI/ML Data Engineer at AWS NATSEC and Amazon.com, leading key initiatives including a post-quantum cryptography program and a large language model product suite for the intelligence community. He also led product development for Amazon's R&D team focused on LLM and GenAI. Vassili holds an Executive MBA and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Maryland. He is fluent in Greek and has a background in minor league hockey. In his spare time, he enjoys camping with his family and coaching his son's ice hockey team.

Jason Payne is a seasoned technology leader with extensive experience in the US Federal sector. As the CTO for Microsoft Federal, Jason is responsible for creating and driving technology and solution strategies that enable digital transformation across the federal government in civilian, defense, and intelligence verticals within Microsoft and across partner ecosystems. Currently, Jason is focused on helping federal agencies leverage the power and potential of artificial intelligence to improve operations, efficiency, and mission outcomes, including technology strategy, adoption, and responsible use. Prior to joining Microsoft, Jason was a vice president at CGI Federal, where he served as the leader of the US Digital Transformation practice.

Gen. B. Chance Saltzman is the Chief of Space Operations, United States Space Force. As Chief, he serves as the senior uniformed Space Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of all organic and assigned space forces serving in the United States and overseas.  As members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chief of Space Operations and other service chiefs function as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council, and the President.

Gen. Saltzman is a graduate of Boston University and was commissioned in 1991.  He has operational experience with missile and space systems, as a Minuteman III launch officer, and as a satellite operator for the National Reconnaissance Office.  He also served as the first Chief of Combat Plans for the Joint Space Operations Center, and later, as Chief of Combat Operations.

Gen. Saltzman has commanded at the squadron, group, and wing levels including the 614th Space Operations Squadron and 1st Space Control Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California; the 460th Operations Group at Buckley AFB, Colorado; and the Aerospace Data Facility Colorado, Aurora, Colorado.  Before serving in his current assignment, Gen. Saltzman was the Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, Cyber, and Nuclear, United States Space Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.

General Smith is currently serving as the 39th Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in Plano, Texas, General Smith graduated from Texas A&M University and was commissioned in 1987. He has commanded at every level, including Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment during Operation Assured Response in Monrovia, Liberia; 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment during Operation Iraqi Freedom; and 8th Marine Regiment/ Regimental Combat Team 8 during Operation Enduring Freedom. He also served in Caracas, Venezuela as part of the U.S. Military Group.

As a General Officer, he commanded U.S. Marine Corps Forces Southern Command, 1st Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, and Marine Corps Combat Development Command.

General Smith’s staff assignments as a General Officer include serving as the Director of Capability Development Directorate, Combat Development and Integration; Senior Military Assistant to both the Deputy Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Defense; Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration; and the 36th Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Lieutenant General Roger Turner assumed command of III Marine Expeditionary Force on 26 January 2024.

He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1984. While serving in the Reserves, he attended the University of Maryland and was commissioned in 1989. He joined 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines in 1990 and deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

As a Captain, he served as a Company Commander with 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines and deployed with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. As a Major, he served as Operations Officer for 5th Marine Regiment and the Current Operations Officer for First Marine Division during the early phases of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His supporting establishment assignments as a young officer include service as a Tactics Instructor at The Basic School and Infantry Officer Course and as the Commanding Officer of Recruiting Station Sacramento.

Lieutenant General Turner has commanded Sailors and Marines in combat at multiple echelons, including deployments as Commanding Officer, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines to Ramadi, Iraq; Commanding Officer, 5th Marine Regiment, to Helmand Province, Afghanistan; and Commanding General, Task Force Southwest, to Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Lieutenant General Turner’s other assignments as a general officer include Director, Capabilities Development Directorate, Headquarters Marine Corps; Commanding General, Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command and Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center; Commanding General, 1st Marine Division; Director of Operations, Headquarters Marine Corps; and Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations (Acting).

Lieutenant General Turner is a graduate of Amphibious Warfare School, the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, the College of Naval Warfare, and the United Kingdom’s Higher Command and Staff Course.

Major General Wortman is a native of Warren, Pennsylvania, and a 1991 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He is currently serving as the Commanding General, 3d Marine Division in Okinawa, Japan.

As a company grade officer, he served in a variety of command and staff assignments in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Marine Divisions, as a rifle platoon commander, rifle and weapons company executive officer, rifle company commander, Battalion Landing Team assistant operations officer, and Light Armored Reconnaissance weapons company commander. While in these assignments, Major General Wortman participated in numerous contingency and security force assistance missions in the Caribbean and Mediterranean Sea regions. Additionally, as a captain, he served as a writer in the Commandant's Staff Group in support of the 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps and as a history instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy.

As a field grade officer, Major General Wortman served as Operations Officer, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion; Executive Officer, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines and 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines; While assigned as the Executive Officer of 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, he participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom. While assigned as the Commanding Officer, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines and Battalion Landing Team 2/4, he deployed with the 31st Marine Expeditionary unit, conducting security force assistance missions throughout Southeast Asia and supporting Operation Enduring Freedom --Philippines. He was also the Commanding Officer, Recruiting Station Indianapolis; Commanding Officer, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines; Plans Officer, 1st Marine Division; Senior Aide to the Commandant of the Marine Corps; Senior Marine Representative for Force Development, Office of the Secretary of Defense - Policy; Senior Advisor to the Afghan General Staff Chief of Plans, Afghan Assistant Minister for Strategy and Policy, and Afghan Chief of General Staff; Commanding Officer, The Basic School; and Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

As a General Officer, he served as the Commanding General, Marine Corps Warfighting Lab and the Vice Chief of Naval Research, Deputy Director of Operations (J3), United States European Command, and most recently assigned as the Senior Military Assistant to the Deputy of the Secretary of Defense, Washington D.C.

Major General Wortman graduated with distinction from the Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in history. While a midshipman at the Naval Academy, he served as the brigade commander, the senior leadership position among the 4500 midshipmen. He was the honor graduate from his TBS Basic Officers Course class and received the Infantry Officer Course Wheeler Award for Infantry and Leadership Excellence. Major General Wortman holds a Master of Arts in history from the University of Maryland, Master of Operational Studies from the Marine Corps University School of Advanced Warfighting, and Master of Strategic Studies from the National War College. He was a distinguished graduate from the National War College. Major General Wortman was a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations from 1999-2004.