Featured 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.
 

General Charles A. Flynn assumed command of the United States Army's largest Service Component Command, U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), on June 4, 2021. The U.S. Army Pacific is headquartered at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, with portions of the command-forward deployed and based throughout the Indo-Pacific. 

     General Flynn comes to Fort Shafter after serving as deputy chief of staff for Army operations, plans, and training at the Pentagon. General Flynn has served in a variety of command, staff, and leadership positions from platoon leader to division commander.

     General Charles A. Flynn is a native of Middletown, Rhode Island, and Distinguished Military Graduate from the University of Rhode Island with a BS in Business Management. General Flynn is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses at Fort Benning, GA. He holds two master’s degrees, one in National Security and Strategic Studies from the United States Naval War College in Newport, RI and one in Joint Campaign Planning and Strategy from the National Defense University.

     General Flynn has served in a variety of command, staff, and leadership positions from platoon leader to division commander. He commanded A Company, 4th Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina and later A Company 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Lewis, Washington. He served as the Operations Officer of the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division (Light) and later as the Operations Officer of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division (Light), Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. He commanded the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, deploying in support of both OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM and OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. General Flynn then served as the G3 Operations Officer, 82nd Airborne Division. He deployed again to Iraq in support of OIF as the commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC.

     Following Brigade Command, General Flynn served as the Executive Assistant, Director of the Joint Staff and then Executive Officer, Commander, International Security Assistance Force, United States Forces – Afghanistan. He then served as the Director, Mission Command Center of Excellence (MCCOE) and later as the acting Commanding General, United States Army Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He returned to Fort Bragg to serve as the Deputy Commanding General (Operations) of the 82nd Airborne Division then became Assistant G-3/5/7 (Readiness), United States Army Forces Command. General Flynn served as the 25th Infantry Division Commander then became Deputy Commanding General, United States Army Pacific Command. 

     General Flynn has also served in key staff assignments to include Chief Operations, G-3, 25th Infantry Division (Light) and Joint Observer/Trainer, Joint Warfighting Center, Suffolk, Virginia. General Flynn’s awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal (one oak leaf cluster), Legion of Merit (two oak leaf clusters), Bronze Star (four oak leaf clusters), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (one oak leaf cluster), the Meritorious Service Medal (two oak leaf clusters), Combat Infantryman’s Badge (with star), Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Ranger Tab and Pathfinder Badge.

General Flynn is married, and they have three children.

Adm. Lisa Franchetti is a native of Rochester, New York. She received her commission in 1985 through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Program at Northwestern University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. She holds a master’s degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix.

Her operational tours include auxiliaries officer and first division officer on USS Shenandoah (AD 44); navigator and jumboization coordinator onboard USS Monongahela (AO 178); operations officer on USS Moosbrugger (DD 980); combat systems officer and chief staff officer for Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 2; executive officer of USS Stout (DDG 55); and assistant surface operations officer on USS George Washington Strike Group. She commanded USS Ross (DDG 71) and DESRON-21, embarked on USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). She also served as commander of Pacific Partnership 2010, embarked on USNS Mercy (T-AH 19).

Ashore, Franchetti’s assignments include commander, Naval Reserve Center Central Point, Oregon; aide to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations; protocol officer for the commander, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; 4th Battalion officer at the U.S. Naval Academy; division chief, Joint Concept Development and Experimentation, on the Joint Staff, J7; deputy director of International Engagement and executive assistant to N3/N5 on the Navy staff; and military assistant to the Secretary of the Navy.

Her flag assignments include commander, U.S. Naval Forces Korea; commander, Carrier Strike Group 9; commander, Carrier Strike Group 15; chief of staff, Strategy, Plans and Policy (J-5) Joint Staff; commander, U.S. 6th Fleet/commander, Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO/deputy commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and U.S. Naval Forces Africa; deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting Development, N7; director for Strategy, Plans and Policy (J-5), Joint Staff; and Vice Chief of Naval Operations. Franchetti assumed the duties as Chief of Naval Operations Nov. 2, 2023.

Her personal awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal (two awards), Legion of Merit (five awards), Meritorious Service Medal (six awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four awards), and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (two awards).

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, Multi-National 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. Michelle K. Idle serves as the Deputy Commander, Space Systems Command, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. She is responsible for managing the research, design, development, acquisition and sustainment of space and missile systems, command and control, launch, and operational satellite systems. Space Systems Command manages a $15 billion annual budget for the DoD and employs 15,600 professionals to develop, acquire, launch, field and sustain space capabilities that protect joint warfighters and national interests in space.

Col. Idle was commissioned in 1993 from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. She served eight years on active duty prior to transferring to the Air Force Reserve. Col. Idle has held a variety of positions in research and development, program management, technical intelligence, space operations, and academics.  She directed the United State Strategic Command’s Joint Reserve Intelligence Support Element, a unit of Navy, Air Force and Marine Reservists developing intelligence products for the Joint Space Operations Center.

Prior to her current position, Col. Idle served as the Mobilization Assistant (MA) to the Commander, Space Systems Command.  As the senior Air Force Reserve Officer, she provided direction for the organizational policy, strategy and governance matters related to Reserve Component for the Command as well as across the space acquisition career field. Additionally, she led special projects and acted on behalf of the Commander as needed. 

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.

Major General Paul T. Stanton assumed duties as the Commanding General, U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon on 30 June 2021 after serving as the Deputy Commanding General (Operations), U.S. Army Cyber Command at Fort Gordon, Georgia.
 
He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1995 and commissioned into the Infantry. He transitioned to the Cyber Branch in 2015.
 
During his career, MG Stanton has served in a number of command, staff, and joint positions, including service as Platoon Leader and later Battalion Personnel Officer,
1-508th Infantry Airborne Battalion Combat Team in Vicenza, Italy; Platoon Leader and later Operations Officer, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry in Schweinfurt, Germany; Assistant Operations Officer, 1-502nd Infantry at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Commander, B Company, 1-502nd Infantry at Fort Campbell, Kentucky and OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM in Iraq; Instructor (Computer Science) at the
U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York; Senior Technical Advisor, U.S. Army Cyber Command at Fort Meade, Maryland; National Security Agency fellow at Fort Meade, Maryland; Director, Capabilities Development Group, U.S. Cyber Command at Fort Meade, Maryland; Commander, U.S. Army Cyber Protection Brigade at Fort Gordon, Georgia; and Deputy Director of Operations (J-3) U.S. Cyber Command at Fort Meade, Maryland.
 
MG Stanton has completed two operational assignments: Instructor, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan in OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM; and as Commander, B Company, 1-502nd Infantry, 101st Airborne Division in OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM.
 
He has earned three degrees in Computer Science: a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a master's degree from the University of Illinois, and a doctorate (PhD) from Johns Hopkins University.
 
His military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and a Senior Service College Fellowship.
 
His awards and decorations are typical of an officer of his rank and time in service.

Raj Shah is the co-founder and chairman of Resilience, a cyber-security start-up. Raj is also a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Most recently he was the managing partner of the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx), reporting to the Secretary of Defense. Raj led DIUx in its efforts to strengthen U.S. armed forces through contractual and cultural bridges between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon. Previously, Raj was senior director of strategy at Palo Alto Networks, which acquired Morta Security, where he was chief executive officer and co-founder. He began his business career as a consultant with McKinsey & Company. Raj serves as anF-16 pilot in the US Air Force and has completed multiple combat deployments. He holds an AB from Princeton University and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

General Mahoney is a native of South Weymouth, Massachusetts, and graduated from Holy Cross in June 1987. He completed The Basic School (TBS) and Infantry Officer's Course (IOC), at Quantico, Virginia, in 1988.

After flight training in Florida and Texas and his qualification as an A6-E Intruder pilot, General Mahoney deployed to the Indo-Pacific with VMA (AW)-224, The Bengals. He completed transition training to the F-18 at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro and made multiple deployments with VMFA (AW)-224,  VMFA-122 and VMFA (AW)-242 to the Indo-Pacific, Italy, and Iraq, based out of MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, and MCAS Miramar, California. Additionally, General Mahoney served a tour as an instructor at the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron-1 (MAWTS-1) at MCAS Yuma, AZ.

He has held command at the squadron, group and wing levels. He completed a Joint Force tour as Chief of Staff of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California, and he served as the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources at Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps (HQMC).

His General Officer duties include Deputy Commander, U.S. Marine Forces Pacific; Director of Strategy and Plans at HQMC; Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces, Japan; Commanding General, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing; and Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources, HQMC.

General Mahoney was sworn in as the 37th Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps on November 3, 2023.

General Mahoney is a graduate of the Infantry Officers’ Course, Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI), the Marine Division Tactics Course (MDTC), and the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). He has over 5000 hours of flight time in the A-6, F-5, F-18, and the F-35 and is a qualified Forward Air Controller and parachutist. He attended the Australian Command and Staff College and the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base. He holds Masters Degrees from the University of Canberra, Australia and the Air University with the highest academic distinction.

Gen. Mike Minihan 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 with a fleet of nearly 1,100 aircraft. 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. Nearly 107,000 active-duty, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Airmen and civilians comprise the air mobility Total Force, 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.

Gen. Minihan entered the Air Force in April 1990 after receiving his commission through the ROTC program at Auburn University. He completed undergraduate pilot training in 1991 and served as an aircraft commander, instructor pilot and evaluator pilot in the C-130 Hercules. He has commanded in garrison, crisis and combat, and at the squadron, wing and task force levels. He also held numerous joint, combined and Air Force staff assignments.
Prior to his current position, Gen. Minihan served as Deputy Commander for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

Gen. Minihan is a command pilot with more than 3,400 flying hours and qualifications in C-130, KC-10, and C-32 aircraft.

Lieutenant General Karsten Heckl currently serves as the Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, and the Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration. 

A native of Stone Mountain Georgia, Lieutenant General Heckl graduated from Georgia State University and was commissioned in April 1988. He was designated an unrestricted Naval Aviator in September 1990.

Lieutenant General Heckl commanded Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162, which included a combat tour in Iraq in 2008 and Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) in 2010. From June 2018 to July 2020 he served as the Commanding General, 2d Marine Aircraft Wing, and subsequently assumed command of I Marine Expeditionary Force through September 2021.

As a CH-46E pilot, Lieutenant General Heckl deployed with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 365 and HMM-263, and served as a CH-46E Instructor and Division Head at MAWTS-1, MCAS Yuma, AZ. Additionally, he was assigned as one of the initial cadre of pilots with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Training Squadron 204 (VMMT-204).

Staff assignments include CH-46E and MV-22 Requirements Officer, Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) Aviation Department, Washington DC; J3 Director of Operations, United States Forces- Afghanistan (USFOR-A), Kabul, Afghanistan; Senior Military Assistant and Marine Aide to the Secretary of the Navy; Assistant Deputy Commandant for Aviation, HQMC Aviation Department, Washington DC; Chief of Staff, Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO), Lisbon, Portugal.

Lieutenant General Heckl is a distinguished graduate of the Amphibious Warfare School (AWS) and the Naval War College.

Brigadier General (BG) David W. Gardner graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1994 and has served in a variety of maneuver assignments.
Until 1998, BG Gardner served as an Infantry Platoon Leader, Mortar Platoon Leader, Headquarters Company Executive Officer, and Battalion Logistics Officer in the 2 nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment in the 82d Airborne Division. Upon graduation from the Field Artillery Advanced Course, he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7 th Infantry Regiment in the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) where he commanded in Kosovo and in the invasion of Iraq.
Beginning in 2008, BG Gardner served as a Battalion Executive Officer, Brigade Operations Officer, and Brigade Executive Officer in the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division, before assuming command of the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He deployed that battalion to Afghanistan in 2012 under the 1st Infantry Division in Regional Command-East.
BG Gardner then commanded the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1 st Infantry Division, from 2016 to 2018 and deployed with that command to Europe in support of Atlantic Resolve.
After commanding the Operations Group, Joint Readiness Training Center from 2018 to 2020, BG Gardner was then the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Operational Test Command until the summer of 2022. BG Gardner’s non-troop assignments include: Strategist on the Army Staff; Division Future Operations Lead Planner; Military Assistant to the Commander, International Security and Assistance Force/US Forces, Afghanistan; and, Instructor at the School of Advanced Military Studies.
BG Gardner holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics and Masters Degrees from Harvard University, National Defense University, and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.
BG Gardner’s awards and decorations include the Afghanistan and Iraq Campaign Medals (with 6 Campaign Stars), Kosovo Campaign Medal, Combat and Expert Infantryman Badges, Ranger Tab, and Master Parachutist Badge.

Follow Brigadier General David W. Gardner on Twitter at Warrior_6.

BG Curt Taylor graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in May 1994 and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Armor branch.  Over the last twenty-five years, he has served in various command and staff positions in Armored, Cavalry, and Infantry formations up through brigade combat team.  His combat service includes two tours in Afghanistan and two tours in Iraq.

In 2010, BG Taylor commanded 3-66 AR in Grafenwoehr, GE and deployed with it to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.  Following battalion command, he served as the Brigade Senior Trainer at the JMRC in Hohenfels, GE.  Following senior service college, he served as the Director of the Commander's Initiatives Group at Fort Leavenworth focused on the development of innovative approaches to talent management and leader development across the Army.  In that capacity, he also served as the director of Strategic Assessment for the CSA 39 Transition Team in 2015.

From 2015 to 2017, BG Taylor commanded 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Fort Carson, Colorado which transformed during his command into a Reconnaissance and Security Brigade Combat Team and executed a series of exercises to demonstrate the ability of a Brigade Combat Team to perform the traditional roles of operational cavalry on the 21st Century battlefield.

Following Brigade Command, BG Taylor served as the Chief of Staff of Fort Riley Kansas and the 1st Infantry Division where he oversaw the deployment of multiple combat brigades to Europe and execution of a large-scale Warfighter ecercise.

From June 2019 to April 2021, BG Taylor commanded the Army’s newest combat brigade, the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade consisting of specially-selected and uniquely trained combat advisors oriented on the INDOPACOM area of operations. 

In April 2021, BG Taylor assumed command of the National Training Center and Fort Irwin. 
BG Taylor has two Masters Degrees in Security Studies.

Audrey Decker is a staff reporter for Defense One, where she writes about air and space. She previously reported for Inside Defense, where she reported on the Navy and then on emerging defense technology. She's a graduate of the University of Maryland.

Jennifer Hlad is senior news editor at Defense One and lives in Kailua, Hawaii. Hlad was a Stars and Stripes reporter at the Pentagon and West Coast bureau chief in California before traveling with her Marine Corps husband to posts in Manama and Okinawa, all the while working a mix of assignments with Air Force Magazine, the Daily Beast, Military Times and other publications. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia, and holds a master’s degree in journalism from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

Sam Skove is a staff reporter at Defense One, where he writes about the Army and Marine Corps. He previously worked in Ukraine covering the Russia-Ukraine war for The Daily Beast, Radio Liberty, and The New Republic, among other publications. He holds a bachelor's degree from Oberlin College and a master's degree from Georgetown's Security Studies Program.

Patrick Tucker is science and technology editor for Defense One. He’s also the author of The Naked Future: What Happens in a World That Anticipates Your Every Move? (Current, 2014). Previously, Tucker was deputy editor for The Futurist for nine years. Tucker has written about emerging technology in Slate, The Sun, MIT Technology Review, Wilson Quarterly, The American Legion Magazine, BBC News Magazine, Utne Reader, and elsewhere.