The University of South Florida (USF) and the U.S. Department of Defense Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies today announced a high-profile lineup of speakers from the U.S. military, federal government, and academia who will appear at a free, open to the public virtual conference on September 22-23 to share their unique insights and perspectives on 9/11 and how it changed our nation’s role and strategy on the global stage.
Registration is now open for The 4th Great Power Competition Conference—themed, “Two-Decade 9/11 Anniversary: Gathering Wisdom from Experience ”—at https://go.gpc-conference.org/Sept2021. The event is part of an ongoing series of conferences to foster a broader understanding of the challenges facing the United States in the 21st century from competitors such as Russia, China, and Iran.
Attendees will hear inside stories from people intimately involved on the day of the event and its immediate aftermath, discussing how the United States had to pivot its focus, strategy, and tactics in the region to respond to this new and urgent threat.
In addition to Keynote Speaker General K. Frank McKenzie, Jr., Commander of US Central Command, the speaker lineup includes Michael Morell, President Bush’s daily intelligence briefer at the time of 9/11 who was with him throughout that day on Air Force One; Admiral Thad W. Allen, 23rd Commandant of the United States Coast Guard who oversaw the evacuation of New York Harbor; General David H. Petraeus, who commanded the NATO International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan; Frances Townsend, Homeland Security Advisor to President Bush; MSG Scot Neil, a retired Green Beret who was among the first troops on the ground in Afghanistan; former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster; and many others who bring riveting insight and thoughtful commentary on how this event changed the Great Power Competition.