Reagan National Defense Forum: Building Peace Through

SIMI VALLEY, CA--(Marketwired - Jun 25, 2014) -

"And I think there's no further piece of good examples and relevancy to what this institution means and can mean, will continue to mean of building on the legacy of President Reagan than what has occurred here today in the confines of this building, bringing together some of the leading, most thoughtful individuals in our defense establishment, from Congress, from industry, from Department of Defense. So thank you all for what you continue to do and those who -- once again, who helped put this together. This is an extraordinary effort." - United States Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, during closing remarks at the 2013 Reagan National Defense Forum

Last November the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library brought together leaders and key stakeholders in the defense community -- including members of Congress, civilian officials and military leaders from the Defense Department and industry -- to address the health of our national defense and to stimulate a discussion that promotes policies that strengthen the United States military into the future. Due to the overwhelming success of that event, the Reagan Foundation is honored to announce that the second annual Reagan National Defense Forum will be held on November 15, 2014.

"Ronnie's proudest moments as President involved the men and women who wear the uniform of our country and defend us around the world every day," said former first lady Nancy Reagan. "He would have been so pleased to know that his presidential library is now hosting important and relevant events like these defense forums so that we can give those men and women the best support on every level that we can."

During last year's keynote, General Dempsey remarked, "If we have the will, we can come to 2025 maintaining peace through strength with a military that is dominant, decisive and agile. The question for all of us is, will we? And if you think we won't, are we prepared to accept a lesser U.S. leadership role globally with all that entails?" At this year's Reagan National Defense Forum, Chairman Dempsey will deliver the luncheon keynote address again and will continue to discuss our nation's military capacity, now and into the future.

In addition to the keynote address, multiple panels will be held throughout the day, a few of which include "Reforming How the Pentagon Does Business: What Does it Take to Roll Back the Red Tape?" Cyberwar: The Role of Cyber in 21 ^st Century Warfare," and "Defense After the Election: How Will Midterm Elections and the Start of the Presidential Primaries Impact National Defense?" 

"No task was closer to President Reagan's heart or more consistently on his mind than ensuring the unquestionable indomitability of America's military -- the greatest force for peace the world had ever known," said Frederick J. Ryan, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. "It's our honor to be able to reconvene this remarkable group of thought leaders to share their strategies for peace through strength in our second annual Reagan National Defense Forum."

An Honorary Steering Committee, chaired by Congressman Buck McKeon, includes Robert Gates, Duncan L. Hunter, James Inhofe, Ann McLaughlin Korologos, Carl Levin, Sam Nunn, George Shultz, Adam Smith, John Warner and Pete Wilson.

"I am honored to help the Reagan Library bring our country's defense leaders out to California once again," said Congressman Buck McKeon, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. "I know we'll be able to continue the excellent dialogue we began last year about how to meet our pressing and long-term security challenges."

A partial list of panelists and attendees include, in alphabetical order: Department of Defense/Military General Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff The Honorable Ash Carter, Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense The Honorable Michele Flournoy, Chief Executive Officer, Center for a New American Security and Former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy The Honorable Robert Gates , Former U.S. Secretary of Defense, Former Director of the CIA The Honorable Stephen Hadley, Former National Security Advisor The Honorable Deborah Lee James, Secretary of the U.S. Air Force General Raymond Odierno, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army The Honorable Leon Panetta, Former U.S. Secretary of Defense, Former Director of the CIA The Honorable Michael Vickers, U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence General Mark Welsh III, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force The Honorable Dov Zakheim, Former U.S. Under Secretary of Defense and CFO

Elected Officials: Senator John McCain, SASC Member, Arizona Congressman Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, HASC Chairman, California Congressman Adam Smith, HASC Ranking Member, Washington Senator Jim Talent, Former Senator, Missouri Congressman Mac Thornberry, HASC Member, Texas

Business: Mr. Hossein Amir-Aslani, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley Mr. Wes Bush, Chairman, CEO & President, Northrop Grumman Dr. Thomas Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer, Raytheon Mr. Stephen R. Perry, Managing Director, Janes Capital Partners

The registration fee for the conference is $249 per person and includes free admission into the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum and Air Force One Pavilion. A special "Early Bird" registration is available through August 31, 2014, at the reduced rate of $199 per person. Active military, government personnel and students are $149 per person. Registration details and more information on the conference can be found at www.reaganfoundation.org/defense .

Following the day's panels, the evening will conclude with the presentation of the second annual Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Award . This year's recipients are Senator John McCain and Secretary Leon Panetta. The Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Award recognizes the exemplary dedication and service of individuals in the defense of the United States and its people. The evening award presentation is not a part of the Reagan National Defense Forum conference. As such, ticket holders to the daytime Forum will not also be a part of the award presentations.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the legacy of Ronald Reagan and his timeless principles of individual liberty, economic opportunity, global democracy, and national pride. It sustains the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, the Reagan Center for Public Affairs, the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Presidential Learning Center and The Air Force One Pavilion. Located in Simi Valley, California the Library houses 63 million pages of Gubernatorial, Presidential and personal papers and over 60,000 gifts and artifacts chronicling the lives of Ronald and Nancy Reagan. It now also serves as the final resting place of America's 40th President. www.reaganfoundation.org