The 2025 Aspen Security Forum
July 15-18 | Aspen, CO
The 2025 Aspen Security Forum concluded yesterday. Thank you to all of those who joined us in person and online!
We are pleased to share some of the highlights from our final day below. You can view all of this year’s sessions here!
Final Day Highlights
The Long View From Aspen 
Condoleezza Rice
Co-Chair, Aspen Strategy Group; Tad and Dianne Taube Director and Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy, Hoover Institution, Stanford University; 66th U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State
Robert Gates
Principal, Rice, Hadley, Gates & Manuel LLC; 22nd U.S. Secretary of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense
Mark Esper
27th Secretary of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense; Partner, Red Cell Partners Venture Capital
Jake Sullivan
Kissinger Professor of the Practice of Statecraft and World Order, Harvard Kennedy School; Former U.S. National Security Advisor
Moderator
Steve Clemons
The National Interest
“How can we recreate in the American people a sense that the United States of America is better when it’s engaged in the world?…Great powers don’t mind their own business. They try to shape the international system. So if we don’t shape it, others will.” – Condoleezza Rice
This session covered a broad range of geopolitical issues, including America’s role in the world, U.S. competition with China, the importance of alliances, the value of bipartisanship, the need to rebuild our national industrial strength, and more.
Watch here.
Fireside Chat with Commissioner Andrius Kubilius
Andrius Kubilius
Commissioner for Defence and Space, European Commission
Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania
Moderator
Jonathan Martin
POLITICO
“We need to understand that our ability to defend Ukraine can very much influence what China will decide to do towards Taiwan. This is very much interconnected.” – Andrius Kubilius
Andrius Kubilius shared his insights on the war in Ukraine, European defense strategy, NATO’s increased defense spending targets, and more.
Watch here.
Power, Security, and Influence in the AI Era
David Petraeus
Partner, Chairman of the Global Institute and Chairman of KKR Middle East; Former Director, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
Anja Manuel
Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum; Principal, Rice, Hadley, Gates & Manuel LLC
Kent Walker
President of Global Affairs, Google
Moderator
Mary Louise Kelly
NPR
“AI is not just a scientific breakthrough—it’s a breakthrough in how we make breakthroughs.” – Kent Walker
This discussion centered on the intersection of AI and national security, including the potential benefits of AI, the risks of abuse by bad actors, the need to maintain our competitive edge in the competition with China, and more.
Watch here.
Charting a Course in the Indo-Pacific
Nicholas Burns
Co-Chair, Aspen Strategy Group; Former Ambassador of the United States to China; Roy and Barbara Goodman Family Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations, Harvard Kennedy School
Kevin Rudd
Ambassador of Australia to the United States
Former Prime Minister of Australia
Michael J. Green
Professor and CEO, United States Studies Centre; Former Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Senior Director for Asian Affairs, National Security Council
Moderator
Demetri Sevastopulo
Financial Times
“The positive news here—as I see it six months out of China—is that there are more similarities between President Trump’s policies and President Biden’s than dissimilarities…That’s a strength and we have to retain it.” – Nicholas Burns
This session on the Indo-Pacific compared the Trump administration and Biden administration’s approaches to China, explored America’s engagement with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific, assessed China’s influence in the region, and more.
Watch here.
From Cybercrime to Deepfakes: Securing the Public Square
Ginny Badanes
General Manager, Tech for Society, Microsoft
Jeh Johnson
Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees, Columbia University; 4th U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Moderator
Steve Clemons
The National Interest
“Our open square, our internet, is at the same time both our greatest strength as a free and open society and our greatest vulnerability.” – Jeh Johnson
This session covered the threat posed by misinformation and disinformation online, how to restore trust in technology, how to mitigate the potential negative impacts of AI, and more.
Watch here.
A Conversation on the Middle East
David Petraeus
Partner, Chairman of the Global Institute and Chairman of KKR Middle East; Former Director, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
Kim Ghattas
Financial Times Contributing Editor; Author of Black Wave
Moderator
David Ignatius
The Washington Post
“The Saudis and various countries in the Arab world—the UAE, the Jordanians, the Egyptians—are frustrated by Benjamin Netanyahu’s belligerence because they want to create a new Middle East…that is about a forward-looking vision.” – Kim Ghattas
This conversation focused on the future of the Middle East, examining the conflict in Israel, the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the lessons learned from the war in Iraq, and more.
Watch here.
