The 2026 Aspen Security Forum
July 14-17 | Aspen, CO
The 2026 Aspen Security Forum concluded on Friday. 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
“Pod Save the World” Live Recording with Annalena Baerbock
Annalena Baerbock
President of the UN General Assembly; Former Foreign Minister, Germany
Ben Rhodes
Co-Host, Pod Save the World
Tommy Vietor
Co-Host, Pod Save the World
“Most of the countries in the world know the UN Charter is their life insurance. If we would exact that ‘might is right’ again, this would be the death sentence for almost everybody, my country included.”
—Annalena Baerbock
In this live recording of the Pod Save the World podcast, Annalena Baerbock shared her insights as president of the UN General Assembly, exploring how the UN could be reformed to revitalize its role in international diplomacy, the challenge of the veto power in the Security Council, the state of democracy, and more.
Fireside Chat with Minister Vincent Biruta
Vincent Biruta
Minister of Interior, Government of Rwanda
Moderator
Steve Clemons
The National Interest
“There are many aspects we need to deal with when developing nuclear energy….The best advanced countries in that technology are the United States [and] Russia. That is not disputable, and we are working with both of them.”—Vincent Biruta
Minister Biruta shared the perspective from Kigali, discussing the lasting effects of Rwanda’s genocide, the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country’s recent efforts in civil nuclear energy, immigration policy, and more.
The Innovation Imperative: Technology, Industry, and U.S. Leadership
Bill Cassidy
U.S. Senator for Louisiana, U.S. Senate
John Cornyn
U.S. Senator for Texas, U.S. Senate
Timothy Haugh
4th Commander, U.S. Cyber Command; 19th Director, National Security Agency; Founder, The Haugh Way
Moderator
Jonathan Martin
POLITICO
“If you don’t have an industrial base, I don’t care what innovation you have. And if China controls your manufacturing, your supply chain, and your critical minerals, you are dependent upon them.”—Bill Cassidy
In this session, the panelists explored topics ranging from strategic competition with China and data centers for AI development, to America’s industrial base and national debt.
The Arctic: High North, Higher Stakes
Thomas Dans
Chairman, U.S. Arctic Research Commission
General Eirik Kristoffersen
Chief of Defense, Norway
Pasi Rajala
Political State Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Defence of Finland, Prime Minister’s Office of Finland
Moderator
Lara Seligman
The Wall Street Journal
“The Arctic is our future. That’s where we have the resources, oil and gas, fisheries. To pursue that wealth that is actually there in the Arctic, we have to work on the vision that we want high north with low tensions.”—General Eirik Kristoffersen
In this panel, the speakers explored developments in the Arctic, including Chinese and Russian ambitions, NATO’s role, America’s interest in Greenland, and the region’s strategic importance.
The New National Security: Investing in Frontline Resilience
In Partnership with the Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs
Alice Albright
Former CEO, Millennium Challenge Corporation; Carnegie Distinguished Fellow, Columbia University
Comfort Ero
President and CEO, International Crisis Group
Alaa Murabit
Managing Partner of Sustainable Growth, 500 Global
Ana Zacapa
Philanthropy and Non-Profit Advisor, Root Capital
Moderator
Niamh King
Director, Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum
“We need to really start thinking about education and healthcare and water and food security as upstream of national security. We do ourselves such a huge disservice by talking about them as consequences. They are actually what create national security.” —Alaa Murabit
The panelists discussed the future of foreign assistance, highlighting the need to reform existing financing mechanisms and reframe our understanding of the role assistance plays in national security.
You can watch all of this year’s sessions here.
