2023
Aspen Security Forum
July 18-21, 2023 | Aspen, CO
2023 Agenda
2023 Welcome Message
2023 Videos and Transcripts
Message from our Executive Director, Anja Manuel
July 2023
Great power conflict is back, and the technologies used to win it are changing much faster than we can digest. This impacts U.S. national security in all arenas, particularly with respect to China, which is as much a technological and economic competitor as a military one. But while technologies are rapidly evolving, too many government institutions are stuck in outdated ways of thinking.
This year at the 14th annual Aspen Security Forum, we will explore the technological, security, economic, and geopolitical risks that lie just “over the horizon,” and work creatively and jointly to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.
As Henry Kissinger has recently warned, we may be living in a time similar to the run up to World War I, where all sides sleep-walked into conflict, and being “insufficiently familiar with how technology had enhanced their respective military forces . . . inflict[ed] unprecedented devastation.” Our goal at this year’s Aspen Security Forum is to wake up from that sleep-walking, and come together to tackle our shared challenges with imaginative, collaborative ideas.
The 2023 Aspen Security Forum will convene global leaders from Washington and the world over, international institutions, private sector C-suites, and civil society to address questions like:
How can the world work towards the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence?
How should we use the enormous U.S. defense budget far more efficiently to prepare us for possible future conflicts using advanced technologies?
How can the U.S. and China de-escalate tensions and cooperate on issues of common interest, such as climate change, AI, and nuclear nonproliferation, amidst the backdrop of competition?
How will attempts to secure critical minerals and other resources affect the geopolitical landscape?
What can be done to stop Russia’s aggression and help Ukraine rebuild and prosper?
How can we maintain our advantage in new domains of competition, from the Arctic to the South Pacific and from the deep sea to outer space?
What should we do to prepare, educate, and retrain our workforce for the national security challenges of the future?
How can we work with partners and allies in emerging and under-supported regions to the benefit of our mutual interests?
Does the U.S. need a better, more forward-leaning business and economic strategy around the world?
What is just out of sight that we should be directing our attention towards; what is over the horizon?
Thank you for joining us.
See you in Aspen,
Anja Manuel
Executive Director
Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum
2023 Agenda
View the Full Agenda
Day 1: Tuesday, July 18
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM Registration Open for Attendees in Doerr-Hosier Building, Aspen Meadows
Opening Program in the Greenwald Pavilion
5:00 – 5:05 PM
Welcoming Remarks
Anja Manuel, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum
Joseph Nye, Co-Chair, Aspen Strategy Group and Dean Emeritus, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University
5:05 – 5:35 PM
Fireside Chat with Admiral John C. Aquilino
Admiral John C. Aquilino, Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
Moderator: Courtney Kube, NBC News Correspondent, NBC News
5:35 – 6:05 PM
Fireside Chat with Monica Juma
Monica Juma, National Security Advisor to the President of the Republic of Kenya
Moderator: Sarah Smith, North America Editor, BBC News
6:05 – 6:35 PM
Fireside Chat with Linda Thomas-Greenfield
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Representative of the United States to the United Nations, U.S. Permanent Mission to the United Nations
Moderator: Andrea Mitchell, Chief Washington Correspondent and Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, NBC News
6:35 – 6:40 PM
Closing Remarks
Niamh King, Director, Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum
Anja Manuel, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum
6:45 – 7:30 PM
Opening Reception in Doerr-Hosier Building, Aspen Meadows
Day 2: Wednesday, July 19
McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Building
9:00 – 9:10 AM
Welcoming Remarks
Anja Manuel, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum
9:10 – 9:40 AM
Fireside Chat with General James H. Dickinson
General James H. Dickinson, Commander, U.S. Space Command
Moderator: David Ignatius, Columnist, The Washington Post
9:40 – 10:10 AM
Fireside Chat with James Cleverly
James Cleverly, Secretary of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, United Kingdom
Moderator: Martha MacCallum, Anchor and Executive Editor of The Story and Co-Anchor of Fox News Election Coverage with Bret Baier, Fox News
10:10 – 10:40 AM
Semiconductors and National Security: The CHIPS Challenge
Pat Gelsinger, CEO, Intel
Penny Pritzker, Founder and Chairman, PSP Partners, and 38th U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Moderator: Steve Clemons, Founding Editor at Large, Semafor
10:40 – 11:15 AM
Addressing Today’s Threat & Ensuring Tomorrow’s Edge: Accelerating Capabilities for the DoD
Douglas A. Beck, Director, Defense Innovation Unit and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense
Christian Brose, Chief Strategy Officer, Anduril Industries
Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, U.S. Department of Defense
Moderator: Gordon Lubold, White House & National Security Reporter, The Wall Street Journal
11:15 – 11:45 AM
U.S. Competitiveness: Challenges and Opportunities
Zoë Baird, Senior Counselor to the Secretary for Technology and Economic Growth, U.S. Department of Commerce
Yll Bajraktari, President and CEO, Special Competitive Studies Project
Moderator: Peter Baker, Chief White House Correspondent, The New York Times
11:45 AM – 12:15 PM
Fireside Chat with Xie Feng, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the U.S.
Moderator: Steve Clemons, Founding Editor at Large, Semafor
12:15 – 1:30 PM
Lunch
1:30 – 2:10 PM
Shifting Tides: A New Middle East?
Goli Ameri, Co-Founder, StartItUp and Former United States Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Tzipi Livni, Former Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Justice of Israel
Farah Pandith, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations and Former Special Representative to Muslim Communities, U.S. Department of State
Dina Powell McCormick, Vice Chairman & President of Global Client Services, BDT-MSD; Former Deputy National Security Advisor of the United States
Moderator: Steve Clemons, Founding Editor at Large, Semafor
2:10 – 2:45 PM
Final Frontier: Space Strategy for the Future
Salvatore ‘Tory’ Bruno, CEO, United Launch Alliance
John Plumb, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, U.S. Department of Defense
Ezinne Uzo-Okoro, Assistant Director for Space Policy, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Moderator: David Ignatius, Columnist, The Washington Post
2:45 – 3:20 PM
Sanctions, Scams, and Schemes: Cross-Sector Collaboration to Combat Financial Crime
Aaron Karczmer, EVP, Chief Enterprise Services Officer, PayPal
Brian Nelson, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, U.S. Department of the Treasury
Matt Olsen, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, U.S. Department of Justice
Moderator: Mary Louise Kelly, Co-Host, All Things Considered, NPR
3:20 – 3:50 PM
Fireside Chat with Christo Grozev
Christo Grozev, Lead Russia Investigator, Bellingcat Productions
Moderator: Sharon Weinberger, National Security Editor, The Wall Street Journal
3:50 – 4:35 PM
Denver Dialogue on Democracy – The Global Democracy Agenda
María Eugenia Brizuela de Ávila, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, El Salvador
Mariano-Florentino ‘Tino’ Cuéllar, President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Francis Fukuyama, Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Jane Harman, Chair, Commission on the National Defense Strategy, and Former Member of Congress
Moderator: Matthew Kaminski, Editor-in-Chief, POLITICO
4:35 – 5:20 PM
The Promise and Peril of Artificial Intelligence
Arati Prabhakar, Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Kent Walker, President, Global Affairs, Google
Heidi Heitkamp, Director, University of Chicago Institute of Politics; Former U.S. Senator for North Dakota
Anja Manuel, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum
Moderator: Ryan Heath, Global Technology Correspondent, Axios
5:20 PM
Closing Remarks
Joseph Nye, Co-Chair, Aspen Strategy Group and Dean Emeritus, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University
Day 3: Thursday, July 20
7:45 – 8:45 AM
Breakfast and Program for all Attendees in the Google Pavilion
Safer With Google Breakfast
Laurie Richardson, Vice President, Trust & Safety, Google
Royal Hansen, Vice President, Privacy, Safety and Security, Google
Robert Silvers, Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans, DHS
Moderator: Vivian Schiller, Executive Director, Aspen Digital
McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Building
8:50 – 9:00 AM
Opening Remarks
Dan Porterfield, President and CEO, The Aspen Institute
9:00 – 9:35 AM
Fireside Chat with Alejandro N. Mayorkas
Alejandro N. Mayorkas, 7th U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
Moderator: Fareed Zakaria, Host, Fareed Zakaria GPS, CNN
9:35 – 10:05 AM
Fireside Chat with Christine Wormuth
Christine Wormuth, 25th Secretary of the Army, U.S. Army
Moderator: Courtney Kube, NBC News Correspondent, NBC News
10:05 – 10:50 AM
The China Challenge: Is the U.S. Getting China Right?
Michael Froman, President, Council on Foreign Relations
Naima Green-Riley, Assistant Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University
Joseph Nye, Co-Chair, Aspen Strategy Group and Dean Emeritus, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University
Kristen Silverberg, President & COO, Business Roundtable, and Former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union
Moderator: Edward Luce, U.S. National Editor and Columnist, Financial Times
10:50 – 11:30 AM
Inflection Point: India and the Changing World Order
Rana Ayyub, Global Opinions Contributing Writer, The Washington Post
Shivshankar Menon, Visiting Professor of International Relations at Ashoka University
Joseph Nye, Co-Chair, Aspen Strategy Group and Dean Emeritus, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University
Nirupama Rao, Former Foreign Secretary of India
Moderator: Amna Nawaz, Co-Anchor, PBS NewsHour
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Lunch
1:00 – 1:35 PM
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Critical Minerals and National Security
Heidi Heitkamp, Director, University of Chicago Institute of Politics; Former U.S. Senator for North Dakota
Meghan L. O’Sullivan, Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Mike Pompeo, Distinguished Fellow, Hudson Institute, and 70th U.S. Secretary of State
Moderator: Misha Glenny, Journalist and Rector, Institute for Human Sciences, Vienna
1:35 – 1:55 PM
Fireside Chat with Ahmad Massoud (VIRTUAL)
Ahmad Massoud, Leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan
Moderator: Fareed Zakaria, Host, Fareed Zakaria GPS, CNN
1:55 – 2:40 PM
What’s Next for Ukraine?
Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine (VIRTUAL)
Colin Kahl, Senior Fellow, Stanford University, Former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, U.S. Department of Defense
Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head, Centre for Civil Liberties, Ukraine and Nobel Peace Laureate
Philip Zelikow, White Burkett Miller Professor of History, University of Virginia; Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Moderator: Susan Glasser, Staff Writer, The New Yorker
2:40 – 2:55 PM
Update on the Vilnius Summit: Fireside Chat with Mircea Geoană
Mircea Geoană, Deputy Secretary General, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Moderator: David Sanger, White House and National Security Correspondent, The New York Times
2:55 – 3:30 PM
The Future of European Defense and Security
Mircea Geoană, Deputy Secretary General, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
G.E.W. van Leeuwen, Foreign Affairs and Defense Advisor to the Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Tom Tugendhat, Minister of State (Minister for Security) of the United Kingdom
Moderator: Peter Spiegel, U.S. Managing Editor, Financial Times
3:30 – 4:00 PM
Fireside Chat with Emmanuel Bonne
Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor and G20-G7 Sherpa for the President of the French Republic
Moderator: Jim Sciutto, Anchor and Chief National Security Correspondent, CNN
4:00 – 4:30 PM
Democracy, Security, and Artificial Intelligence
Rob Joyce, Director of Cybersecurity, National Security Agency
Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President, Microsoft
Moderator: Susan Glasser, Staff Writer, The New Yorker
4:30 – 5:00 PM
Re-Engineering American Security: Cultivating Talent for Competitiveness
Romy Drucker, Director, Education Program, Walton Family Foundation
Chris Howard, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Arizona State University
Condoleezza Rice, Co-Chair, Aspen Strategy Group, and 66th U.S. Secretary of State
Moderator: Stephanie Ruhle, Host, “The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle” and NBC News Senior Business Analyst, MSNBC
5:00 – 5:45 PM
Fireside Chat with William Burns
William Burns, Director, Central Intelligence Agency
Moderator: Mary Louise Kelly, Co-Host, All Things Considered, NPR
5:45 PM
Closing Remarks
Niamh King, Director, Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum
Anja Manuel, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum
Day 4: Friday, July 21
McNulty Room, Doerr-Hosier Building
8:50 – 9:00 AM
Opening Remarks
Joseph Nye, Co-Chair, Aspen Strategy Group and Dean Emeritus, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University
9:00 – 9:45 AM
Fireside Chat with Antony J. Blinken
Antony J. Blinken, 71st U.S. Secretary of State
Moderator: Andrea Mitchell, Chief Washington Correspondent and Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, NBC News
9:45 – 10:35 AM
A View From the Hill
Chris Coons, U.S. Senator for Delaware
John Cornyn, U.S. Senator for Texas
James E. Risch, U.S. Senator for Idaho
Moderator: Peter Spiegel, U.S. Managing Editor, Financial Times
10:35 – 11:10 AM
Fireside Chat with Chrystia Freeland
Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Canada
Moderator: Matthew Kaminski, Editor-in-Chief, POLITICO
11:10 – 11:30 AM
Fireside Chat with Volodymyr Zelenskyy (VIRTUAL)
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine
Moderator: Fareed Zakaria, Host, Fareed Zakaria GPS, CNN
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM
On Thin Ice? Navigating the New North
Esther D. Brimmer, James H. Binger Senior Fellow in Global Governance, Council on Foreign Relations
Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senator for Alaska
Vice- Admiral Frank ‘Trey’ Whitworth, Director, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Moderator: Jim Sciutto, Anchor and Chief National Security Correspondent, CNN
12:00 – 12:30 PM
New Technologies and Old Treaties: Are International Limits on Weapons Still Possible?
Mark T. Esper, Partner and Board Member, Red Cell Venture Capital, and 27th U.S. Secretary of Defense
BonnieD. Jenkins, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, U.S. Department of State
Anja Manuel, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum
Moderator: David Sanger, White House and National Security Correspondent, The New York Times
12:30 – 1:15 PM
Fireside Chat with Jake Sullivan
Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, National Security Council
Moderator: Edward Luce, U.S. National Editor and Columnist, Financial Times
1:15 PM
Concluding Remarks
Anja Manuel, Executive Director, Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum
Lunch for all Attendees in the Google Pavilion
Videos and Transcripts
Speakers
Leadership
Harvard Kennedy School
Co-Chair, Aspen Strategy Group
Speakers
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR 2023 PARTNERS
SUBSCRIBE TO THE WEEKLY LEAF
Our weekly newsletter features content from ASG members, our Rising Leaders, and articles relevant to Aspen Security Forum discussions. The Weekly Leaf is the best way to stay connected with our work throughout the year.