2026
Aspen Security Forum
July 14-17, 2026 | Aspen, CO
Agenda
2026 Speakers
Videos and Transcripts
Welcome Message from Anja Manuel
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ASPEN STRATEGY GROUP & ASPEN SECURITY FORUM
Dear friends and colleagues,
This year, the United States celebrates 250 years since its founding. The anniversary reminds us that the American experiment was and is built on bold ideas. Its continued success depends on whether each generation can innovate, strengthen our alliances, adapt our institutions, and defend the ideals that make our freedom possible.
The world into which the United States was born—like ours today—was in state of flux. The American Revolution challenged the British Empire. The French and Haitian revolutions shook assumptions about political legitimacy, slavery, and power. Steam helped launch the Industrial Revolution. In a short period, the old order shifted.
250 years later, we are living through another period of upheaval.
Artificial intelligence has become a powerful, helpful tool, and also a national-security threat. Conflicts in the Middle East and in Europe have created new partnerships, while upending trade routes, and testing deterrence and energy security. China leads in 66 of 74 critical technologies, reshaping economic and military competition and raising the stakes around Taiwan. Economic momentum and clout are moving south, as African and Asian cities, ports, power grids, and mineral corridors expand, while Europe struggles with slow growth.
These disruptive forces are moving at extraordinary speed, while laws, institutions, companies, and governments strain to keep up.
But transformation also creates opportunities: to explore the bold, new ideas that will define the future. Can we shape this disruption—guide it, govern it, and bend it toward progress?
That is why we gather here in Aspen.
Our founders Joe Nye and Brent Scowcroft believed the Rockies could create space away from the noise for serious people to engage serious problems.
This year, our challenge is for each of us, speakers and participants, to bring forward our audacious, impossible, “too hard” ideas—and pressure test them together to ensure the continued success of this unique and marvelous democratic experiment.
Thank you for joining us.
See you in Aspen,
Anja Manuel
Executive Director
Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum
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2026 Agenda
The 2026 Aspen Security Forum agenda is taking shape. Please note that all speakers and times are subject to change.
2026 SPEAKERS
The 2026 Forum features the highest caliber of speakers, including domestic and international government officials, business executives, leading academics, and noted journalists from around the world.
Alice Albright
Carnegie Distinguished Fellow, Columbia University
Talal Al Kaissi
Chief Executive Officer, Core42 AI (A G42 Company )& Acting Group Chief Global Affairs Officer, G42
Arrow Augerot
Head, International Policy, Americas, Amazon
Annalena Baerbock
President of the United Nations General Assembly, United Nations; Former Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany
Stephen E. Biegun
Vice Chairman, National Endowment for Democracy
Kari Bingen
Director, Aerospace Security Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Fatih Birol
Executive Director, International Energy Agency
Vincent Biruta
Minister of the Interior, Government of Rwanda
Chris Brose
President and Chief Strategy Officer, Anduril
Marc Caputo
White House Correspondent and Political Writer, Axios
Bill Cassidy
United States Senator, United States Senate
General Christopher Cavoli (Ret.)
20th Supreme Allied Commander Europe; 19th Commander, U.S. European Command; Partner, Valor Equity Partners
Tarun Chhabra
Head of National Security, Anthropic
Steve Clemons
Editor at Large, The National Interest
Robin Colwell
Senior Vice President of Global Government Affairs, Intel Corporation
John Cornyn
United States Senator, United States Senate
Thomas Emanuel Dans
Chairman, United States Arctic Research Commission
Ted Deutch
CEO, American Jewish Committee; Former Member of Congress (2010-2022)
Joseph A. Dinkel
Strategic Advisor, Apandion
Dominique Dupuy
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Haiti; Former Permanent Delegate of Haiti to UNESCO
Elizabeth Economy
Hargrove Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Rahm Emanuel
Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan
Comfort Ero
CEO & President, International Crisis Group
Mark T. Esper
27th U.S. Secretary of Defense; Partner, Red Cell Partners
Salam Fayyad
Professor of Public Policy, Princeton University; Former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority
General Bryan Fenton (Ret.)
13th Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, Department of War
Michèle Flournoy
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, WestExec Advisors
Theo Francken
Minister of Defense and Foreign Trade, Belgium
Michael Froman
President, Council on Foreign Relations
Michael Fullilove
Executive Director, Lowy Institute
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTERS
We are grateful for the generous support of our Premier Partners: Amazon, Anduril, Dow Jones, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Intel, Microsoft Corporation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Vantor.
We also extend our sincere thanks to Air, American Airlines, Anthropic, Citi, Financial Times, Google, MITRE, and the NobleReach Foundation for their valued partnership and support.
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