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Listen Longer 7/18: Aspen Security Forum

July 20, 2015  • Katherine Grygo, Guest Blogger

As we get ready for the next Aspen Security Forum, which takes place July 22 through July 25, in Aspen, Colorado, this past week’s Aspen Institute Radio episode featured highlights from past years’ events, including the power of the military, turmoil in Asia, AFRICOM, and the Special Forces.

Aspen Institute Radio, our two-hour radio show, airs every Saturday and Sunday on SiriusXM Insight (channel 121). Each episode dives into the topics that inform the world around us. Here in our weekly Listen Longer posts, we’ll recap each episode and show where you can read, watch, and listen to more. Don’t have SirirusXM? Try it free for a month here. 

Balancing the Military Instrument of Power

(Photo Credit: Daniel Bayer)

President Barack Obama famously said at the 2014 West Point commencement that “US military action cannot be the only or even primary component of our leadership in every instance. Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail.” With a war-weary public and a declining military budget, but no end of security threats from one end of the globe to the other, what should the US military’s role be in countering these threats?

Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Department of Defense, discussed bringing into balance the military instrument of power with CBS News “60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl. 

Turmoil in the Mideast and Asia

(Photo Credit: Daniel Bayer)

From the political crisis in Egypt, to the civil war in Syria with spillover effects in Lebanon and Jordan, to the nuclear standoff with Iran and more, Pentagon planners are working overtime to try to make sense of developments.

Gen. James N. Mattis gave his perspective on these critical issues and how they affect America’s security in a conversation moderated by Wolf Blitzer, host of CNN’s “The Situation Room.”

Africa: The Next Launching Pad of Terror?

(Photo Credit: Daniel Bayer)

In the last few years, while we focused on Iraq and Afghanistan, slowly but surely, Al Qaeda affiliates have taken root around the world in search of the next safe haven from which to launch attacks on the West in general and the US in particular. Is Africa the next launching pad for terror, and, if so, what are we doing about it?

Gen. Carter Ham, former commander of the US Africa Command, discussed this issue in-depth with New York Times National Security correspondent Eric Schmitt.

Expanded Role of Special Forces

(Photo Credit: Daniel Bayer)

Adm. Eric T. Olson, retired commander of the United States Special Operations Command, sat down to discuss the role of Special Forces in the Global War on Terror with ABC News’ Martha Raddatz.

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