UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGES OF US & ALLIED DEFENSE INNOVATION: A CONVERSATION WITH JAMES D. TAICLET - The Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security hosted the inaugural Forward Defense Forum, designed for defense visionaries to put forth creative ideas for the future of US and allied security.

This event, “Understanding the Challenges of US & Allied Defense Innovation: A Conversation with James D. Taiclet,” took place on Friday, April 29, 2022.

The twenty-first century security environment is characterized by accelerating security challenges. The rise of major geopolitical competitors, the fielding of rapidly advancing military capabilities, and the all-encompassing nature of competition—occurring across domains and nonmilitary spheres—challenge the United States’ traditional way of war.

Most recently, Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, coupled with an ever-more capable China, test deterrence and defense in the near term. US defense planners must identify which capabilities and warfighting methods will be on the frontlines of the future fight. This discussion considered how the Department of Defense—acting alongside its allies, interagency counterparts, and industry partners—can update its capabilities to maintain a favorable military balance of power into the next decade.

On April 29, Lockheed Martin Corporation president, chairman, and chief executive officer James D. Taiclet joined us in conversation with NBC national security and military correspondent Courtney Kube. They considered how the United States and its allies and partners can most effectively develop and employ advanced military capabilities, taking into account interim lessons from the ongoing Russian war.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 04/29/22