Andrew Bacevich, Boston University and Derek Chollet, U.S. Department of Defense

Debate Summary:
-In moderated debate style, Bacevich and Chollet will discuss the following topics and take questions from the audience.
-What is the right size and role of the U.S. military today?
-Drones, surveillance and technology – how and when should they be used?
-Does the all-volunteer military influence America’s willingness to intervene globally? Would a draft reduce U.S. military involvement?
-Is the permanent commitment of U.S. troops abroad in peaceful nations necessary and sustainable?

Andrew Bacevich is a professor of international relations and history at Boston University. Time magazine calls him “one of the most provocative—as in thought-provoking—national security writers out there today.” His book, “Breach of Trust: How Americans Failed their Soldiers and their Country” critiques the gulf between America’s soldiers and the society that sends them off to war. A graduate of the West Point Academy, Bacevich received his doctorate in American diplomatic history from Princeton University. In the U.S. Army, he served in the Vietnam War, as well as stints in Germany and the Persian Gulf. In addition to several books on American militarism and diplomacy, his articles have appeared in the Atlantic, Foreign Affairs and the New York Times.

Lincoln native Derek Chollet is the Obama administration’s Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. He is the principal advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Defense on international security strategy and policy issues related to Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Prior to being confirmed in 2012, Chollet served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Strategic Planning on the National Security Council staff. He has been a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, a non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution and an adjunct associate professor at Georgetown University. He is the author or co-author of six books, including “The Road to the Dayton Accords: A Study of American Statecraft” and “America Between the Wars: From 11/9 to 9/11.”