CNA Corp. Hosts Major Conference on Defense Transformation

11/14/2002

From: Mary Ellen Connell of CNA Corp., 703-824-2281 Email: connelm@cna.org

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 14 -- Two years into the Bush administration and one year after the start of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, the CNA Corporation's 2002 Annual Conference will look at Transforming Defense: A Current Assessment and the Road Ahead.

The conference will take place at the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, Virginia, on Nov. 20-21.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's Director of Force Transformation, Vice Admiral Arthur K. Cebrowski, USN (ret) will open the conference November 20 with a keynote address on "Defining Transformation and Transformational Objectives."

During the two-day conference, panels comprised of a mix of non-government and government experts both military and civilian will discuss: the post-Cold War intellectual roots of transformation; views from outside the Department of Defense; a transformation status report from the services; transformation of Defense Department processes; allied views of U.S. transformation; and homeland security and transformation.

Panelists will include former NATO Commander General Wesley K. Clark, USA (ret), Admiral Charles S. Abbot, USN (ret), Deputy Homeland Security Advisor at the White House; Mr. Peter F. Verga, Special Assistant for Homeland Security at the Defense Department; Dr. Michael O'Hanlon, The Brookings Institution; Lt. Gen. Paul K. Van Riper, USMC (ret); Major General Noboru Yamaguchi, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force; and former Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig. Representative William M. "Mac" Thornbury, R-Texas will give a view from Congress on defense transformation during a luncheon address on November 21.

For the full schedule of events and to register, please consult the website at http://www.cna.org. Press is welcome.

The CNA Corporation is a not-for-profit organization serving the public interest for more than fifty years. CNAC's two operating divisions are the Center for Naval Analyses, a federally funded research and development center, and the Institute for Public Research.