“Four Star Forum” features one-on-one conversations with award-winning broadcaster Francis Rose and the men and women who have achieved the highest ranks in today’s military. It provides America’s four-stars, both retired and active-duty, with a platform to talk about national security, defense, and geopolitical issues of the day, in a non-partisan, non-confrontational, thoughtful environment.
7: Adm. Sandy Winnefeld, USN ret. on fundamental changes needed to win Great Power Competition
Jun 25, 2021
Show notes
The Department of Defense has begun the difficult process of swinging its attention from counterinsurgency to great power competition. The most recent evidence of that shift is the 2021 Annual Threat Assessment of the U-S Intelligence Community. Admiral Sandy Winnefeld (USN ret.) is former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He’s my guest this week to look at how well the Department is positioned to manage the challenges of Great Power competition presented by competitors who have not rested on their laurels over the past two decades. Is the Department's current trajectory up to the task, or is fundamental change needed? Photo: Admiral Sandy Winnefeld, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, answers a question from the press after Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced a change in U.S. missile defense deployment during a Pentagon press briefing, March 15, 2013. Hagel told reporters that the Department of Defense would increase missile defense investments in Alaska to counter the threat from North Korea.(DoD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo)(Released)
6: Gen. Chuck Wald, USAF ret. on the US relationship with Iran, present and future
Jun 18, 2021
Show notes
President Biden completed his first meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week. About the same time two Iranian ships that reports indicate were headed for Venezuela have changed course. No one is suggesting those events are connected, but those Iranian ships in the Atlantic Ocean remind the world that Iran wants to project power all over its region - and that its connections to Russia are strong. General Chuck Wald (US Air Force ret.) is President of the Jones Group Middle East. He’s former Deputy Commander of United States European Command. In this episode, he surveys the landscape in the Middle East now, and assesses the current and future allies and partners that could work with the United States to effectively contain Iran. Photo: Gen. Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Chief of the Defense Staff, Federal Armed Forces of Germany, met with Gen. Charles F. Wald, U.S. European Command, deputy director, at the headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, April 28, 2004. (U.S. EUCOM photo)
3: Gen. Hawk Carlisle, USAF ret. on the Air Force of the future
Jun 13, 2021
Show notes
The new Defense Department budget request includes a dramatic reimagining of the Air Force. The force wants to retire more than 200 aircraft… and buy fewer fighter aircraft than Congress has imagined in the past. General Hawk Carlisle, USAF retired, is former Commander of Air Combat Command… and before that… commander of Pacific Air Forces. He’s now the President and CEO of the National Defense Industrial Association. On this episode, Gen. Carlisle describes the inventory, personnel, and capability the service needs to contribute to the joint force. He also reveals his favorite airplane in the Air Force's fleet. Photo: U.S Air Force Gen. Hawk Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, engages with the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee in Washington, D.C., July 13, 2016. During the hearing, he discussed the importance of air superiority and the need to assure it by modernizing the Combat Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Hailey Haux)
5: Gen. Carter Ham, US Army ret. on China's expansion in Africa and US opportunities to build alliances
Jun 11, 2021
Show notes
The Commander of U.S. Africa Command, Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, says a Chinese naval base in Djibouti has a pier that will accommodate an aircraft carrier. It’s the latest move by China to establish itself as a naval power all over the world. And it’s another marker of China’s attempt to assert itself on the African continent. General Carter Ham (USA ret.) is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of the U-S Army. He’s former Commander of U-S Africa Command. In this episode, he examines the continent of Africa, the US's closest allies there, and the potential to both counter China and expand our own partnerships and alliances on the continent. Photo: Then-Army Gen. Carter Ham, combatant commander, U.S. Africa Command, addresses the 134th National Guard Association of the U.S. General Conference in Reno, Nev., Sept. 10, 2012. (Jim Greenhill/U.S. Army)
4: Adm. Jamie Foggo, USN ret. on Russia, China, and a new National Defense Strategy
Jun 04, 2021
Show notes
The National Defense Strategy is due for an update. But Great Power Competition is likely to continue to be its focus, since America’s competitors keep spreading influence around the world. Russia is militarizing the Arctic; China is building bases, or trying to, all around the world. Adm. Foggo examines the landscape DoD officials both civilian and uniformed face today, and how that might inform the next NDS. Photo: Then-Vice Admiral James Foggo at the OSCE High-Level Military Doctrine Seminar, Vienna, February. 17, 2016. (USOSCE/Colin Peters)
2: Adm. Paul Zukunft, USCG ret. on the Arctic's place in great power competition
May 19, 2021
Show notes
Episode 2 - Adm. Paul Zukunft, USCG ret., 25th Commandant of the US Coast Guard. Each of the military services is working on, or has released, an Arctic strategy. The service with the greatest forward presence in the Arctic is the Coast Guard. Admiral Zukunft will discuss the strategic importance of that region, and why you’re probably hearing more about the Arctic now than you ever have before. Who are our allies and adversaries in a region of the world that will look much different in 20 years than it does today? Photo: Camp H. M. Smith (Mar. 30, 2016) U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft, meets with U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Keith Smith, Director Joint Interagency Task Force West (JIATF West) and staff at JIATF West Headquarters located at USPACOM. (DoD photo by Shawn Parrish/Released)
1: Gen. Larry Spencer, USAF ret. on diversity & race issues in the US military officer corps
May 12, 2021
Show notes
Episode 1 - Gen. Larry Spencer, USAF ret., former Vice Chief of Staff, US Air Force. Sec. Austin recently ordered a "stand down" to address and combat extremism in the ranks. And the broader discussion on race and diversity has permeated the Defense Department, especially at the flag and general officer level. Gen. Spencer will discuss how to grow diversity in the flag and general officer corps, and a reasonable timeline to see the results of the effort; and how to effectively evaluate and implement the results of the stand down. Photo: Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Larry O. Spencer testifies on the Air Force Readiness Posture before the House Armed Services Committee in Washington, April 10, 2014. Spencer shared the witness table with Gen. John F. Campbell, vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army; Adm. Mark E. Ferguson III, vice chief of naval operations; and Gen. John M. Paxton Jr., assistant commandant of the Marine Corps. (U.S. Air Force photo/Scott M. Ash) (shown: Adm. Ferguson, Gen. Spencer, Gen. Paxton)
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