By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
When the Executive Leadership Team at Fort Hays State University saw the list several months ago of potential participants in this fall’s FHSU Presidential Speaker Series, “we targeted these individuals to see if there was an opportunity to attract them to Fort Hays State,” said Dr. Joey Linn, vice president of Student Affairs.
And, there was.
Cmdr. Kirk Lippold (U.S. Navy), Gen. Barry McCaffrey (U.S. Army) and Gen. Peter Pace (U.S. Marine Corps), who have nearly 100 years of combined military service, will conduct a panel discussion – “The US Military’s Role in Global Security” – at 7:30 p.m. Thu., Nov. 9 in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center.
“We are extremely excited, obviously, to have these three coming in. We also finalized our moderator, which we’re very excited about as well,” Linn said. “It’s going to be an evening to remember.”
Jamelle Bouie, political analyst for Slate and CBS News, will serve as moderator for the event.
“When we were organizing this months ago, we looked at what was going on across the country, and we thought, what great timing,” Linn said.
“But we were also warned that if something does happen, nationally or internationally, chances are they will drop us because they would have to be elsewhere,” explained Linn, “on national television, that sort of thing.”
“So we kind of rolled the dice a little bit, but having the topic “The US Military’s Role in Global Security” and having these three gentlemen at this time, we thought was just perfect,” Linn said. “I know the people who come to this are going to hear a lot of great information and there may be time at the end for the audience to ask questions.
“The timing on this couldn’t be any better.”
Admission to the Presidential Speaker Series is free, although attendees must have their ticket in hand to be admitted because a large audience is anticipated.
Tickets are available for pickup at the Hays Welcome Center, 2700 Vine, and the Student Service Center in the FHSU Memorial Union.
“Having it at no cost to our students and people who will coming from across Kansas, just makes this even better,” Linn added.
About Cdr. Kirk Lippold – Lippold retired from the U.S Navy in 2007 after 26 years of service. He was commanding officer of the USS Cole when it came under a suicide terrorist attack by al Qaeda in the port of Aden, Yemen, in 2000. During his command, Lippold and his crew distinguished themselves by saving the American war ship from sinking. This event is widely recognized as one of the most brazen acts of terrorism by al Qaeda prior to September 11, 2001.
Lippold’s personal awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal (three awards), Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Commendation Medal (two awards), Joint Service Achievement Medal and Navy Achievement Medal (two awards), in addition to various campaign and service ribbons.
Lippold now serves as a global security expert for many major news networks.
About Gen. Barry McCaffrey – McCaffrey served in the U.S. Army for 32 years and retired as a four-star general. At retirement, he was the most highly decorated serving general, having been awarded three Purple Heart medals (wounded in combat three times), two Distinguished Service Crosses (the nation’s second highest award for valor) and two Silver Stars for valor.
For five years after leaving the military, McCaffrey served as the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). Upon leaving government service, he served as the Bradley Distinguished Professor of International Security Studies from 2001-05 and as an adjunct professor of International Security Studies from 2006-10 at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.
McCaffrey is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Inter-American Dialogue.
He currently serves as a national security and terrorism analyst for NBC News and is president of his own consulting firm based in Alexandria, Va.
About Gen. Peter Pace – Pace retired from active duty on Oct. 1, 2007, after more than 40 years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps. Pace was sworn in as 16th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2005. In this capacity, he served as the principal military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council. Prior to becoming Chairman, Pace served as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He holds the distinction of being the first Marine to have served in either of these positions.
In June 2008, Pace was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor a President can bestow. He is a member of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Senior Advisory Group, and has served on the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, and the Secretary of Defense’s Defense Policy Board. He also served as leader-in-residence and the Poling Chair of Business and Government for the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. Pace is a Distinguished Visiting Research Scholar for Fordham University and an adjunct faculty member of Georgetown University.
He is associated with a number of charities focused on supporting the troops and their families.
Bouie, as Slate’s chief political correspondent, reports on events and issues ranging from civil unrest to political partisanship and has emerged as a leading voice on U.S. politics, public policy, elections and race. In 2015, Forbes named him to its “30 Under 30 in Media” list as one of the individuals driving the ever-shifting landscape of news and content.
As a political analyst for CBS News, Bouie contributes to the weekly roundtable discussion on “Face The Nation,” and his writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The New York Times, TIME and The New Yorker as well as Slate.