Center for the Study of Democracy

Patuxent Defense Forum

The Patuxent Defense Forum, formerly the Patuxent Summer Institute, at St. Mary’s College of Maryland is a meeting of academics, military officers, government employees, and defense contractors. The conference, co-sponsored by The Patuxent Partnership, is held at St. Mary’s College of Maryland during the month of April to encourage the participation of students in the discussions.

The 2008 conference focused on the Privatization of the Military. The topics included: Private Contractors in U.S. Military Operations, International Dimensions of Privatization, and the Privatization of the Intelligence. The conference hosted 11 panelists, including Colonel Thomas Griffith, professor at the National Defense Industry; Dr. Guy Seidman, senior lecturer at the Radzyner School of Law at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzilya, Israel; Mr. Andrew Richardson, human capital policy advisory at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and Mr. James Sutton, director of the Highway Information Sharing and Analysis Center at the Transportation Security Administration. Rear Admiral Steven Eastburg, Commander, NAWCAD presented a "Collaboration" address following the first day of panels, and Dr. Peter W. Singer, director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative at the Brookings Institution gave the Key Note speech.

The 2007 conference highlighted how the U.S. military interacts with the media, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), and foreign militaries. Panelists from throughout the United States presented on the following topics: the U.S. Military and the Media, the U.S. Military and NGOs, and the U.S. Military and Foreign Military Cooperation.

Panelists ranged in expertise from academics, reporters, and military attachés. Panelists included Mike Isikoff, investigative reporter from Newsweek, Brigadier General Damian Roche, Australian defense attaché; and Vice Admiral James Blenn Perkins III, the Emory S. Land chair of merchant marine affairs at the Naval War College in Rhode Island.

The inaugural Patuxent Summer Institute, June 5-7, 2006, focused on cutting-edge ideas and analysis from leading academics, highly ranked military officers, key government employees, and important contractors. "The Future Roles of the U.S. Navy" was a three-day conference coordinated by the College’s Center for the Study of Democracy and The Patuxent Partnership.

The Institute hosted expert panelists from across the world who spoke on topics which included the role of the Navy in a post-Iraq/Global War on Terror, the Navy’s

The program hosted 19 panelists, including RADM Timothy Heely, Patuxent River Naval Air Station; Thomas Mahnken, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University; CDR Michael McMaster, USN (Ret.), U.S. Naval War College, Monterey Program; and Edward A. Smith. Jr., Effects-based Operations, Boeing.

2009 Patuxent Defense Forum: The Role of the U.S. Military in Fragile and Failed States
2008 Patuxent Defense Forum: The Privatization of the Military
2007 Patuxent Defense Forum: The U.S. Military and the World
2006 Patuxent Defense Forum: The Future Roles of the U.S. Navy