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May 17, 2007

The U.S. Military at the Crossroads
Second Annual Patuxent Summer Institute
Looks At U.S. Military's Relations with
Media, NGOs and Foreign Military
June 6-7

Panelists include: Newsweek's Michael Isikoff,
Vice Admiral James Blenn Perkins III, and
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Thomas Mahnken

Five years into the Global War on Terror (GWOT) and more than four years after U.S. forces entered Iraq, the second annual Patuxent Summer Institute will focus on three key topics at the center of the future of the U.S. military: the changing relations between American armed forces and the media, NGOs and international military cooperation.

The 2007 Institute will be held in the Cole Cinema at St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM) on June 6-7, 2007. Registration for the conference (which includes meals) is $200 for members of the Patuxent Partnership and $300 for non-members. To register, visit the Web site http://paxriver.org, or contact Abby Meatyard at SMCM's Center for the Study of Democracy (240) 895-6432 or ammeat-yard@smcm.edu. The Institute is co-sponsored by the Patuxent Partnership.

"The U.S. military is at a crossroads," said Louis Hicks, professor of sociology at St. Mary's College of Maryland. Hicks spent the past year as a visiting professor at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. "The U.S. military's mission in the 21st century depends in large part on how well it re-lates to the media, NGOs and to other military organizations around the world."

This year's panelists include prominent journalists, leading government officials and academics, high rank military officers, and important members of the private sector. Among the speakers are Newsweek's Michael Isikoff, Vice Admiral James Blenn Perkins III (ret.) and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Thomas Mahnken. Last year's inaugural conference attracted more than 100 leading military officials, academics, policy makers, defense contractors and students.

The opening panel (Wednesday, June 6 at 9a.m.) will examine the redefinition of the relationship be-tween the military and the media since 9/11 and will tackle questions related to embedded journalists, Internet and censorship. It features a presentation by Michael Isikoff, an award-winning correspondent for Newsweek who is co-author of the 2006 New York Times best-seller, Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War. Ralph Begleiter, professor of communication and dis-tinguished journalist-in- residence at the University of Delaware and former CNN World Affairs Corre-spondent. Also speaking is P.J. Crowley, senior fellow and director of national defense and homeland security at the Center for American Progress. Crowley served as senior director of public affairs for the National Security Council under President Clinton.

The second panel (Wednesday, June 6 at 1:30 p.m.) will focus on the relationship between the military and NGOs, with an emphasis on international disaster relief and humanitarian assistance. It will include
Vice Admiral James Blenn Perkins III, USN (ret.), president, L-3 Communications/TMA Corporation, a former deputy commander in chief (DCINC), U.S. Southern Commander responsible for operations from all military services in Central and South America, including nation building and disas-ter relief efforts. Stephan Klinghofer, senior vice president, International Center for Not-for Profit Law, helped design the organization's global legal assistance program framework, will also present. William Roberts, professor of anthropology, St. Mary's College of Maryland, will also speak. Roberts is a former Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa who currently runs the college's Gambia Study Program.

The third panel (Thursday, June 7 at 9 a.m.) will analyze how the American armed forces interact with the armed forces of other countries. It features Australian Brigadier General Damian Roche, who recently completed a stint as Australia's liaison officer to the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington D.C. Thomas Mahnken, deputy assistant secretary of defense for policy planning, will present, as will Michael S. Gerson, a researcher at the Center for Strategic Studies in the Center for Naval Analyses' International Affairs Group.

The Patuxent Summer Institute is open to the public with a registration fee of $200 for members of The Patuxent Partnership and $300 for non-members. Registration fees cover all receptions and meals dur-ing the two days, as well as an evening cruise on the St. Mary's River. Accommodations at St. Mary's College of Maryland are available at extra cost. Registration, sponsorship opportunities, and the full schedule are available at www.paxriver.org.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2007 at 9 a.m.

Panel 1: The U.S. Military and the Media
• Ralph Begleiter, Professor of Journalism, University of Delaware and former CNN World Affairs Correspondent
• Michael Isikoff, Newsweek correspondent, author of Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War
• Philip J. (P.J.) Crowley, Senior Fellow and Director of National Defense and Homeland Security, Center for American Progress, former Senior Director of Public Affairs for the National Security Council
• Zach Messitte (moderator), Director, Center for the Study of Democracy, Assistant Professor Political Science, St. Mary's College of Maryland

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2007 at 1:30 p.m.

Panel 2: The U.S. Military and NGOs
• Stephan Klinghofer, Senior Vice President, International Center for Not-for Profit Law
• Vice Admiral James Blenn Perkins III, USN (ret.), President, L-3 Communications/TMA Corporation
• William Roberts, Professor of Anthropology, St. Mary's College of Maryland
• Bonnie Green (moderator), Executive Director, The Patuxent Partnership

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2007 at 9 a.m.

Panel 3: The U.S. Military and the International Cooperation of Military Forces
• Brigadier General Damian Roche, CSC ADC, Australian Army Attaché
• Michael S. Gerson, Center for Naval Analyses
• Thomas Mahnken, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy Planning
• Louis Hicks (moderator), Visiting Professor of Social Sciences, U.S. Army War College

St. Mary's College of Maryland is ranked one of the best liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review and Kiplinger's. With roots going back to 1840, SMCM is the state's only public honors college, offering the academic excellence of a top private college with the openness and affordability of public education.