Business Executives for National Security

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Business Executives for National Security (BENS)

Business Executives for National Security (BENS), a nationwide, non-partisan organization, is the primary channel through which senior business executives can help enhance the nation's security. BENS members use their business experience to drive our agenda, deliver our message to decision makers and make certain that the changes we propose are put into practice. BENS has only one special interest: to help make America safe and secure.

Highlights

BENS Works 2010
From helping veterans return home to improving disaster response capabilities and saving energy at the Defense Department, BENS is working with numerous government partners to tackle a wide range of security challenges this year. For an overview of major 2010 BENS initiatives, click here.

A Model for Disaster Preparation
In its January report card on the government's efforts to combat weapons of mass destruction and terrorism, the bipartisan Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism once again praised BENS-pioneered public-private homeland security partnerships. Using the BENS model, "communities and states will acquire most of the capabilities needed to respond in the event of a man-made disaster, or WMD attack, and clearly identify those capabilities that must be reinforced," the report said.

BENS Welcomes New CEO
He’s led U.S. troops in Vietnam, the Persian Gulf and Bosnia. He’s directed the military’s efforts to combat deadly roadside bombs in Iraq. And he’s spent time in the classroom, both as a student and teacher, helping to build the next generation of national security experts. Now, former U.S. Army Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs has a new assignment: leading American business executives to improve national security with private-sector expertise and innovation. On Jan. 1, 2010, Gen. Meigs became the next BENS President & CEO as U.S. Air Force Gen. Chuck Boyd (Ret.) stepped down at the end of 2009 after more than seven years on the job. Gen. Boyd will continue offering his experience and expertise to BENS as a member of the Board of Directors.

BENS In North Korea
If North Korea wants to create a positive foreign investment climate, it must end its nuclear weapons program. This message was delivered by a small group of BENS members to high-level North Korean government officials in BENS’ first-ever trip to the country Dec. 14-17. While in the capital Pyongyang, members held talks with the country’s second-highest ranking official, Kim Yong-nam, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, as well as Cabinet-level Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Electric Power Industry. The BENS group also toured factories and numerous cultural and education facilities. News coverage: Associated Press • Bloomberg • CCTV • North Korea Economy Watch • Yonhap • The Korea Times • Bloomberg 2. Click here to view photos from the trip.

Logistics: The Future of National Security

Meeting the wide array of future national security challenges will depend on a well-oiled logistics operation—efficiently moving resources around the globe to support an increasingly expeditionary military force. That was the message from the Hon. Jacques Gansler at a Dec. 8 BENS roundtable discussion on defense logistics modernization in Washington, D.C. Gansler, a public policy professor at the University of Maryland, joined Randy Fowler, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Materiel Readiness, and Lou Kratz, Lockheed Martin Vice President and Managing Director of Logistics & Sustainment, along with a group of 18 BENS members and experts to discuss how business sense can help the military overcome logistics challenges. The roundtable was the first in a series that will lay the foundation for a follow-up project to the BENS 2001 Tail-to-Tooth Commission. Click here for photos from the meeting.

Clinton: BENS a “Cutting-Edge Example”
BENS is “a cutting-edge example of what can be done when the business community becomes involved in supporting our diplomatic and development efforts alongside our defense,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at the BENS Eisenhower Award black-tie gala in her honor in New York City on Nov. 30. With nearly 500 in attendance, Sec. Clinton was lauded by emcee Charlie Rose as “a leader who has served our nation with dedication and distinction for nearly four decades.” Keynote speaker Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger gave insight on the decision-making challenges faced by policymakers and also took questions from the audience. Click here for a video and transcript of Sec. Clinton's remarks. Click here for a transcript of Sec. Kissinger's remarks. News coverage: American Forces Press Service • CNN • Des Pardes • Foreign Policy. Click here to view photos from the dinner.

"The Foundation of National Resilience"
If America is attacked with a weapon of mass destruction, the public-private homeland security partnerships model pioneered by BENS would be one of the best ways to help the nation recover and bounce back. That was the message from former Senators Bob Graham and Jim Talent when they testified Sept. 22 to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Graham and Talent, who recently led the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, touted the BENS-established Safeguard Iowa Partnership and its key role in helping the state recover from historic floods last year. The model, they said, “should be emulated elsewhere across the country and is applicable to both natural disasters and WMD attacks” in helping to create an engaged and mobilized citizenry — “the foundation of national resilience.” To read the full testimony, click here and click “view testimony.”

An "Extraordinary" Visit With American Heroes
In what was described by BENS member Georgette Mosbacher as an “extraordinary experience,” eight BENS members toured the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 10, where they observed the latest medical technology and ate lunch with America’s wounded heroes. Walter Reed serves over 150,000 servicemen and women from all branches of the military and has a staff of over 6,000. After the tour, members were briefed on the latest developments of the BENS Warrior Gateway Project, which will help wounded veterans — like those recovering at Walter Reed — successfully reenter civilian life.

BENS Visits Mideast, Central Asia
What do the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, security in Iraq and a girls school have in common? They were all part of a July 13-17 visit by a small group of BENS members to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen. To view pictures, click here. Read the August BENS Update for more about the trip.

BENS Releases Defense Acquisition Reform Study
On July 27, BENS released "Getting to Best," a comprehensive study of the laws, regulation and culture of the ailing acquisition system that offers business-minded recommendations to improve the process, save taxpayer dollars and better serve our warfighters. At a conference with news media, the study's chairman, Norm Augustine, gave an overview of the project and answered questions with BENS Chairman Joe Robert and BENS CEO Gen. Chuck Boyd. To read the report, click here. To listen to the news conference, click here.
News coverage: Government Executive • DefenseNews

BENS Honors Sens. Levin and Warner
It was a celebration of bipartisan accomplishment on May 13, as BENS honored Democratic Senator Carl Levin and former Republican Senator John Warner with its highest recognition—the Eisenhower Award—in front of the largest Washington dinner audience in BENS’ history. Master of Ceremonies and Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan called the two longtime Senate Armed Services Committee colleagues “leaders of good faith, good will and high intent.” To view photos from the dinner, click here.

Annual Forum: Energy Security
BENS hosted its 20th annual Washington Forum on May 13, which featured a diverse lineup of experts to discuss energy security. Over 200 attendees listened to National Security Advisor Gen. Jim Jones, former CIA director Gen. Michael Hayden, BENS member and FedEx CEO Fred Smith and Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Ash Carter address the intersection of energy and national security. To view photos from the forum, click here.

BENS Visits USS Harry S. Truman
The roar of F-18 Hornets highlighted two days aboard the USS Truman for a small group of BENS members in April. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that played key roles in the Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina relief hosted the nine-member group for an extensive tour, breakfast with sailors and the always thrilling jet take-offs and landings on the flight deck. To view pictures from the visit, click here.

BENS Earns Another Four-Star Rating Four Stars
For the second year in a row, BENS has received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, a leading evaluator of non-profit organizations. In a message to BENS, the organization noted that our second consecutive four-star rating for effective financial management is “an exceptional feat, especially given the economic challenges many charities have had to face in the last year.” BENS’ latest Charity Navigator rating can be viewed here.

BENS Achieves WMD Milestone
In the latest achievement of BENS’ efforts to strengthen non-proliferation programs, a new chemical weapons disposal facility is now up and running in Russia. BENS worked closely with Sen. Richard Lugar—cosponsor of the U.S. Cooperative Threat Reduction program—to build the facility in Shchuchye, 1,000 miles southeast of Moscow and home to nearly 2 million deadly chemical shells. Every shell destroyed means one less weapon at risk of falling into the wrong hands. To read more, click here.

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