BENS Board member Calvin Butler, who with the new year takes the reins as CEO of the giant utility holding company Exelon, is moving back to Chicago, where the company “is and will remain” headquartered.
On Thursday, January 5, 2023, General David H. Berger, 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps, joined BENS for a virtual conversation as part of the Commander Series. Gen. Berger stated, “The All-Volunteer Force is critical to ensuring we meet end strength goals. We need everyone to promote the two goals of national service—to meet the needs of the country, but more importantly, to develop the capacities and character of the young Americans who will be the future leaders of our Nation. BENS is an exceptional forum of community and national leaders to help spread this message.”
PODCASTS
Stephanie Easter, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions
Ms. Easter emphasized that the need for communication not only among the services, but also among industry partners. She explains that DoD must learn to balance information sharing with strategic competition when working with industry to innovate defense technologies.
As we embark on 2023, I am excited about the many ways BENS members this year will help address our most pressing security challenges. From further establishing the principles, practices, and partnerships of a modern, defense industrial network to solidifying BENS as the go-to resource for best talent management practices across the national security enterprise – not to mention addressing a myriad of other topics ranging from wargaming and U.S. Navy ship maintenance – BENS members are primed to offer solutions and private sector perspectives that will strengthen our Nation’s security apparatus. Making it more resilient and prepared for today’s complex security environment. I look forward to what we will accomplish together in the months ahead!
Vice Admiral Andrew ‘Woody’ Lewis, USN (Ret.) Senior Vice President for BENS Policy/Projects
THE WEEK’S BEST READS
American Defense Priorities After Ukraine (War on the Rocks)
Contact Hannah Beitler, Policy Associate, to submit content for consideration in this newsletter: HBeitler@bens.org
BENS EVENTS
Multiple Dates, Locations BENS Texas luncheon discussion on America’s Nuclear Triad with Patty-Jane Geller, Senior Policy Analyst for Nuclear Deterrence and Missile Defense at the Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense.
Multiple Dates, Locations BENS Texas luncheon discussions on China and the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party with Col Heino Klinck, USA (Ret.), Senior Associate, CSIS, and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia.
BENS NY Metro welcomed former Colombian Ambassador to the United States, Juan Carlos Pinzon, this week to discuss the important partnership between the United States and Colombia. Members focused on…
Shield Capital, a venture firm that invests in defense and space startups where BENS member Raj Shah is Managing Partner, announced that retired U.S. Air Force general David Goldfein has joined its…
The Iranian government claims it has discovered a massive deposit of lithium, potentially holding 8.5 million tons of the rare element. Mohammad Hadi Ahmadi, an official at Iran’s Ministry of…
