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| Reagan National Defense Forum | |
|---|---|
| Name | Reagan National Defense Forum |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute |
| Type | Policy forum |
| Headquarters | Simi Valley, California |
| Region | United States |
Reagan National Defense Forum is an annual conference convening senior figures from United States Department of Defense, United States Department of State, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Council, and allied militaries to discuss strategic challenges and defense policy. Hosted by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, the forum attracts heads of state, cabinet members, service chiefs, industry executives, and scholars from institutions such as Brookings Institution, Heritage Foundation, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Council on Foreign Relations, and American Enterprise Institute. It serves as a platform for public addresses, panel discussions, and bilateral meetings involving representatives from NATO, European Union, Quad, Five Eyes, and partner countries including United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Israel.
The forum was established in 2011 by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute amid debates over post-Iraq War force structure and the pivot to the Asia-Pacific region. Early editions featured participants from the United States Central Command, United States European Command, and United States Pacific Command and coincided with shifts in policy such as the Defense Strategic Guidance (2012). Over subsequent years the event expanded to include officials from administrations of Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden, and drew military leaders from the United States Marine Corps, United States Army, United States Navy, United States Air Force, and United States Space Force. High-profile moments include addresses following the Russian annexation of Crimea (2014), during the ISIS campaign, and amid renewed focus on Great Power competition with People's Republic of China and Russian Federation.
The forum's stated mission links the legacy of Ronald Reagan to contemporary security debates, aiming to advance discussions on deterrence, force modernization, and alliance cohesion among NATO members and Indo-Pacific partners. Objectives include promoting interoperability between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Pacific partners, encouraging innovation with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, supporting defense industrial base ties with firms such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon Technologies, and fostering civil-military dialogue that engages lawmakers from the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. It also seeks to highlight partnerships with multilateral institutions like the United Nations and regional groupings such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Organized by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, the forum is overseen by a board that has included former officials from the Department of Defense, former ambassadors, retired flag officers from the United States Navy and United States Army, and executives from the defense sector. Leadership figures associated with the foundation and planning have included former senior staff from the Reagan White House, think tank directors, and fundraisers active in Republican Party circles. Hosting venues have sometimes involved partners such as the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California and collaborating organizations like The Heritage Foundation and corporate sponsors from the defense industry.
Speakers have ranged from presidents and secretaries to chiefs of service and foreign ministers. Notable American participants include presidents and secretaries such as Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton (as commentator), Robert Gates, James Mattis, Lloyd Austin, Mark Esper, and service chiefs including General Mark A. Milley, Admiral Michael M. Gilday, and General David Petraeus. International attendees have included prime ministers and defense ministers from United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Poland, and Ukraine, as well as senior diplomats from European Commission delegations. Industry and academic contributors have included executives from General Dynamics, scholars from Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, Stanford University, and policy analysts from RAND Corporation.
Events typically span one to two days and feature keynote speeches, moderated panels, breakout sessions, and closed-door roundtables. Typical agenda items cover force posture in the Indo-Pacific, deterrence vis‑à‑vis the Russian Federation, cyber and space competition involving Space Force and Cyber Command, nuclear posture tied to New START debates, and defense acquisition reform with references to National Defense Authorization Act. Formats include plenaries with heads of state, symposiums with think tanks such as Center for a New American Security, and vendor exhibits by contractors like BAE Systems. Forums often schedule bilateral meetings in margins involving delegations from Japan Self-Defense Forces, Republic of Korea Armed Forces, and NATO delegations.
The forum has served as a venue for signaling policy priorities—announcements about force adjustments, alliance commitments, and doctrinal emphases have been made by senior leaders. Analysts from Foreign Affairs, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and policy units at Brookings Institution and Council on Foreign Relations have cited speeches at the forum when assessing shifts in U.S. posture toward China and Russia. Congressional members have used forum exchanges to inform debates over the National Defense Authorization Act and appropriations for programs such as F-35 Lightning II and shipbuilding plans in the United States Navy.
Critics have questioned the forum's close ties with defense contractors and corporate sponsors, citing potential conflicts of interest involving procurement discussions and appearances by firms such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies. Others have critiqued ideological slants when former partisan figures or political donors appear, prompting commentary from outlets like The New York Times and watchdog groups. Debates have arisen over access to closed sessions by media outlets including Fox News and CNN, and over the balance of emphasis between conventional capabilities and investment in emerging domains like cybersecurity and space.
Category:United States national security conferences