More than 250 Soldiers, scholars, diplomats and other subject matter experts from around the world participated in the Department of Social Sciences (SOSH) Security Seminar from February 7-8 at the West Point Club Ballroom and Jefferson Hall.

COL Jordan Becker, an academy professor and director of the SOSH Research Lab, and MAJ Joshua Woodaz, an American Politics instructor in SOSH, were the key organizers for the event. Moreover, SOSH arranged the event through partnerships with the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College, the Polish Institute of International Affairs, the Modeling Emergent Social Order (MESO) Lab at Ohio State University, and the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Brussels School of Governance.

SOSH faculty members greeted participants with military, government, and industry backgrounds as they entered the Grand Ballroom prepared to discuss international security concerns, with this year’s theme titled “States, Societies and Security in the 21st Century.”

Superintendent LTG Steven Gilland ’90 addressed how the seminar highlights the intellectual capital of USMA — its faculty and cadets — and encouraged visitors to venture beyond their conference spaces and tour the campus to gain an appreciation of the Academy’s rich history.

Other notable speakers included Sasha Baker, the Acting Under-Secretary of Defense for Policy; Matt Cordova from the Chairman’s Action Group of the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; COL Suzanne Nielsen ’90, Ph.D., Professor and Head of SOSH, and Ambassador Douglas Lute ’75, Retired Lieutenant General and former Permanent Representative to NATO.

Before releasing the attendees, Ambassador Lute left them with the three key objectives of the seminar: taking strategy from academia to action, creating research partnerships and making West Point accessible to outside resources. The SOSH Security Seminar did just that. Read more.

Excerpt and image taken from https://www.westpoint.edu.