All of our events are open to the public! No matter who you are, you are welcome and we’d love to see you there.
To get updates from the Center, sign up for our biweekly newsletter “The Eurofile.”
- This event has passed.
U.S. National Security in Uncertain Times
January 30, 2018 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
General Martin Dempsey
(former Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2011-2015)
in conversation with
Prof. Richard Kohn & Prof. Klaus Larres (both UNC-Chapel Hill)
Tuesday, January 30, 2018 at 5.30pm
Location: Pleasant Family Room, Wilson Library (main campus, UNC-Chapel Hill)
Free parking available at Cobb deck after 5.00pm
No RSVP necessary
Known for his penchant for singing Irish folk songs (his four grandparents were all born in Ireland), Army General Martin E. Dempsey is one of the nation’s most outstanding and distinguished soldiers. He served as the 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2011 to 2015. He was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate by unanimous consent in 2011 and for a second term in 2013. Prior to that Dempsey served as the 37th Chief of Staff for the Army (April to Sept. 2011) and as Commanding General of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (2008-11), Deputy and then Acting Commander, U.S. Central Command (2007-08). He also was Commanding General of the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq from 2005 to 2007. General Dempsey served in the challenging times after the fall of Fallujah when Sunni extremists rose up against the U.S. role in Iraq. Dempsey contributed to overseeing a major strategic change of U.S. intervention and engagement in Iraq.
Martin Dempsey received a commission as an Army officer upon graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1974. He saw action during his service in the Gulf War of 1991 and in Iraq, 2003-07.
Since stepping down from the chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dempsey has become Chairman of US Basketball and a professor at Duke University (from which he obtained a Master’s in Irish literature in his younger years). Throughout his career General Dempsey received many awards, including the Bronze star with valor device, the Defense Department’s Distinguished Service Medal, and the Distinguished Service Medals from the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Coastguard. In 2016 he received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.
Richard Kohn is professor emeritus at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a military historian with a particular interest in civilian-military relations and U.S. security policy.
Klaus Larres is a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill. He has a particular interest in the Cold War, transatlantic relations and U.S. and European relations with China.