The Hagel Lecture Series on Civil Politics and International Security was established in 2019 in collaboration with Secretary Chuck Hagel, The Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST), and the University of Chicago to promote open and informed debate on current foreign policy and national security challenges facing the United States and their implication for the country.

This year’s guest will be Secretary Leon E. Panetta, who served in the Obama administration as director of the CIA, where he ran the operation that brought Osama bin Laden to justice, and, as Secretary of Defense, leading the effort to develop a new defense strategy, helped bring two wars to an end, and opened up opportunities for everyone to serve in the military.

In today’s increasingly volatile and polarized world, Secretary Panetta and Secretary Hagel will conduct an open, wide-ranging, and frank discussion on Ukraine, the future of the liberal order, and prospects for principled foreign policy, moderated by Prof. Robert A. Pape, Director, Chicago Project on Security and Threats.

ABOUT THE HAGEL LECTURE SERIES

In 2019 Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST) at the University of Chicago established a named lecture series and a student research fellowship in honor of Secretary Chuck Hagel.

As a former secretary of defense, Senator from Nebraska, member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committees, and a Vietnam veteran, Chuck Hagel brings unparalleled experience to his analyses of emerging threats to America. He has consistently advocated for a non-partisan, all-American approach to addressing the country’s national security challenges today.

THE CHUCK HAGEL LECTURE SERIES ON CIVIL POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

The Hagel Lecture Series on Civil Politics and International Security was established in 2019 in collaboration with Secretary Chuck Hagel, The Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST), and the University of Chicago. The aim is to promote open and informed debate on current foreign policy and national security challenges facing the United States and their implication for the country.

THE CHUCK HAGEL LEADERSHIP FELLOWS

The Hagel Leadership Fellowships provide support to students at the University of Chicago and the University of Nebraska Omaha (Secretary Hagel’s alma mater) to work closely with CPOST faculty on significant projects. In this way, the Fellowship recognizes his leadership and contribution to the United States. It also honors his call for a civil, non-partisan approach to national security in the geographic heart of America.

LEON E. PANETTA

The son of Italian immigrants, born and raised in Monterey, and graduate of Santa Clara University and Santa Clara University School of Law, Secretary Panetta began his long and distinguished public service career in 1964 as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army and upon discharge went to work in Washington as a legislative assistant to United States Senate Minority Whip Tom Kuchel of California. In 1969, he was appointed director of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare’s Office for Civil Rights, where he was responsible for enforcing equal education laws. Later, Secretary Panetta served as executive assistant to the mayor of New York City. He then returned to Monterey, where he practiced law until his election to the United States House of Representatives in 1976.

Serving in Congress for sixteen years, Secretary Panetta was a key participant in agriculture, healthcare, ocean, and federal budget issues. From 1989 to 1993, he chaired the House Budget Committee. He authored a wide range of legislation, including the Hunger Prevention Act of 1988, Medicare and Medicaid coverage for hospice care for the terminally ill, and numerous measures to protect the California coast, including creating the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

In 1993, Secretary Panetta left Congress to serve as director of the Office of Management and Budget for the Clinton administration. He was instrumental in developing the policies that led to a balanced federal budget and eventual surpluses. In 1994, he accepted the appointment as the president’s chief of staff and immediately brought order and focus to White House operations.

In 1997, after leaving the Clinton administration, Secretary Panetta and his wife, Sylvia, established as co-directors The Panetta Institute for Public Policy, based at California State University, Monterey Bay.

The Panetta Institute is a non-partisan, not-for-profit study center. Reflecting Secretary Panetta’s ideals and personal example, it seeks to attract thoughtful men and women to lives of public service and prepare them for the policy challenges of the future.

Returning to public service in the Obama administration as director of the CIA, he ran the operation that brought Osama bin Laden to justice. Then, as Secretary of Defense, he led the effort to develop a new defense strategy, helped bring two wars to an end, and opened up opportunities for everyone to serve in the military.

Secretary Panetta returned to the Panetta Institute as chairman on February 27, 2013, and resumed his role as moderator of the renowned Leon Panetta Lecture Series. He chronicles his life in public service in his best-selling memoir, Worthy Fights, published in 2014.

Chuck Hagel

Chuck Hagel served as the 24th Secretary of Defense from February 2013 to February 2015. During his tenure, he directed significant steps to modernize America’s partnerships and alliances, advance the rebalance in Asia-Pacific, bolster support for European allies. Secretary Hagel also improved defense cooperation in the Middle East while overseeing the end of America’s combat mission in Afghanistan. In addition, he led major initiatives for service members and their families, including increasing resources for suicide prevention, combating sexual assault, and accounting for missing personnel. Secretary Hagel also improved partnerships with the Department of Veterans Affairs, including health record interoperability, service treatment record transferability, and continuity of mental health services and support. Secretary Hagel launched the Defense Innovation Initiative to better prepare the Pentagon for future threats. He also enacted comprehensive reforms to the Nuclear Enterprise and Military Health system. He is the only Vietnam veteran and the first enlisted combat veteran to serve as Secretary of Defense.

Hagel served two terms in the United States Senate (1997-2009), representing the state of Nebraska. Secretary Hagel was: a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; and Intelligence Committees. He Chaired the Foreign Relations International Economic Policy, Export and Trade Promotion Subcommittee; and the Banking Committee’s International Trade and Finance, and Securities Subcommittees. He also served as the Chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and the Senate Climate Change Observer Group.

Previously, Secretary Hagel was a Distinguished Professor at Georgetown University, Co-Chairman of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, Chairman of the Atlantic Council, Chairman of the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration Advisory Committee, and Co-Chairman of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Corporate Council. He served as a member of the Secretary of Defense’s Policy Board, Secretary of Energy’s Blue Ribbon Commission on the Future of Nuclear Power, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Board of Directors and Systemic Risk Council; as a Senior Advisor to Gallup; and on the Advisory Boards of Corsair Capital, Deutsche Bank America, MIC Industries, Bread for the World, Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, Center for the Study of the Presidency, Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission, George C. Marshall Foundation, Georgetown’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Global Strategy Forum, Global Zero, Hamilton Project, Initiative for Global Development, Lung Cancer Alliance, International Center for the Study Of Radicalization and Political Violence, National Bureau of Asian Research’s Next Generation Leadership Board, Ploughshares Fund, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, US Institute of Peace Middle East Senior Working Group, US Middle East Project, America Abroad Media, American Security Project, and The Washington Center.

Before his election to the US Senate, Hagel was president of McCarthy & Company, an investment banking firm in Omaha, Nebraska. In the mid-1980s, Hagel co-founded VANGUARD Cellular Systems, Inc., a publicly-traded corporation. He was President and CEO of the World USO, Private Sector Council (PSC), and Chief Operating Officer of the 1990 Economic Summit of Industrialized Nations (G-7 Summit). Hagel also served as Deputy Administrator of the Veterans Administration under President Ronald Reagan and Deputy Commissioner General of the 1982 World’s Fair.

He is the author of America: Our Next Chapter. He was the subject of a 2006 Charlyne Berens’ Chuck Hagel: Moving Forward.

A graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Hagel and his wife, Lilibet, have a daughter (Allyn) and son (Ziller).

Dr. Robert A. Pape is Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and the founder and director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST).

Amanda Woodward is the Dean of the Division of the Social Sciences and the William S. Gray Distinguished Service Professor of Psychology.

The Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST) is a non-partisan research center at the University of Chicago. It is dedicated to advancing scholarship by applying science to international politics, security, and trade to promote peace and prosperity.

CPOST brings together leading scholars at the University of Chicago to conduct rigorous, data-driven research on national and international importance issues. It provides critical knowledge to policymakers, scholars, and the public.

CPOST’s research lab model supports faculty research with dedicated teams of graduate and undergraduate research assistants, supported by dedicated volunteers. In doing so, it strengthens world-class education for future professionals.

Find out more at https://cpost.uchicago.edu.