Speaker: General (Ret.) Paul Kern, Jr.
Senior Counsellor, Cohen Group, Washington D
Date: Thursday, 3 March 2011
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Vista @ Level 7,
Lee Kong Chian Wing,
21 Lower Kent Ridge
Singapore 119077
This event is jointly sponsored by ESI and RSIS and will be limited to the first 80 participants signing up, please register early. Please email your name, organisation and email address to Ms Jan Lui at esilyyj@nus.edu.sg by 25th February 2011 to help us gauge the response.
Abstract
The issue of climate change has been studied and debated internationally for many years. Scientists have generally concluded that it is both real and a significant contributor has been man-made greenhouse gases. Politically, the debate is not settled in the US and a carbon tax to incentives reduction of CO2 during tough economic times is not viewed favourably. The US Department of Defense has tried to stay out of the debate on causes but has devoted considerable effort analyzing the consequences and what if anything should be done by the military to be prepared. One conclusion is that climate change is often linked to instability and the connectivity of climate change, energy, and water should receive more attention as factors in national security.
Agenda
3:00 p.m. Registration with Tea/Coffee at Nexus (Level 6)
3:30 p.m. Lecture by GEN (Ret.) Paul Kern with Introductions by ESI and RSIS , followed by Q&A,
moderated by Prof. Michael Quah at Vista (Level 7)
4:45 p.m. Stand-up Reception at Nexus (Level 6)
About the Speaker
Paul J. Kern, GEN, US Army (Ret.) is a Senior Counsellor with The Cohen Group. He served as President and Chief Operating Officer of AM General from August 2008 through January 2010. He is currently a Director with ITT and iRobot Corporations, and a member of the CoVant Board of Managers. Since retiring from the Army in 2005, he has held the Class of 1950 Chair for Advanced Technology at West Point, was a Vice President for Battelle, and a Director on the Anteon and EDO boards.
GEN Kern retired after almost 38 years with the US Army as the Commanding General of the Army Materiel Command. The command of more than 50,000 personnel has worldwide responsibility for supply and maintenance support to the Department of Defense, manages the Army depot system, and conducts research for all the ground and rotary wing equipment. In June 2004, the Secretary of Defense tapped GEN Kern to lead the military’s internal investigation into the abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, a compelling assignment that he handled with integrity and resolve. Previously he served four years as the Department of the Army Military Deputy for Research, Development and Acquisition. In 1996-97 he was the Commanding General of the 4th Infantry Division, Mechanized, where they developed the organization, tactics, techniques, and equipment implemented in today’s networked force. From 1993 to 1996 he was the Senior Military Assistant for Secretary of Defense Bill Perry and played a key role in International deliberations in South America, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, and the Balkans. In 1991 he led the 2d Brigade of the 24th Infantry Division in the attack into Iraq. He began his career commanding operational units as a platoon leader and troop commander in the Blackhorse Regiment in Vietnam.
GEN Kern graduated from West Point in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He holds Master Degrees in Civil and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2006. He is a National Security Fellow from the J.F. Kennedy School, Harvard University and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He belongs to the Association of the United States Army and the Society of Automotive Engineers, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California and on the Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board at the University of Michigan.
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