Rep. Anthony Brown to Keynote CNAS Event on Race in the Military

The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) announced today that Rep. Anthony Brown (D-MD) will deliver keynote remarks at the launch of the CNAS discussion series on Race in the Military on September 23, 2020 at 12pm EDT. Rep. Brown serves as the Vice Chair of the House Armed Services Committee. A retired Colonel in the United States Army Reserve who served as an aviator and JAG officer over the span of his military career, he was among the nation’s highest-ranking elected officials to serve a tour of duty in combat when he deployed to Iraq in 2004.

Hosted by the CNAS Military, Veterans, and Society Program, the multi-part discussion series will explore how the U.S. military, while broadly representative of the racial and ethnic makeup of the country, continues to feature a lack of diversity in the most senior ranks, racial disparities in promotion rates and disciplinary actions, and incidents of racism within the military. In addition to being personally harmful to those facing such challenges, these diversity and inclusion failures also threaten America's military competitiveness by not taking full advantage of the nation's rich talent pool.

The first discussion session will focus on the lived experiences of people of color in the U.S. military; future sessions will cover topics including effective leadership in an increasingly diverse force and the importance of understanding intersectional experiences. Discussions will be moderated by Bishop Garrison of Human Rights First and CNAS Adjunct Senior Fellow Dr. Jason Dempsey.

Panelists in the inaugural session will include:

• Terrence Hayes, an Army veteran and current National Director, Communications & Public Affairs at Veterans of Foreign Wars;
• Melissa Bryant, a military and veteran advocate, former U.S. Army Captain and Department of Defense senior civil servant;
• James Anderson, USAF Captain and national security professional; and
• Dr. Kyleanne Hunter, Co-director of the Athena Leadership Project and Assistant Professor of Military and Strategic Studies at the United States Air Force Academy.

This event is scheduled from 12:00-1:00pm EDT on September 23, 2020. Click here to register.