John Brennan

In unvarnished terms, John Brennan lays out the myriad of threats to our national security and prosperity in the current geopolitical landscape. From cyber threats to terrorism, instability, nuclear proliferation, and biotechnology, Brennan offers expert insight into how these issues impact our daily lives and businesses.

“Global instability is one of the defining issues of our time,” observes Brennan. “More people are shifting their allegiances away from sovereign governments, leading societies to fracture along ethnic and sectarian lines.”

Cyber security is another strategic challenge. “Defense lags behind offense,” says the former CIA director. “The information age has totally transformed the way we need to operate,” he says.

Informed by decades of service as both an intelligence officer and policy official, Brennan calmly and fluently discusses options for protecting our infrastructure, privacy, and property in the face of multiple menacing forces.

In this candid discussion, fueled by three decades of experience in national security affairs, John Brennan shares his insights into the very dynamic, unstable, and dangerous geo-strategic developments on the global landscape. Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine not only has caused thousands of deaths, millions of refugees, and devastating economic destruction, it also has transformed the relationship between Russia and the West, disrupted global supply chains, and raised the spectre of a military confrontation with existential implications between NATO and Russia. The reverberations of the conflict will affect global events for many years to come, including on how militaries fight wars, China’s role in international affairs, and the competition between authoritarian and democratic systems of governance. Also uncertain is the future willingness and ability of governments to work together to deal with other major 21st century issues such as climate change, cybersecurity, pandemics, disinformation, and groundbreaking technological and scientific innovations. Join the former CIA director as he addresses the key developments, trends, and challenges that are shaping our rapidly transforming world.

As the former CIA director who led the most comprehensive restructuring of the agency in its history, John Brennan understands the challenges of transforming an organization.

“We needed to overhaul our organizational structure in order to better integrate capabilities and knowledge, foster greater collaboration and teamwork, and instill an Agency-wide culture of shared mission and responsibility,” says Brennan.

Citing specific examples of the mission-critical solutions he employed to boost leadership training and talent development, Brennan shares how these efforts helped to create a more effective, efficient, and productive workforce and management structure.

A better sense of systems engineering, he states, is essential for successful organizational transformation. “You need to understand how best to configure and put in place the authorities, capabilities, processes, procedures, training programs, and evaluation criteria so that you optimize the outcomes you want,” according to Brennan.

Cerebral and perceptive, Brennan offers insights into how an organization’s flexibility and openness to growth can enhance its capabilities both internally and externally. His cogent message inspires audiences to foster a culture of innovation in their own institutions.