Secretary Gates provides a long-term perspective on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He examines Putin’s strategy and rationale for invading, the West’s immediate response, implications for China, and the need for a new US-led security strategy. As Secretary of Defense through Vladimir Putin’s early global aggression, with decades of experience handling Soviet affairs at the CIA, and as a historian of Russia and the Soviet Union, Secretary Gates is uniquely equipped to provide strategic analysis of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and of global security.

Robert Gates believes there is no universal solution for effecting change. Instead, he says, leaders must understand their organizations thoroughly to find out how best to tackle their problems. One of the most respected leaders in recent U.S. history, Gates served under eight presidents and successfully led four very different organizations through turbulent change: the Central Intelligence Agency, Texas A&M University, the Department of Defense, and the Boy Scouts of America. In this talk, Gates offers bold and candid advice to help organizations create change and chart a course to success. With insights gleaned from real-life experiences helping large organizations navigate new paths, he shares how businesses can eliminate tunnel vision and prepare for the future – helping them take stock of what they are versus what they could be. Key to any change, says Gates, is to bring everyone on board and build a sense of camaraderie that the change is critical to the organization’s future. Companies have to change all the time to be competitive. How do you recognize and preserve the tradition and culture that made a company great, and determine the barriers preventing movement forward? Assessing the challenges of large institutions, Gates offers innovative and practical advice, sharing personal anecdotes and experiences as most pertinent to your audience.

According to former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, we face one of the most complex, dangerous, and uncertain international environments today.

From rising military tensions with Russia and China, to multiple conflicts in the Middle East and the threat of ISIS, and uncertain trade relations and economic challenges confronting Europe, he foresees a generation of conflict. He also predicts we will continue to face the most challenging international environment since the Cold War, and for some time to come.

In this presentation, Gates shares his views about the most pressing threats to global stability and America’s security. Drawing on his experiences as defense secretary under Presidents Bush and Obama, recounted vividly in his bestselling memoir, Duty, he reflects on the way America’s government works, and too often does not work. Without political spin or a partisan outlook, he shares with audiences his realistic and optimistic outlook.

In this intimate speaking experience, audiences will hear from Robert Gates on the many facets of his long and storied career. From global politics and U.S. foreign policy to leadership challenges and conflict resolution, Gates offers his candid, measured perspective, laced with humor. Undergirding all his advice is the tenet that great leaders listen and respond to their teams and embrace the power of compromise. In this wide-ranging, unscripted conversation, listeners will benefit from the insight of one of the country’s most respected, and influential leaders.