This panel will examine why recognizing danger so rarely translates into effective action, and why some institutions adapt rapidly under pressure while others remain constrained by friction and delay. Drawing on recurring historical patterns, including contemporary adaptation under time pressure and past warnings about narrowing windows for preparation, the discussion will examine what enables real improvement, what consistently fails, and why early preparation so often feels premature—until it’s too late.
Moderator: Col Eric Reid, USMC, Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences & Senior Marine Representative, U.S. Naval Academy
LTG David W. Barno, USA (Ret.), Professor of Practice, Senior Fellow, The Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies, John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
Col T.X. Hammes, USMC (Ret.), Ph.D., Distinguished Fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), National Defense University
Trent Hone, Marine Corps University Foundation Chair in Strategic Studies
Kori Schake, Ph.D., Senior Fellow and Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute
Source: U.S. Naval Institute
