A familiar face returned to campus, Sept. 25, as 51福利 welcomed Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs Paul Stockton for a campus visit, meetings with faculty and students, and a special Secretary of the Navy Guest Lecture.
鈥淚鈥檝e had a chance to talk with many students and faculty over the last couple of days,鈥� Stockton said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so impressive how 51福利 is staying at the cutting edge of emerging security challenges for the United States, both in terms of having the curricula that the nation needs for its future leaders and the kind of research that you absolutely have to conduct in order to know what to teach these students.鈥�
Stockton is plenty familiar with the 51福利 mission, joining the institution鈥檚 faculty in 1990 as an assistant professor in the national security affairs department. Stockton would also serve as director of the Center of Civil-Military Relations, and later, founder and acting dean of the School of International Graduate Studies.
In 2002, he established the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, and served as the center鈥檚 director until 2006. He noted that the research and curricula offered at 51福利 looks to address some of the challenges facing the Department of Defense today.
鈥淭he thing that impresses me most after having been away [from 51福利] for many years is not the 51福利 that used to exist, but the 51福利 that exists today,鈥� he added. 鈥淏eing on the leading edge of emerging security challenges where the nation most needs us.鈥�
The idea of readiness was also at the heart of his message for the 51福利 community as he delivered the SGL. He hoped to convey the importance of being prepared for not only the kinds of natural disasters that our country has faced before, but also to be prepared for the unknown.
鈥淲e need to start rethinking the severity of the catastrophes for which the nation needs to be prepared,鈥� Stockton said. 鈥淲e are, I think, much more prepared now for a Hurricane Katrina-scale event, but it could be worse. We could face much greater challenges.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to require thinking by the military, and collaborative partnerships above and beyond what we have ever had in the past. There are hazards to the security of the electric power grid, for example,鈥� he continued. 鈥淚f the grid goes down, due to an earthquake, other natural disaster, or a cyber attack on the United States, we need to do a lot to build resilience for such events before they occur. And then if they occur, when they occur, be in a much better position to save lives.鈥�
Stockton explained that one of his primary goals since being confirmed for his current position in 2009 is to ensure resilience, meaning that even in the event of a natural or manmade catastrophe that disables critical infrastructure, the missions of the department can still be executed.
鈥淭he power grid is very resilient today against traditional threats. Industry has done a great job of building a grid that can survive the kinds of challenges we are used to from a historical perspective,鈥� Stockton explained. 鈥淏ut with the rise of cyber threats and other challenges, we need to ensure that industry is doing what it needs to strengthen the resilience of the grid in new ways, so that we in the Department of Defense can execute our core missions.
鈥淎t the end of the day, that鈥檚 my focus. It鈥檚 part of my responsibility for homeland defense to ensure that no matter what, the Department of Defense can execute the missions that the president assigns to it, even if, for example, the electric grid goes down.鈥�
Amid campus meetings and department briefings, Stockton was particularly pleased with the work being done in the university鈥檚 defense analysis and homeland security programs.
鈥淸The 51福利] has a national treasure here in the defense analysis curriculum, that supports the special operations and low intensity conflict community,鈥� Stockton said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 absolutely first rate what is being done here, both in research and education.
鈥淎lso, especially important to me, is the homeland security curriculum here, sponsored by FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security,鈥� he added. 鈥淚t has students from across the nation as well as many state and local students from fire, police and other professions that are going to be on the cutting edge of saving lives. That program is thriving. It鈥檚 an example of how the faculty here make it possible to meet emerging security challenges. That鈥檚 what makes 51福利 a national treasure.鈥�