Word to LIve by & Reagan Forum

Digital Defense and Deterrence

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back one month to September 9, 2021 for our virtual program entitled, Digital Defense and Deterrence: America’s Cybersecurity Posture. The program featured America’s first National Cyber Director, Chris Inglis, and Dave Levy of Amazon Web Services as they focused on the future of U.S. cyber defenses across the national security interagency. The program also covered recent congressional policy interventions (including creating the National Cyber Director position), the Biden Administration’s approach to cyber, the importance of a unified cyber strategy, and how private sector partners can bolster U.S. cyber readiness.

AWACS, Chic Hecht, and Quid Pro Quos

When a President enters office, he inherits unfinished business from the prior administration. 40 years ago, one of the bits of dicey business President Reagan inherited was a promise made by President Carter to sell AWACS or Advance Radar Surveillance Aircraft to Saudi Arabia.

Does President Reagan Matter to Gen Z?

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back one month to September 14, 2021 for our virtual event held in partnership with the Heritage Foundation, entitled “Does President Reagan Matter to Generation Z?” The program was moderated by Joseph Loconte, the Director for the B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies at Heritage, as well as Tunku Varadarajan, a nonresident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. The panel included Matthew Continetti, Senior Fellow from the American Enterprise Institute, Henry Nau, a professor emeritus of political science at George Washington University, and Reagan Biographer Craig Shirley.

The Death of Anwar Sadat

40 years ago, on October 6, 1981, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated. Both President and Mrs. Reagan were deeply disturbed to learn of this tragedy, as only two months before, they warmly welcomed President Sadat and his wife to the White House and honored them with a state dinner. In this podcast, we’ll learn about the tragic assassination attempt, the funeral and in the second half of the podcast, the relationship that developed between the Reagans and the Sadats in August 1981.

A Reagan Forum "Jeff Immelt"

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back to April 19, 2021, for our virtual event with former GE CEO Jeff Immelt for a conversation on his latest book, Hot Seat: What I learned leading a great American company. Jeff Immelt served as Chairman and CEO of GE for 16 years where he revamped the company’s strategy, global footprint, workforce, and culture.  During his tenure, he led several innovative transformations that doubled industrial earnings, reshaped the portfolio, re-established market leadership, and quadrupled emerging market revenue. He is currently a Venture Partner at New Enterprise Associates and he has been named one of the World’s Best CEOs three times by Barrons. Let's listen. 

A Reagan Forum "Tom Cotton"

In this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back to February 18, 2021 event with Senator Tom Cotton.  The program, entitled,  “China, Targeted Decoupling, and the Economic Long War,” was the virtual launch of a report from Senator Tom Cotton which offered recommendations for how the United States can decouple key strategic sectors of its economy from China, mitigate the costs of decoupling, and reorganize parts of the federal government to wage the economic long war with China. The conversation with Senator Cotton was held with Reagan Institute Director, Roger Zakheim. Let’s Listen

Words to Live By "Holocaust Remembrance Day"

Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Holocaust Day, is observed as Israel’s day of commemoration for the approximately six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust as a result of the actions carried out by Nazi Germany and its collaborators.  Known as Yom HaShoah in Israel, the national memorial day is held on the Jewish Calendar’s 27^th day of Nisan, which falls in April or May on our calendar.  In 2021, the memorial fell on sundown of April 7 through sundown of April 8. On April 20, 1982, President Reagan delivered remarks for the 2^nd annual commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the holocaust. Let’s listen.

Words to Live By "Brezhnev"

As we continue to commemorate the 40^th anniversary year of Ronald Reagan becoming our nation’s president, we come to April 24, 2021, which marks the 40^th anniversary of Ronald Reagan sending a letter to Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev to try to begin a discussion and negotiation on the Soviet Union’s arms buildup. In March of 1983, President Reagan addressed the nation on defense and national security to discuss America’s defenses and the increase in America’s military build-up. During the speech, he spoke about Secretary Brezhnev. Let’s listen.

A Reagan Forum "Sydney Barber"

n this week’s Reagan Forum podcast we go back to our March 11, 2021 virtual event with Midshipman 1^st Class Sydney Barber. In December 2020 Sydney Barber was appointed as the brigade commander for the United States Naval Academy – the first black female brigade commander at the academy. In an interview with The Capital Gazette about the appointment, Sydney said, “I see it more as a responsibility and a privilege and an honor to be able to be someone to pave the way. I feel extremely blessed that I have this opportunity to open doors for people who are coming after me.” The brigade commander — who serves for a semester — is selected by the academy's senior leadership through an application and interview process. The role was previously held by 1st Class Ryan Chapman, who called Barber a "catalyst for action, a visionary, a listener, a doer, and a person driven by compassion, by faith, by a fierce sense of passion and heart full of love." Barber, who is a mechanical engineering major, joined the Reagan Foundation’s Chief Learning Officer Tony Pennay in a conversation about her role. Let’s listen.

A Reagan Forum "Assassination Attempt Panel"

As part of the year-long commemoration, the Reagan Foundation will be holding a series of virtual events that look at, and discuss, one of these historic anniversary dates.  The first virtual event in this series commemorated the 40^th anniversary of that fateful day – March 30, 1981 – when President Reagan and three others were shot. During this virtual event, which originally aired on YouTube on March 30, 2021, you will hear from the people who were there that day, including Former United States Secret Service Agent Ray Shaddick, the agent who helped shove President Reagan into the car, before closing the door behind him Former United States Secret Service Agent Tim McCarthy, who was struck by one of the bullets aimed at President Reagan Former White House Advance Staff Rick Ahearn, who helped to save White House Press Secretary James Brady’s life with his quick actions that day Former White House Speechwriter Mari (Maseng) Will, who drafted the speech the President delivered that day and was walking in front of the President when the shots rang out. Let's Listen