A man who once served as the leader of NATO is the featured speaker at this year’s Augustana Boe Forum.
Jim Stavridis is a retired a four-star U.S. Navy admiral who served as Served as NATO Supreme Allied Commander from 2009 to 2013. He's also a New York Times best-selling author and CNN military analyst.
"The Board of Directors of the Center for Western Studies is proud to welcome former NATO Allied Supreme Cmdr. James Stavridis as the next speaker in the Boe Forum series," said Dr. Harry Thompson, executive director of the Center for Western Studies, which sponsors the Boe Forum. "At this time of geopolitical uncertainty, Adm. Stavridis will provide attendees with a unique perspective on events in Europe, South America and the Mideast. Gov. Nils Boe, himself a Naval officer, would, I'm sure, be pleased."
Stavridis is the longest-serving combatant commander in recent U.S. history, according to a press release from Augustana. Over the course of his career in the Navy, he served as senior military assistant to the secretary of the Navy and secretary of defense. Stavridis led the Navy’s premier operational think tank for innovation, known as Deep Blue, immediately following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The Navy veteran also commanded a destroyer squadron and carrier strike group — both in combat.
He’ll deliver a talk focusing on geopolitics in the 21st century at the Elmen Center in Sioux Falls on March 26. Tickets are available starting Feb. 11 and are available on Augustana's website.
This is the 29th annual Boe Forum. Past speakers include Neil deGrasse Tyson, Condoleezza Rice and George H.W. Bush.