Naval War College Foundation
Newport National Security Symposium
U.S. Security Risks in an Era of Global Conflict
August 22, 2025
Speakers
Stephen A. Schwarzman
Chairman, Co-Founder, and CEO of Blackstone
Sir Niall Ferguson
Milkbank Family Senior Fellow, The Hoover Institution, Stanford University; Senior Faculty Fellow, The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
VADM Robert S. Harward, USN (Ret.) SEAL
Executive Vice President for International Business and Strategy, Shield AI
Perry Boyle
Co-Founder & CEO, MITS Capital, LLC
Colonel Pavlo Khazan, Ph.D.
General Directorate of Electronic and Cyber Warfare, Armed Forces of Ukraine
Jennie Brooks
Executive Vice President, Booz Allen
Chris C. Demchak, Ph.D.
RDML Grace Hopper Chair of Cyber Security, Strategic & Operational Research Department, U.S. Naval War College
Fiona E. Murray
Associate Dean for Innovation, MIT Sloan School of Management; Vice Chair of the NATO Innovation Fund
Michael A. Brown
Partner, Shield Capital
Colin Jackson, Ph.D.
Chair, Strategic and Operational Research Department, U.S. Naval War College
RADM Victorino “Vic” Mercado, USN (Ret.)
Leader, Navy & Marine Corps Strategic Growth, IBM Federal Services; Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans & Capabilities
Gillian Tett
Columnist and Editorial Board, Financial Times; Provost, King’s College, Cambridge
Michelle Michot Foss, Ph.D.
Fellow in Energy, Minerals & Materials, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, Center for Energy Studies
Nikolas K. Gvosdev, Ph.D.
Professor of National Security Affairs, U.S. Naval War College
2025 Sponsors
Commanding Officer
The Honorable Robert C. McCormack
John Peracchio, Naval War College Foundation Regional Director, and Brown University
Archbold D. and Helene van Beuren
Executive Officer
Mr. and Mrs. Duncan A. Chapman and Ms. Antonia A. Chapman
Mr. and Mrs. Paul A. Dimitruk
Department Head
RADM Julius S. Caesar, USN (Ret.), NWCF Treasurer
NWCF Chairman RDML A.B. Cruz III, USN (Ret.), and Dr. Jill Cruz
CAPT George E. Lang, Jr., USN (Ret.) and Dr. Wendy Lang
Mr. and Mrs. James L. Lanzillo
Donald S. Laurie
Pasadena Capital Partners LLC
Barbara van Beuren & Stephen L. Glascock
The Honorable and Mrs. Mitchell B. Waldman