Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan seen in a 1982 photo. (Michael Evans/The White House/Getty Images)
REAGAN DEFENSE FORUM — It’s a tired, old cliché that if you take people out of Washington, they’re suddenly more open to having dialogue. But just because it’s a cliché doesn’t mean it’s not true.
In many ways, that’s the thinking behind the Reagan Defense Forum, which takes place every December in Simi Valley, Calif. and largely picks up the DC national security establishment and drops them into the Reagan Presidential Library. Throughout the day, panels and side conversations from top defense officials, members of Congress and foreign representatives help set the defense agenda for the coming year.
This year’s event was, once again, packed. Below, you can check out some of the sights from the forum.
Attendees at the 2022 Reagan National Defense Forum descend to the show floor ahead of a keynote by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. While Austin gave remarks, he did not participate in a Q&A, which has become traditional for the keynote speaker at Reagan to do. (Brendon Smith/Breaking Defense)
The 2022 Reagan Defense Forum’s fourth panel, focusing on Ukraine, featured Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa); Gregory J. Hayes, CEO and Chairman of Raytheon Technologies; Gen. Chance “Salty” Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations; and Christine Wormuth, Secretary of the Army. Lessons learned from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a major point of discussion at the event. (Brendon Smith/Breaking Defense)
The Reagan Library, located in Simi Valley, Calif., features a number of Cold War-era military vehicles – including this F-14. According to the Library’s website, “one of the 2 Tomcats from a Black Ace Squadron that took part in the August 1981 encounter with two Libyan fighter planes. After the Libyan planes closed in on the American Tomcats and fired on them, the US Navy tomcats received permission to engage and brought down both enemy aircraft.” (Brendon Smith/Breaking Defense)
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin delivered the keynote at this year’s Reagan National Defense Forum. Said Austin, “Our job is simple. And we don’t lose focus because of polls or politics. The U.S. military is here to fight and win our nation’s wars.” (Brendon Smith/Breaking Defense)
Rep. Adam Smith speaks during the opening panel of the 2022 Reagan National Defense Forum. The Democrats from Washington has been the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee since 2019, and is expected to remain the top Democrat on the committee come January when Republicans take control of the House. He received applause from the crowd when he pledged that the National Defense Authorization Act would pass in the coming week. (Brendon Smith/Breaking Defense.)
An M-1 Abrams tank is part of the permanent installations at the Reagan Library, representing Reagan’s pledge of “peace through strength.” According to the Library’s website, “This specific tank is named after United States Army General Creighton Williams Abrams, Jr., who commanded military operations in Vietnam and served as Chief of Staff of the Army from 1972 until his death in 1974.” (Brendon Smith/Breaking Defense)
Recruitment remains a major challenge facing the US military. The fifth panel of the day focused on how to change that trend. On this panel were Gen. David H. Berger, Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps; Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr., U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness; Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois; and Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisconsin. (Brendon Smith/Breaking Defense)
