Following the passing earlier today of former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell, Belfer Center Director and former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter released a statement with his condolences and memories of Colin Powell, a “Marshall-esque giant of American national security.” 

In his first public comments since U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan, former Secretary of Defense and Belfer Center Director Ash Carter joined Harvard Kennedy School Dean Doug Elmendorf for a wide-ranging discussion about Afghanistan during a JFK Jr. Forum event Wednesday, October 6. Their discussion ranged from national security and U.S. foreign policy over 20 years to the immense contributions and sacrifices made in Afghanistan and how best we can promote human rights going forward.

A complete video along with clips from the event are available here.  The transcript is accessible here.

In a Washington Post op-ed on 9/8/2021, six former Secretaries of Defense, including Ash Carter - now Director of the Belfer Center - urge Congress and President Biden to support legislation that would authorize construction of a National Global War on Terrorism Memorial.

In a note to colleagues and friends, Belfer Center Director Ash Carter congratulated the Belfer Center's Nicholas Burns on his nomination by President Biden to serve as Ambassador to China. 

Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy are launching the Democracy and Internet Governance Initiative (DIGI), a joint initiative to convene a range of stakeholders across government, business, and civil society to address the growing public concerns about digital platforms.

A brief word of condolences on the passing of Don Rumsfeld.

The Technology and Public Purpose Project welcomes two new tech leaders as non-resident fellows.

How can United States policymakers better understand the next generation of emerging technologies and their societal implications? How can we make more educated decisions on the basic and applied research needed to solve the next generation of emerging threats? 

The 117th Congress and the Biden Administration must urgently address these questions to protect the lives and livelihoods of those living in the United States.
 

In a ceremony on May 20^th, TAPP Faculty Director and Belfer Center Director Ash Carter joined author and professor Safiya Noble and WIRED’s global editorial director Gideon Lichfield to honor the finalists of the annual Tech Spotlight program.

Announcement for the 2021-2022 class of Technology and Public Purpose Fellows.