Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, will discuss the US military's new strategic vision at Duke University on Jan. 12.
Read MoreDempsey will deliver the 2011 Ambassador S. Davis Phillips Family International Lecture at 5:30 p.m. in Page Auditorium.
The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required, with a limit of two per person. Tickets can be obtained through the Duke Box Office at (919) 684-4444 or at tickets.duke.edu starting at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13 for students, 2 p.m. for the general public. Tickets purchased online include a $6 handling fee.
The talk is titled "American Grand Strategy in an Age of Austerity." It comes just a week after the Obama Administration announced a new military strategic plan that acknowledges fiscal realities, focuses less on the Middle East and increases attention on Asia.
Those unable to attend can watch a live webcast at ustream.tv/dukeuniversity.
Dempsey is the nation's highest-ranking military officer, serving as adviser to the president, secretary of defense and the National Security Council. During his 37 years in the U.S. Army, he has served during times of war and peace at every level, from platoon leader to combatant commander.
Both a soldier and a scholar, he earned a master's degree in English from Duke in 1984.
He's held commands in both Iraq and Afghanistan as well as other posts in the Middle East and Europe. In 2007, Dempsey served as acting commander of U.S. Central Command and became chief of staff of the Army earlier this year.
His awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Distinguished Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters and the Defense Superior Service Medal.
The Duke event is sponsored by the Duke Program in American Grand Strategy and co-sponsored by the Triangle Institute for Security Studies, the Sanford School of Public Policy and the Office of Global Strategy and Programs.
For more information, visit the Triangle Institute for Security Studies website.