Research and Graduate Studies @ KU

KU-Ft. Leavenworth Program roundtable Nov. 15-16

The KU-Ft. Leavenworth Program will host an academic roundtable Nov. 15-16 at the Dole Institute of Politics.  Presenters will include U.S. and foreign military personnel, as well as KU faculty experts on cultural and political issues encountered by U.S. forces deployed overseas.

KU faculty and students are invited to participate in the roundtable, but seating is limited.  Sessions start at 9 a.m. both days and continue into the afternoon.  Lunch is provided.

Lt. Gen. William Caldwell IV, commander of the Combined Arms Center at Ft. Leavenworth, will take part on the morning of Nov. 15.  The following day, presenters will include liaison officers from France, The Netherlands, Brazil and South Korea.  These officers will discuss their experiences working with foreign populations during deployments.  They will also offer their perspectives on how the U.S. military is perceived by the local population in areas of instability, e.g., Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Balkans.

“This event will offer an opportunity to analyze these cultural and political issues in depth,” said David Lambertson, interim director of the program.  “The underlying purpose is to enhance the ability of our military -- operating in difficult and unfamiliar environments -- to ask the right questions and proceed systematically in the right direction.”

Scheduled KU presenters are Felix Moos, professor of anthropology; Mohamed El-Hodiri, professor of economics; Bart Dean, professor of anthropology; and Fiona Yapp, professor of political science.  In a unique format, each faculty member will be paired with a military or civilian participant from Ft. Leavenworth in making the presentations, which will ultimately be published.

One objective of the roundtable is to help define the military’s need for training, research, and information in such disciplines as anthropology, geography, economics, and political science. This could benefit the military from the senior planning staff level down to the individual soldier in the field.

If you are interested in attending the roundtable or have questions about it, contact Lambertson at dfl@ku.edu or Aaron Kirby at aarongkirby@gmail.com.