The 2024 KU Security Conference Keynote Address with General Philip Breedlove

On April 10, General Philip M. Breedlove, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, will open the 2024 KU Security Conference with a keynote address at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics. This address will kick off a two-day conference at the University of Kansas aimed at bringing together scholars and practitioners from academia, the intelligence community, and the military.

This program is presented in partnership with the Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence (ICCAE) and the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (CREES).

Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, USAF, Ret., is a highly decorated retired general of the U.S. Air Force where he reached the highest levels of military leadership as one of six geographic combatant commanders and the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. Throughout his 39 years of service, General Breedlove served in a variety of demanding command and staff positions, leading large-scale, diverse, global operations across two theaters of combat and earning a reputation as an inspirational leader that focuses on his people, their families, and mission accomplishment.

As the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and the Commander of U.S. European Commander, he answered directly to NATO’s governing body, the North Atlantic Council, and to the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense. He led the forces of 28 nations and several partners to ensure the security of an alliance that accounts for more than half of the world’s gross domestic product. Gen. Breedlove also served as the Commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, as Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and as Assistant Chief of Staff for Air Operations, Plans, and Requirements.

He earned his Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Science in aerospace technology from Arizona State University. Additionally, he completed a Masters of International Security Affairs from the National War College, a Fellowship in International Security Affairs, Seminar XXI from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and completed Leadership at the Peak at the Center from Creative Leadership, Colorado Springs. Gen. Breedlove now serves as the CEO of Emerald Coast Strategic Solutions, on the Georgia Tech Civil and Environmental Engineering School Advisory Board, and on the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Council.