Lecture Abstract:

The U.S. strategic rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific is a major U.S. foreign policy undertaking. Why does the United States make this geostrategic shift? Seven years into its implementation, how does this policy initiative fare on the Asia-Pacific strategic scoreboard? Has the United States achieved its objectives? What is the impact of this U.S. policy change on the Asia-Pacific? With a change of leadership in the White House set to take place in February 2017, what does the future hold for this strategic rebalance? David Lai and Frederick J. Gellert will share their thoughts as well as discuss this important issue during the seminar.

About the Speaker:

David Lai joined the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) of the U.S. Army War College in July of 2008. Before assuming this position, Dr. Lai was on the faculty of the U.S. Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Alabama. Born and grew up in China, Lai witnessed China’s “Cultural Revolution,” its economic reform, and the changes in China’s foreign relations, the most important of all, U.S.-China relations. He earned his bachelor’s degree in China and his Master’s degree and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Colorado. His teaching and research interests cover international relations theory, war and peace studies, comparative foreign and security policy, U.S.-China and U.S.-Asian relations, Chinese strategic thinking and operational art. Dr Lai has been to most of the East and Southeast Asian nations and many times to South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. In recent years, Dr. Lai has also visited India and many European nations.

Frederick J. Gellert (Colonel, retired) culminated his 30-year Army career as the Director of Force Management Studies at the United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA. He currently serves at the Army War College as the Professor of Resource Management and teaches courses in strategic leadership, defense management, and Asia-Pacific studies. Entering service from Detroit, Michigan, he served as an infantry officer in Germany, Kentucky, and Hawaii. He is a veteran of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He taught Physics at the United States Military Academy and later served in an Army fellowship with RAND.  In 2003, he was designated as a Force Management officer and served in staff assignments building Stryker Brigades and then planning equipment distributions for the entire Army. He served an operational assignment in the Pacific structuring and equipping all US Army forces in the Pacific and later as the Operations Officer (G3) directing the military operations and theatre engagements of Pacific-based U.S. Army forces. He served with the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan where he led a coalition team in building Afghan National Police forces during Operation Enduring Freedom. He is the Chief Editor for the manual “How the Army Runs” and has written a chapter on military services’ systems and processes for the Defense Management Primer. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics from Wayne State University, a Master’s Degree in Astrophysics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College. His military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Ranger Tab, the Parachutist Badge, and the Air Assault Badge. He was awarded the Secretary of the Army’s Pace Leadership Award for 2005.