CERL Executive Board Member Joseph Votel joined other distinguished national security experts to give his opinions at the 2026 Future Security Forum, co-hosted by Arizona State University and New America. Discussing the state of American national security in the 25 years since 9/11, General Votel offered that military aggressiveness is currently taking the place of strategic objectives, and warned against confusing the two for fear of engaging in mission creep. He also assessed the current state of intra- and inter-state coordination as it relates to counterterrorism efforts.

General Joseph L. Votel, U.S. Army (Ret.), is the former Commander of the U.S. Central Command. He is a Distinguished Military Fellow at the Middle East Institute and a member of the CERL Executive Board. Read his bio here.

The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of any organization or university.