Admiral James Stavridis (USN, Ret.)
former Supreme Allied Commander Europe

in conversation with

General David Petraeus (USA, Ret.)
former Commander of United States Central Command 

Chaired by
 
Air Marshal Edward Stringer
Director General, Joint Force Development

discussing

2034: A Novel of the Next World War

by Admiral James Stavridis (USN, Ret.) and Elliot Ackerman

About the book

From two former military officers and award-winning authors, Admiral James Stavridis (USN, Ret.) and Elliot Ackerman a chillingly authentic geopolitical thriller that imagines a naval clash between the US and China in the South China Sea in 2034.

On March 12, 2034, US Navy Commodore Sarah Hunt is on the bridge of her flagship, the guided missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones, conducting a routine freedom of navigation patrol in the South China Sea when her ship detects an unflagged trawler in clear distress, smoke billowing from its bridge. On that same day, US Marine aviator Major Chris Wedge Mitchell is flying an F35E Lightning over the Strait of Hormuz, testing a new stealth technology as he flirts with Iranian airspace. By the end of that day, Wedge will be an Iranian prisoner, and Sarah Hunt’s destroyer will lie at the bottom of the sea, sunk by the Chinese Navy. Iran and China have clearly coordinated their moves, which involve the use of powerful new forms of cyber weaponry that render US ships and planes defenseless. In a single day, America’s faith in its military’s strategic pre-eminence is in tatters. A new, terrifying era is at hand.

This cautionary tale presents the reader a dark yet possible future that we must do all we can to avoid.

About the authors

Elliot Ackerman is the author of several novels including Dark at the Crossing, which was a finalist for the National Book Award, and most recently Waiting for Eden. His writings appear in Esquire, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The New York Times Magazine, among other publications, and his stories have been included in The Best American Short Stories and The Best American Travel Writing. He is both a former White House Fellow and Marine, and served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart.

Admiral James Stavridis (USN, Ret.) spent more than thirty years in the U.S. Navy, rising to the rank of four-star Admiral. He was the Supreme Allied Commander at NATO and previously commanded U.S. Southern Command, overseeing military operations in Latin America. At sea, he commanded a Navy destroyer, a destroyer squadron, and an aircraft carrier battle group in combat. He holds a Ph.D. from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where he recently served five years as dean. He has published nine previous books and hundreds of articles and is a frequent national and international television commentator. He is chairman of the Board of Counselors of McLarty Global Associates, an international consulting firm, and an operating executive of the Carlyle Group, an international private equity firm.