Task Force 21

Dr. Stephen J. Blank

Dr. Stephen J. Blank is Senior Fellow at Foreign Policy Research Institute's (FPRI’s) Eurasia Program. He has published over 900 articles and monographs on Soviet/Russian, U.S., Asian, and European military and foreign policies, testified frequently before Congress on Russia, China, and Central Asia, consulted for the Central Intelligence Agency, major think tanks and foundations, chaired major international conferences in the U.S. and in Florence; Prague; and London, and has been a commentator on foreign affairs in the media in the U.S. and abroad. He has also advised major corporations on investing in Russia. He has published or edited 15 books.

Joseph Bosco

Joseph Bosco served as China Country Desk Officer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (2005-2006) and Director of Asia-Pacific Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Affairs (2008-2010).

He is presently a Fellow at the Institute for Corea-America Studies (ICAS) and the Institute for Taiwan-America Studies (ITAS). He was formerly a nonresident Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a nonresident Senior Fellow in the Asia-Pacific program at the Atlantic Council and part of its international observer delegation during Taiwan’s historic 2000 presidential election.

He earned his A.B. cum laude at Harvard College and his L.L.B. at Harvard Law School, where his third-year paper on U.S. policy in Vietnam was selected as an honors paper. He obtained his L.L.M. in International and National Security Law at Georgetown Law Center, where his honors paper focused on the international law implications of the 1995-1996 missile crises across the Taiwan Strait.

Major General William A. Chambers, USAF (retired)

Major General William A. Chambers, USAF (retired) served in uniform for 35 years, culminating in duty as the Assistant Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters U. S. Air Force, Washington D.C. In that role, he directed the policy, planning, advocacy, and assessment for Air Force nuclear weapon systems.

Since retirement from active duty in 2013, he has been employed by the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), a Federally-funded Research and Development Center, which provides studies for the Department of Defense on a full range of national security issues. At IDA, he leads research teams focused on nuclear weapons policy and strategy as well as strategic force structure modernization and Nuclear Enterprise infrastructure; his team recently provided analysis that fulfilled a statutory requirement to examine the issue of presidential decision-making regarding nuclear weapons. He also led analysis efforts that informed the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review and its ongoing implementation.

General Chambers was a master navigator and weapon systems officer; his operational experience included tours in Strategic Air Command flying the KC-135A and FB-111A. He served as a nuclear policy planner on the Joint Staff and as deputy executive assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He commanded the 11th Wing at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, DC. He has also served in a variety of leadership roles in the Pentagon and in overseas commands. General Chambers served as Deputy Commanding General, Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan in Kabul during 2006-2007. From 2008-2010 he served as Director of Air and Space Operations and then as Vice Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe.

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer

Senator Kevin Cramer was elected to the United States Senate on November 6, 2018 after serving three terms as North Dakota’s At-Large Member of the United States House of Representatives. He is the first Republican to hold this Senate seat in his lifetime. He serves on the Armed Services, Environment and Public Works, Veterans Affairs, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and Budget Committees.

Cramer has had a distinguished career in public service. In 2003, then-Governor John Hoeven appointed Cramer to the Public Service Commission, and in 2004 he was elected to the position. As a North Dakota Public Service Commissioner, Cramer helped oversee the most dynamic economy in the nation. He worked to ensure North Dakotans enjoy some of the lowest utility rates in the United States, enhancing their competitive position in the global marketplace. An energy policy expert, Cramer understands America’s energy security is integral to national and economic security.

Cramer has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, a Master’s degree in Management from the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, and was conferred the degree of Doctor of Leadership, honoris causa, by the University of Mary on May 4, 2013.

Dr. Michaela Dodge

Dr. Michaela Dodge is a Research Scholar at the National Institute for Public Policy. Prior to joining the National Institute, Dr. Dodge worked at The Heritage Foundation from 2010-2019. She left Heritage to serve as Senator Jon Kyl’s Senior Defense Policy Advisor between October to December 2018. Her last position at Heritage was a Research Fellow for Missile Defense and Nuclear Deterrence.

Dr. Dodge’s work focuses on U.S. nuclear weapons and missile defense policy, nuclear forces modernization, deterrence and assurance, and arms control. Additionally, she was a Publius Fellow at the Claremont Institute in 2011 and participated in the Center for Strategic and International Studies PONI Nuclear Scholars Initiative Program.

Dr. Dodge received a Ph.D. from George Mason University in 2019. She earned her Master of Science in Defense and Strategic Studies degree from Missouri State University in 2011. At Missouri State, Dr. Dodge was awarded the Ulrike Schumacher Memorial Scholarship for two years. She received a bachelor’s degree in international relations and defense and strategic studies from Masaryk University, Czech Republic.

Mr. Richard D. Fisher, Jr.

Mr. Richard D. Fisher, Jr. is a Senior Fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center. In 2016 he joined the Advisory Board of the Global Taiwan Institute. He has previously worked with the Center for Security Policy, Jamestown Foundation China Brief, U.S. House of Representatives Republican Policy Committee, and The Heritage Foundation. He is the author of China’s Military Modernization, Building for Regional and Global Reach (Praeger, 2008, Stanford University Press, 2010, Taiwan Ministry of National Defense translation 2012) Since 1996 he has covered scores of international arms exhibits and his articles have been published in the Jane’s Intelligence Review, Jane’s Defence Weekly, Aviation Week and Space Technology, Armed Forces Journal, Far Eastern Economic Review, Asian Wall Street Journal, Defense News, The Epoch Times and the The Washington Times. He has studied at Georgetown University and received a B.A. (Honors) in 1981 from Eisenhower College.

U.S. Senator John Hoeven

Senator John Hoeven was sworn in as North Dakota’s 22nd U.S. Senator in 2011, following ten years of service as the state’s governor. He is a member of the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations which is tasked with writing the legislation that allocates federal funds to the numerous government agencies, departments, and organizations on an annual basis. In the national security area his appropriations subcommittee assignments include

Peter Huessy

Peter Huessy is Director of Strategic Deterrent Studies at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and President and CEO of Geo-Strategic Analysis. Mr. Huessy teaches nuclear deterrent and missile defense policy at the U.S. Naval Academy as part of his work on a wide range of national security and defense issues, including nuclear deterrence, missile defense, terrorism and counterterrorism, proliferation, energy and immigration. He created a nuclear deterrent and missile defense seminar series in 1983 and since then has hosted 1,500 of these seminars on key defense and national security issues for the Mitchell Institute, and previously for the National Defense Industrial Association and the National Defense University Foundation. He created the Triad series of conferences in 2011.

Gen. John E. Hyten, USAF

Gen. John E. Hyten, USAF, serves as the 11th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, he is the nation's second highest-ranking military officer and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Gen. Hyten attended Harvard University on an Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship, graduated in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in engineering and applied sciences, and was commissioned a second lieutenant. The general’s career began in engineering and acquisition before transitioning to space operations.

He has commanded at the squadron, group, wing and major command levels. In 2006, he deployed to Southwest Asia as Director of Space Forces for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. He commanded Air Force Space Command, and prior to his current assignment, was the Commander of U.S. Strategic Command, one of 11 Combatant Commands under the Department of Defense.

Mark J. Jantzer

Mark J. Jantzer is a resident of Minot, North Dakota, and the long-time Chair of Task Force 21, Minot’s base retention and future military missions organization. As a Chief of Staff of the Air Force and Air Force Global Strike Command Civic Leader, Jantzer advises the commanders, and advocates and educates on issues affecting airmen. Appointed by the Governor to Task Force Military Issues North Dakota, Jantzer works to make North Dakota a desirable location for the military. Jantzer is a founding board member of the Strategic Deterrent Coalition, a nonprofit organizations that seeks to insure a robust strategic deterrent. Elected to the Minot City Council in 2008, Jantzer has served continuously and is currently Council President. In business for over 40 years, Jantzer is General Manager of The Computer Store, Inc., in Minot.

L. John MacMartin

L. John MacMartin has been the President of the Minot Area Chamber of Commerce since August, 1990, and the interim President/CEO of the Minot Area Development Corporation since November, 2019. Prior to Minot he served as the Vice President of the Billings Area Chamber of Commerce, Billings, Montana. He has completed a six year course of study known as the Institute for Organizational Management conducted by the US Chamber of Commerce. He completed the Leadership Development Program and the Center for Creative Leadership program through the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). He also participated in a program focused on Transformational Leadership in Chambers offered jointly by ACCE and the Aspen Institute. He is a past board member of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, served on the American Chamber of Commerce Certification Commission as a member and past chair, is a past-president of the Mid America Chamber of Commerce Executives and is a member of the ND Chamber of Commerce Executives and a past-president of that group.

John received an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Bismarck Junior College in 1972, then earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from the University of North Dakota in 1974. In 2000, he received a Professional Accreditation as a Certified Chamber Executive (CCE). He obtained a Master of Science degree in Management from Minot State University in 2002. John has had the opportunity to attend the National Security Forum, a part of Air War College, at Maxwell Air Force Base. In addition, he was a member of the 70th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC) which visited European Command locations in the fall of 2005.

The Honorable Franklin C. Miller

The Honorable Franklin C. Miller is Principal,The Scowcroft Group. He is an internationally recognized expert on nonproliferation, defense, nuclear energy and policy issues, and export control. He served for thirty-one years in the U.S. government, including twenty-two years in the Department of Defense—serving under seven Secretaries in a series of progressively senior positions—and four years as a Special Assistant to President George W. Bush and as Senior Director for Defense Policy and Arms Control on the National Security Council staff.

Tim Morrison

Tim Morrison is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute, specializing in Asia-Pacific security, missile defense, nuclear deterrent modernization, and arms control. Most recently, Mr. Morrison was deputy assistant to the president for national security in the Trump administration. He served as senior director on the National Security Council for European affairs, where he was responsible for coordinating U.S. government policy for 52 countries and three multilateral organizations. Prior to that post, he was senior director for counterproliferation and biodefense, where he coordinated policy on arms control, North Korean and Iranian weapons of mass destruction programs, export controls and technology transfers, and implementation of the Trump administration’s Conventional Arms Transfer policy.

For 17 years, Mr. Morrison worked in a variety of roles on Capitol Hill. From 2011 through July 2018, he served on the House Armed Services Committee staff, initially as staff director of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces and ultimately as policy director of the Committee. From 2007 until 2011, Mr. Morrison was the national security advisor to U.S. Senator Jon Kyl (AZ), the Senate Republican Whip.

Mr. Morrison has a B.A. in political science and history from the University of Minnesota. He also has a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School. He is an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve, serving since 2011.

Dr. Brad Roberts

Dr. Brad Roberts is director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Center for Global Security Research. Previously he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy (2009-2013). In this role, he served as Policy Director of the Obama administration’s Nuclear Posture Review and Ballistic Missile Defense Review and had lead responsibility for their implementation. From 1995 to 2009, Dr. Roberts was a member of the research staff at the Institute for Defense Analyses in Alexandria, Virginia and an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University. His book, The Case for U.S. Nuclear Weapons in the 21st Century (Stanford University Press) was recently recognized by the American Library Association as one of the outstanding academic titles of 2016. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Roberts has a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Stanford University, a MA. from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a PhD in international relations from Erasmus University.

Dr. Mark Schneider

Dr. Mark Schneider is a Senior Analyst with the National Institute for Public Policy. He specializes in missile defense policy, nuclear weapons, deterrence, strategic forces, arms control, and arms control verification and compliance issues. Dr. Schneider served in a number of senior positions within the Office of Secretary of Defense for Policy including Principal Director for Forces Policy, Principal Director for Strategic Defense, Space and Verification Policy, Director for Strategic Arms Control Policy and Representative of the Secretary of Defense to the Nuclear Arms Control Implementation Commissions. He also served in the senior Foreign Service as a Member of the State Department Policy Planning Staff, the Professional Staff of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the Department of Energy, the Energy Research and Development Administration and the Atomic Energy Commission. Dr. Schneider served as a member of the DoD Compliance Review Group. He chaired several working groups of the START and INF Treaty Implementation Commissions (JCIC and SVC) in Geneva, negotiating many implementation agreements with the successor states of the former Soviet Union. He most recently served as Acting Chairman of the U.S.-Russia Working Group on Missile Defense.

Mr. Drew Walter

Mr. Drew Walter is currently performing the duties of (PTDO) Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Matters. Nuclear Matters is the Department of Defense (DoD) focal point for a wide range of issues related to the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, nuclear counterterrorism, and nuclear counterproliferation.

Before being assigned as PTDO DASD(NM), Mr. Walter served as Senior Advisor to the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. In this role, Mr. Walter supported the Deputy Under Secretary’s efforts to integrate efforts across the Department related to nuclear deterrent modernization and sustainment

Prior to joining DoD, Mr. Walter served as a professional staff member with the Committee on Armed Services in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mr. Walter began his career at Sandia National Laboratories, where he was a Senior Member of the Technical Staff. His responsibilities at Sandia included conducting physical security assessments for U.S. nuclear weapons, developing and analyzing new security technologies and novel security assessment methodologies, and conducting special studies for laboratory executives. Mr. Walter holds Bachelor's and Master's of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering, both from the Rochester Institute of Technology.