AUSA Noon Report - Getting Competition Wrong: The U.S. Military’s Looming Failure

Brigadier General (Ret.) Chris Stockel
Vice President of the Civil Affairs Association Western Region

Brigadier General (Ret.) Chris Stockel, who currently serves as the vice president of the Civil Affairs Association Western Region, commanded infantry, special forces, and civil affairs units in the U.S. Army, culminating at the one-star level as commanding general of the 351st Civil Affairs Command (CACOM) in Mountain View, CA. As CG of the 351st, he was responsible for nearly all civil affairs operations in the INDO-PACIFIC region. Before that, he was Deputy Commander, U.S. Army Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) and Chief of Staff of the 352nd CACOM. He spoke at the Council on Foreign Relations focused on China, at AUSA LANPAC in Hawaii on HADR, and testified before Congress to the House committee on State and Foreign Operations on Iraq.

Colonel Arnel P. David
Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff (DACOS) G5 of the NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps

Colonel Arnel P. David is currently the Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff (DACOS) G5 of the NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps and serves as an Association Vice President. He was formerly the Chief of Staff of the GEN Milley’s Strategic Studies Group in Washington D.C. On his last of many deployments, he was the Commander’s Initiative Group Chief for the Special Operations Joint Task Force – Afghanistan. Prior to that he was a fellow in the Army Chief of Staff’s Strategic Studies Group. He recently completed an Artificial Intelligence Programme at the University of Oxford and is a PhD Candidate at King’s College London. He is a coauthor of Military Strategy in the 21st Century: People, Connectivity, and Competition and coedits Warrior-Diplomats.

Dr. Nicholas Krohley
Principal, FrontLine Advisory

Dr. Nicholas Krohley is the Principal of FrontLine Advisory and proprietor of civilreconnaissance.com. He is also co-editor of Warrior-Diplomats and an advisor to U.S., U.K., and NATO forces as well as numerous allied governments on the human domain of conflict. He authored The Death of the Medhi Army: The Rise, Fall, and Revival of Iraq's Most Powerful Militia, which was shortlisted for the Duke of Westminster's Medal by the Royal United Service Institute. He has also held fellowships with the Modern War Institute at West Point and King's College London, and holds degrees from King's College London and Yale University.

First Sergeant Sean Acosta
Civil Affairs NCO

First Sergeant Sean Acosta is Deputy Editor of Eunomia Journal and co-editor of Warrior Diplomats. As a Civil Affairs senior non-commissioned office, he has led civil affairs teams and served as a senior instructor at the United States John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center & School. He has deployed multiple times to Southwest Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Strategic Studies and Defense Analysis from Norwich University. In 2018, he was selected Army NCO of the Year.