As part of the Council’s efforts to resume hosting events again at venues in Houston, this event will be a ‘Hybrid Model’ event. We invite our members, guests, teachers and students to attend this event and see familiar faces.

Secretary Gates will be joining the Council via Zoom on very large screens for this event at Amegy Bank Tower; and he will still answer audience questions.

The seating for this event will be limited to only 25% of the room’s capacity; and the Council will follow CDC and City of Houston guidelines for this hosting event.

About the event

Every ticket for this event (audience members attending in person or via the Zoom webinar) will receive a signed copy of Secretary Gates’ book ‘Exercise of Power’ delivered to their preferred address.

Former Secretary of Defense & Director of the CIA Robert Gates presents a sweeping examination of power; and how it has been exercised, for good and bad, by American presidents in the post-Cold War world.  

Since the end of the Cold War, the global perception of the United States has progressively morphed from dominant international leader to disorganized entity. Secretary Gates argues that this transformation is the result of the failure of political leaders to understand the complexity of American power, its expansiveness and its limitations. He makes clear that the successful exercise of power is not limited to the ability to coerce or demand submission, but must also encompass diplomacy, strategic communications, development assistance, intelligence, technology, and ideology. 

With forthright judgments of the performance of past presidents and their senior-most advisers, insightful ­firsthand knowledge, and compelling insider stories, Secretary Gates’ book ‘Exercise of Power‘ that U.S. national security in the future will require abiding by the lessons of the past, reimagining our approach, and revitalizing nonmilitary instruments of power essential to success and security.

About the speaker 

Secretary Robert Gates served as our nation’s 22nd Secretary of Defense under presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He also served as the nation’s 15th Director of Central Intelligence under President George H. W. Bush. Secretary Gates was an officer in the United States Air Force and worked for the CIA before being appointed director of the agency. A member of the National Security Council staff in four administrations, he served eight presidents of both political parties. 

Secretary Gates was president of Texas A&M University from 2002 to 2006, is currently chancellor of the College of William & Mary, was national president of the Boy Scouts of America from 2014 to 2016, and has served on several corporate boards of directors. In 2018 he became chairman of Eisenhower Fellowships. Secretary Gates is also the best-selling author of author of ‘Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War‘ and ‘A Passion for Leadership: Lessons on Change and Reform from Fifty Years of Public Service‘.