Korea Chair "The Capital Cable" #27 with Curtis M. Scaparrotti and Bruce Klingner

Please join us for a special discussion on the Biden-Moon summit, the U.S.-ROK alliance and the North Korean threat with Gen. (Ret.) Curtis M. Scaparrotti and Mr. Bruce Klingner.

In 2019, General Curtis M. Scaparrotti completed a distinguished 41-year career in the US Army as the Commander, US European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, NATO. As the NATO Commander, General Scaparrotti worked to preserve the security and stability of the Alliance and strengthen it in the face of traditional and new-age adversaries. He collaborated with the leadership of all 29 NATO member nations, as well as the various NATO partner countries around the world. Prior to General Scaparrotti’s leadership position at NATO and US European Command, General Scaparrotti served as the Commander of US Forces Korea / United Nations Command / Combined Forces Command in Seoul, South Korea from 2013 to 2016. He has also served as the Director of the Joint Staff, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force, the Deputy Commander of US Forces - Afghanistan, the Commanding General of I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and the Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division.

Additionally, over the years, General Scaparrotti served in key leadership positions at the tactical, operational, and strategic level of the United States military. These positions have included Director of Operations at US Central Command, and the 69th Commandant of Cadets at the US Military Academy at West Point. He has commanded forces during Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), Support Hope (Zaire/Rwanda), Joint Endeavor (Bosnia-Herzegovina), and Assured Response (Liberia). General Scaparrotti’s awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, and the Army Meritorious Service Medal. Additionally, he has earned the Combat Action Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge, and the Ranger Tab. General Scaparrotti graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1978. His military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Command and General Staff College, and the US Army War College. Additionally, General Scaparrotti holds a Master’s degree in Administrative Education from the University of South Carolina. In addition to his work with The Cohen Group, General Scaparrotti is a member of the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Council, a member of the Advisory Board of the Patriot Foundation, a Senior Fellow at the National Defense University, a member of the Advisory Board of the Spirit of America, and member of the Board of Directors of the Korea Defense Veterans Association.

Mr. Bruce Klingner is a Senior Research Fellow in Northeast Asia at the Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center. Klingner’s analysis and writing about North Korea, South Korea and Japan, as well as related issues, are informed by his 20 years of service at the Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Klingner, who joined Heritage in 2007, has testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He is a frequent commentator in U.S. and foreign media. His articles and commentary have appeared in major American and foreign publications and he is a regular guest on broadcast and cable news outlets. He is a regular contributor to the international and security sections of The Daily Signal. From 1996 to 2001, Klingner was CIA’s deputy division chief for Korea, responsible for the analysis of political, military, economic and leadership issues for the president of the United States and other senior U.S. policymakers. In 1993-1994, he was the chief of CIA's Korea branch, which analyzed military developments during a nuclear crisis with North Korea. Klingner is a distinguished graduate of the National War College, where he received a master's degree in national security strategy in 2002. He also holds a master's degree in strategic intelligence from the Defense Intelligence College and a bachelor's degree in political science from Middlebury College in Vermont. He is active in Korean martial arts, attaining third-degree black belt in taekwondo and first-degree black belt in hapkido and teuk kong moo sool.