Michele Flournoy -- Former DoD Undersecretary, Leader, Foreign Policy Expert, Innovator and Optimist

UnderSimplified

Episode two is with the former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Michele Flournoy. At the time Michele was Defense Undersecretary, she was the most senior woman to ever serve in the DoD, and she was on both President Obama and President Biden’s shortlist for Secretary of Defense. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy is effectively the #3 position in DoD and this incumbent attends the deputies committee meetings of the National Security Council–these are the meetings that develop almost every consequential strategy decision affecting national security. Michele now serves as the managing partner of WestExec Advisors, a firm she helped found with now-Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and she continues to advise on matters of huge strategic consequence. (https://www.westexec.com/)

We spoke with Michele about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the risk of nuclear war, the increasing tensions in the Strait of Taiwan, innovation in DoD, leadership and her hope for the future. Despite the gravity of the subject matter, Michele is a clear-eyed optimist. As a testament to the way Michele approaches the world, she had to postpone this recording by a week because she broke her ankle in five places sky-diving with Navy SEALs for charity the day before our originally scheduled recording. Michele’s passion and insight is palpable, and for those who would like to know more of her thoughts, particularly with respect to China, we highly recommend a recent article she wrote with Mike Brown, the former head of DIU in Foreign Affairs. (https://www.foreignaffairs.com/china/time-running-out-defend-taiwan)
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