Distinguished Speaker Series features presentation on Iraq War

The CGSC Foundation and its Simons Center hosted the fourth lecture of the 2024 Distinguished Speaker Series at the Riverfront Community Center in downtown Leavenworth, Kansas on Nov. 20, 2024. In this installment of the series, retired Army Colonel Kevin Benson, Ph.D., provided a presentation entitled “Reflections on the Opening of the War in Iraq.”

(Top photo and above) Colonel (Ret.) Kevin Benson, Ph.D., author and adjunct scholar for the Modern War Institute at West Point, provides a presentation entitled “Reflections on the Opening of the War in Iraq” during the Distinguished Speaker Series event hosted by the CGSC Foundation and its Simons Center at the Riverfront Community Center in downtown Leavenworth, Kansas on Nov. 20, 2024.

The evening began with a reception, followed by Simons Center Deputy Director John Nelson welcoming the attendees. Toward the end of the dinner period Nelson introduced Benson to the gathered audience from Fort Leavenworth, Leavenworth and the Kansas City metro.

Benson, who served as the director of plans for the Third U.S. Army from July 2002 to July 2003, shared his experiences during the opening of the war in Iraq. His observations counter the perception that there was no consideration before the war of what should be done after coalition forces arrived in Baghdad and removed Saddam Hussein. He discussed the extensive planning efforts aimed at achieving the policy objectives for Iraq set by the Bush administration. As described in his recently published book, Expectation of Valor, Benson provided his perspective on the challenges dealing with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on force levels and the campaign to find the “smoking gun” of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). He also discussed the instructions given to Army, Marine and coalition forces, as well as the daily secure video teleconferences with U.S. Central Command and the Pentagon.

After the presentation and a lengthy Q&A period, CGSC Foundation President/CEO Lora Morgan presented Benson with a gift in appreciation for his participation in the Distinguished Speaker Series. This was the second CGSC Foundation event that Benson headlined as he made a presentation to the Arter-Rowland National Security Forum on Nov. 14, 2024. Guests had the opportunity to buy an autographed copy of Benson’s book after the event.

Before Benson’s presentation, Morgan recognized Simons Center Founding Director Col. (Ret.) Bob Ulin for his service as he heads into retirement. Ulin was the founding CEO of the CGSC Foundation which was incorporated in December 2005. He served as the first CEO for seven years until May 2013. During his tenure he founded the Simons Center in 2010. Ulin returned to the Foundation as an advisor in 2020 and subsequently took on the role of Simons Center director. With a chuckle, Ulin has said he has retired at least five times in his working life. Morgan said Ulin will stay on with the Foundation as a volunteer.

Colonel (Ret.) Kevin Benson’s book Expectation of Valor was published in July 2024, and is available in the Foundation gift shop.

Colonel (Ret.) Kevin Benson served in the U.S. Army as a commander and general staff officer for 30 years. He was the director of plans for Third U.S. Army and the Combined Forces Land Component Command at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, from July 2002 to July 2003. His final assignment in the U.S. Army was director, School of Advanced Military Studies, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He writes for professional journals and websites ranging from Parameters, Military Review, and Army magazine, to Strategy Bridge and the Modern War Institute. He reviews books for Army magazine.

Benson is a 1977 graduate of the United States Military Academy. His military education includes the U.S. Army Armor Officer Basic Course (1977); U.S. Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School (1983); U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (1991); and the School of Advanced Military Studies (1992). He also attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Security Studies Program as a War College Fellow in 2001. He earned a doctorate in American history from the University of Kansas in 2010. He was a Sen. Robert J. Dole Fellow at the Dole Institute of Politics in 2011. He was appointed an adjunct scholar at the Modern War Institute at West Point in 2020.

This lecture was the last scheduled lecture in the 2024 Distinguished Speaker Series presented by the CGSC Foundation’s Simons Center for Ethical Leadership and Interagency Cooperation. The CGSC Foundation extends a special thank you to all the sponsors of the 2024 series.

For more photos see the CGSC Foundation Flickr album

The CGSC Foundation through its Simons Center conducts the Distinguished Speaker Series (DSS) program to offer extracurricular, educational lectures intended to help enrich the Command and General Staff School curriculum and provide opportunities for outreach to the public. Topics covered in the Distinguished Speaker Series of lectures span the gamut of leadership and ethics, organizational effectiveness, collaboration, as well as current events and issues in business, government and the military.  

~ Thank you to our 2024 DSS Sponsors ~

Five Stars
Col. (Ret.) Tim and Karen Carlin
(The Tim and Karen Carlin Family Foundation)

Four Stars
Col. (Ret.) Bill and Marge Eckhardt
Mr. John Ferguson (Ferguson Properties)
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) George Harris (First Command)
Ms. Jody Kaaz (Kaaz Construction)
Mr. Jerry Reilly (Reilly Holding Company)
Col. (Ret.) Bob and Terri Ulin

Three Stars
Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Rich and Mary Ann Keller

Two Stars
Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Stan Cherrie
Ms. Sherry DeMaranville (DeMaranville and Associates)
Col. (Ret.) Tom and Candy Dials
Mr. Art Fillmore
Mr. Bill Geiger (Geiger Ready Mix Foundation)
Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Bill West

One Star
Lt. Col. (Ret.) William and Kathleen Connor, Sr.
Ms. Tina Farr (Armed Forces Bank)
Mr. Curt Gilfert (Advantage Printing)
Mr. Rick Schneider (Exchange Bank)