Leadership Report: Celebrating 30 Years of BENS2012

www.bens.org National Office Business Executives for National Security 1030 15th Street, NW Suite 200 East Washington, DC 20005 [email protected] Regional Offices Kansas City [email protected] Metro New York [email protected] Metro Washington, DC [email protected] California [email protected] Leadership Report: Southeast [email protected] Texas Celebrating 30 Years of BENS [email protected] 2012 Leadership Report 2012 Table of Contents Letter from the Chairman and President 2 Introduction: 30 Years of BENS 3 Celebrating 30 Years of BENS: An Interview with Our Founding Chairman, Stanley A. Weiss 4 Celebrating 30 Years of BENS: BENS in the 80’s-A look at the era’s defining projects 6 Present Challenges - Evolving Threats 7 - Efficiences 9 - Operational Effectiveness 10 Celebrating 30 Years of BENS: BENS in the 90’s-A look at the era’s defining projects 12 Learning on the Scene 13 Celebrating 30 Years of BENS: BENS in the 2000’s-A look at the era’s defining projects 17 Special Events/Awards 18 Financial Stewardship Managing Our Resources Wisely 20 Board of Directors 21 Advisory Council 22 1 Business Executives for National Security Letter from the Chairman and President As 2012 draws to a close, we are pleased to share with you our annual Leadership Report providing highlights from another very busy and successful year for BENS. The initiatives and activities detailed in the following pages have only been made possible through the investment of time, energy and resources by our members, for which we are most grateful. Celebrating BENS’ 30th Anniversary has given us the opportunity to reflect on past accomplishments, as well as look ahead to future priorities and challenges. BENS’ strong record of achievement since our founding by Stanley Weiss in 1982 continues to serve as the solid foundation upon which we rely as we move forward. Our organization and its reputation are strong -- a fact evidenced by the depth and breadth of existing partnerships and projects and the ever-increasing number of new requests for help from our BENS membership that we continue to receive. With the leadership and guidance of a deeply committed Board of Directors, BENS is poised for even greater successes in the months and years to come. BENS members have been, and continue to, drive work in a number of important areas. At the request of Dr. Dorothy Robyn, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment, more than 40 BENS members and energy security experts worked for nearly a year on analyzing, evaluating and improving energy security on domestic military installations. Their seminal report, released earlier this Fall, is already guiding leaders within the Pentagon toward cost-effective development of smart microgrid technology. Additionally, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence asked BENS to review the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s plans to implement information technology efficiencies and cloud computing, and later included many of BENS’ recommendations into mark-ups of the House Intelligence Bill. In looking ahead and considering the national security challenges that will define the work of the coming decade, the need for BENS is clear. With the Department of Defense facing major downsizing and budget cuts over the next ten years, BENS has begun work at the request of Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Ash Carter to convene a group of business executives who can share with the country’s top military leaders their companies’ experiences with changing culture and re-orienting business when faced with similar economic realities. With these and other demands on the horizon, the BENS Policy Committee has reorganized and refocused how our organization selects and develops our policy work to ensure that BENS is working in the areas where it can make the greatest impact. We have renewed our Advisory Council, and begun to cultivate guidance from this seasoned and powerful group of national security professionals. We are proud to be leading BENS into its fourth decade, and hope that you will continue to be an active partner in BENS’ work. Please share this report with friends and colleagues who share your commitment to our nation’s security and encourage them to join us. In 2013 we look forward to a robust agenda for BENS members to continue to make an impact on our national security. Bruce E. Mosler Montgomery C. Meigs Chairman President & CEO 2 Leadership Report 2012 Introduction: 30 Years of BENS Members across the nation come together under BENS to engage, to learn, to build a better America. Metro New York [email protected] Metro Washington, DC [email protected] Southeast (Atlanta) California [email protected] [email protected] Kansas City (Mid-America) [email protected] Texas [email protected] Since its founding in 1982, BENS has been driven by previously unknown threats to national security. In one principle – a stronger and more secure nation can response to Present Challenges our policy work be built through the application of best business prac- focused on three distinct areas of concern: operational tices to our nation’s most challenging national security effectiveness, efficiencies, and evolving threats. concerns. A not for profit, non-partisan organization, the secret of BENS’ success over the last 30 years lies in BENS’ membership thrives on a commitment to the driving force of its membership. Drawing from six Learning on the Scene – at home, across the country, regions across the country, BENS is proud of its robust and abroad. Over the course of the year our mem- and diverse membership committed to identifying bers heard from leaders in defense, government, and potential solutions to the most challenging national military on the most pressing issues, learning how the security issues facing America. business community’s expertise could be most useful. 2012- BENS 30th anniversary year - marked the begin- ning of a new era; an era defined by new and 3 BusinessBusiness Executives Executives for for National National SecuritySecurity Celebrating 30 Years of BENS: An Interview with Founding Chairman, Stanley A. Weiss Founded in 1982, by business executive and entrepreneur Stanley A. Weiss, non- partisan and non-profit Business Executives for National Security (BENS) sup- ports the U.S. government by applying best business practice solutions to its most difficult national security problems. Q: What was the genesis of BENS? sold them. So I put in a bid at a fraction of the A: Part of it came out of my experience mining, price I had sold it to them, and they accepted! when I was buying and selling manganese to the They had turned Adam Smith on his head, buy- government. At one point they put out a solicita- ing dear and selling cheap. tion to buy manganese for the nation’s strategic Then I was a fellow for a year at Harvard’s Center stockpile. I entered a bid to sell at a very high for International Affairs (77-78). I was the only price and they bought it. Naturally I was pleased. international businessman in a classroom full of Sometime later, I saw a solicitation saying they diplomats. During that year, I began to wonder were selling manganese – including some I had 44 whether the entire Pentagon was as misman- Leadership Report Report 2012 2012 aged as this strategic stockpile. I came to the that no one else is doing? 4) If someone else is conclusion that it was. At the same time, much doing it, can we partner with them effectively? 5) of the conversation that year was about who was Is it a project within BENS’ reach, or is it a project winning or losing a nuclear arms race consisting like let’s go boil the ocean? of thousands of nukes. It sounded insane to me. So I started BENS with two basic agenda items: Q: What has kept you committed and engaged 1) How can the Pentagon be more business like? for 30 years? 2) How can we help prevent the use of even one A: It has a great deal to do with my nature. Once nuclear weapon? I started BENS, I wasn’t going to stop until we either succeeded or failed. But I hadn’t thought Why did you form business executives for na- Q: about failing until the Soviet empire collapsed tional security? Why not Corporations for national and practically everyone said, well, you did a security? good job. Now what will you do? I’m not an A: My experience in dealing with large cor- historian, but I didn’t think world peace would porations is that the bureaucracy is not all that break out all of a sudden. I thought having a different from the bureaucracy that you find at strong, national security was still a good idea. As the Pentagon. I felt that building an organization things turned out, with conservative Republicans around individuals with successful, pragmatic joining and the liberal Democrats who were truly business experience would be more effective. dedicated to a strong national defense staying, I We didn’t want “organization men.” We wanted got the best of all worlds. people like Jeff Bezos of Amazon or Fred Smith of Federal Express. People who were entrepreneurs Q: What do you envision for the future of BENS? at heart. A: The challenges that our country faces today are not the same as they used to be. Cybersecurity When did you first feel that your dream of Q: is at the top of our agenda. Almost every BENS bringing business expertise to national defense was member is involved in an area that is highly perti- becoming realized? nent to understanding what would happen if our A: It was when Secretary Bill Cohen embraced national security systems were hacked into.

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