Defense expert visits UF to discuss military ethics

April 7, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Military ethics expert Albert C. Pierce, professor of ethics and national security at National Defense University, will discuss “Strategy and Ethics in Counter-Terrorism” at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Graham Center for Public Service in Pugh Hall’s Ocora at the University of Florida. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.

Pierce served as assistant to the Secretary of Defense — writing speeches, congressional testimony, and reports — and was defense correspondent for NBC News in the 1980s. He has worked for the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, served as the first deputy director of the Strategic Concepts Development Center (now known as the Institute for National Strategic Studies), and taught as a professor of military strategy at National War College from 1985 to 1998. Before recently joining the faculty of National Defense University, Pierce served as founding director of the Center for the Study of Professional Military Ethics at the U.S. Naval Academy.

“I’m pleased that someone of Dr. Pierce’s caliber is able to join us to speak on such a vital topic,” said Michael Bowen, assistant director of the Graham Center. “This is a subject that will have repercussions for the foreseeable future and I am sure that Dr. Pierce’s talk with be enlightening and engaging for the UF and Gainesville communities.”

The Bob Graham Center for Public Service provides students with opportunities to train for future leadership positions, meet policymakers, and take courses in critical thinking, language learning and studies of world cultures. Its mission is to foster public leadership and solve issues related to the Americas and homeland security.

Contact: Michael Bowen, assistant director of the Graham Center for Public Service 352-273-1080 or mbowen@ufl.edu