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Mike Studeman

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral (Ret.), Renowned National Intelligence Leader, Foreign Policy Practitioner, & China Expert

World-class expert on Asian affairs with deep expertise on China, who reveals Beijing’s true intentions and stratagems, and the implications of its rise
3-year Director of Intelligence of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the nation’s largest Combatant Command operating on the most significant fault line of the international order
Former Commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence, White House Fellow, Director of National Intelligence advisor, and Strategist on Defense and Intelligence matters
Key influencer with global insights on geostrategic dynamics shaping the 21st Century

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Rear Admiral Mike Studeman is a decorated military leader and former Commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence who stands as one of the United States’ preeminent national security officials. His distinguished 35-year career has taken him to assignments around the globe and positioned him as one of the most influential voices on intelligence, foreign policy, and defense matters. He is an internationally recognized authority on Asian affairs with deep expertise on China. Studeman has led intelligence operations at every level — from the tactical to the strategic, through crises and war – and is an accomplished foreign policy practitioner with a track record of geostrategic impact.

Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Studeman draws upon unrivaled insight into global intelligence and the shifting geopolitical landscape of major power strategic competition to help groups connect the challenges and opportunities in national security and global affairs to what’s going on within their own organizations and industries. The rich knowledge he passes along to audiences, especially on China’s rise, provides a unique framework to help organizations anticipate challenges, make tough decisions, and adapt their strategies to deal with a dramatically changed risk environment.

When he was a Commander, Studeman was appointed by President George W. Bush as a White House Fellow. He is the only officer in the Navy ever to have been Special Assistant on separate occasions to the Navy’s top three leaders: the Chief of Naval Operations, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, and U.S. Fleet Forces Commander. Senior defense and White House officials selected Studeman to brief Taiwan’s President on sensitive geopolitical matters multiple times. He was also a key player in strengthening alliances in the Pacific and engineering closer relations with India.

Studeman’s ascent to the forefront of national security coincides with some of the most pivotal moments in history: the fall of the Berlin Wall, Tiananmen Square massacre, and Desert Storm. He went on to support coalition campaigns in the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia, as well as a range of counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, counternarcotics, and counterproliferation operations. As a flag officer, Studeman served as the Director of Intelligence for the U.S. Indo-China Pacific Command, the nation’s largest combatant command. In this role, he oversaw intelligence operations covering half the earth, a messianic China, provocative North Korea, and assertive Russia. He was also Director of Intelligence for the Southern Hemisphere and commanded cyber intelligence forces at U.S. Cyber Command.

Among numerous honors and recognitions for his dedication and exceptional service, Studeman is the recipient of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, three Defense Superior Service Medals, three Legion of Merit Awards, and five Meritorious Service Medals. The Director of National Intelligence recognized his outstanding contributions with the National Intelligence Superior Service Medal. He has also received decorations from Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Colombia.

Studeman is a two-time Distinguished Graduate in National Security Affairs Masters programs and an Honors Graduate in Mandarin Chinese.

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Navigating Today’s National Intelligence and Security Challenges. A highly regarded global intelligence expert, Rear Admiral Mike Studeman possesses unparalleled insight into the ever-evolving state of play in intelligence, national security, and geopolitics, and shares this knowledge in a highly riveting keynote that offers the most up-to-date outlook on the critical issues shaping global security. Famous for his incisive, candid, and pull-no-punches talks, Studeman is at his best outlining the true dimensions of major power strategic competition. The rich knowledge he passes along to audiences, especially on China’s rise and the clash of visions about the world order, provides a unique framework to help organizations anticipate challenges, make tough decisions, and adapt their strategies to deal with a dramatically changed risk environment.

The Decisive Decade: Geostrategic Developments in the Indo-Pacific. Rear Admiral Mike Studeman has spent many years in Asia, including serving as the Director of Intelligence for the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and is uniquely positioned to shed light on Asia’s past, present, and future, and how developments in the region are impacting the rest of the world. As part of this talk, he unpacks the following:

Dangerous strategic dynamics in the Indo-Pacific
China’s stratagems and ever-burgeoning capability to achieve its “dream”
Intensifying friction between China and the U.S./West
The likelihood that flashpoints might erupt into an outright war between superpowers
Insider threats and American vulnerabilities to Chinese exploitation here at home

Studeman shares an intelligence officer’s perspective and provides the deepest and clearest understanding of what’s actually going on in the Indo-Pacific, a region that is becoming the epicenter of the global economy in the 21st century, and how we should approach what has become our toughest strategic challenge as a nation. Studeman customizes his analysis of current and potential future trends in the Indo-Pacific so that groups can gain a better understanding of how a dramatically changing international environment is going to impact their businesses. He is also one of the few experts able to describe how and why we are not safe from China’s reach even within our own borders, and what we need to do about it.

An Admiral’s Leadership Insights for Delivering Excellence in a Volatile World. In this rapidly evolving and interconnected world, leadership has proven to be the key difference-maker for organizations looking to achieve their goals in the face of disruption, change, and uncertainty. Drawing upon his 35-year career as a military, national intelligence, and foreign policy expert navigating the complexities of national security and global challenges, Rear Admiral Mike Studeman reveals the strategies he has employed to consistently inspire his teams to success in high-stakes environments, and how these principles from the world of defense and intelligence can be applied by any leader. In this talk, he explores the art of building high-impact teams and shares time-tested tactics for assessing risk, adapting to change, making decisions under pressure, and ultimately, leading with purpose and clarity to generate maximum performance at the highest morale.