CLS is honored to welcome Lt. General Ben Hodges, former commanding general of the U.S. Army Europe, and KzS. Colonel Ivo Schneider of the German Navy for the second installment of our Ambassador R. L. Walker International Relations & Diplomacy Series! The powerful duo will discuss NATO and the seismic challenges it faces today. Discover both an American and a German perspective on the alliance and these constantly evolving risks. Tickets are $10 for CLS Members and $15 for CLS Guests.
This event is in-person and ticketed. To purchase tickets, click here.
About Lt. General Ben Hodges:
A native of Quincy, Florida, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges graduated from the United States Military Academy in May 1980 and was commissioned in the Infantry. After his first assignment as an Infantry Lieutenant in Germany, he commanded Infantry units at the Company, Battalion and Brigade levels at the 101st Airborne Division and in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. His most recent operational assignment was as Director of Operations, Regional Command South, in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Lt. Gen. Hodges has also served in a variety of Joint and Army Staff positions to include Tactics Instructor at the Infantry School; Chief of Plans, 2nd Infantry Division in Korea; Aide-de-Camp to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe; Army Congressional Liaison Officer; Task Force Senior Observer-Controller at the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, LA; Coalition/Joint -3 (CJ3) of Multi-National Corps-Iraq in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM; Chief of Staff, XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg; and Director of the Pakistan Afghanistan Coordination Cell on the Joint Staff; Chief of Legislative Liaison for the United States Army. His last assignment was as Commander, NATO Allied Land Command from 2012 to 2014.
About Col. Ivo Schneider:
Col. Schneider began his impressive military career in 1987 when he entered the Naval Academy, and then went on to complete his education at the Federal Armed Forces University Hamburg, focusing on Naval Architecture. From 1992-93, Col. Schneider completed Basic Warfare Training at the Naval Operations School in Bremerhaven, Germany. He then spent two years as a Bridge Watchkeeping Officer (BWO) on the Sail Training Ship Gorch Fock. Furthering his military education even more, Col. Schneider studied courses in Principle Warfare and Joint Command and Staff courses as well. Col. Schneider has lead many different operations, including the Allied Joint Force Command , headquartered in Naples. Starting in 2009, he joined the Planning Division of the Ministry of Defence –
Multinational Force Planning (NATO / EU). Later he became the Commanding Officer for German Navy Task Group 2015 and Branch Head Management Training for the German Navy Headquarters. Also, from 2018 to 2020, Col. Schneider held position of Division Head Capability Development at German Navy Headquarters. In the summer of 2021, he became the Naval Attaché to the United States for the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany.
About the Ambassador R. L. Walker International Relations & Diplomacy Series:
During the summer of 2021, the Library Society received a very generous gift to establish a program series honoring a South Carolina scholar and diplomat, Richard L. (“Dixie”) Walker. In 1981, Walker was chosen by President Ronald Reagan to serve as his ambassador to the Republic of Korea. After unanimous confirmation by the U. S. Senate, he served with distinction at that post until 1986, longer than any other American ambassador. Walker was on the faculty of Yale University when he was recruited by Governor Donald Russell to organize a new program in international studies at the University of South Carolina (USC) that he headed until 1972. In 1961, he founded the Institute of International Studies and headed it until 1981, as it grew into a preeminent national and international center of research, conferences, consultation and publications. In 1996, the Institute was renamed the Richard L. Walker Institute in his honor. The lecture series will cover a multitude of topics, and we hope that the viewers gain fresh perspectives on the challenges facing the intersecting spheres of international relations & diplomacy.
