Michelle Howard is a pioneer. She graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and rose to become a four-star admiral and vice chief of naval operations. In one of her professional assignments, she led Combined Task Force 151, which was organized to confront and eliminate pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden. Michelle discusses how U.S. military forces operate in police actions under lawful international authorization.

Jim Dubik is a retired senior officer from the United States Army. A retired three-star officer, in his last job Jim worked with Iraqi military forces to explain how civilian control works in real life. In this session, Jim discusses the critical question of how democracies control military establishments. By definition, military organizations are authoritarian rule-based organizations that operate in secret and have guns. This session examines how democracies control military establishments and advance democratic principles.

Host John Hamre interviews Stephen Preston, a senior lawyer in Washington. In government service, Stephen was the head lawyer for the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of Defense. In this episode, Stephen discusses how democracies authorize the use of lethal force and how democracies control military and covert activities once initiated. This is a special challenge for democracies where the use of force must be consistent with democratic principles. Stephen offers a powerful tutorial on this vital dimension of American democracy.

Jamie Gorelick has held senior positions in government, as general counsel in the Department of Defense and as deputy attorney general. In this session, she discusses the complex and dynamic relationship that binds police, prosecutors, and courts. Democracy depends on clear rules and institutions that implement the rules. Each institution confronts controversy and challenges. Jamie offers an intriguing insight into this foundational function in American democracy.

In this first episode, host John J. Hamre speaks with Suzanne Spaulding, director of the Defending Democratic Institutions project at CSIS. Suzanne is a lawyer, and had served as chief clerk of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and later as undersecretary in the Department of Homeland Security. Their conversation examines how established institutions and procedures keep government agencies accountable to its citizens. This process is especially important for intelligence organizations that operate in secrecy. Suzanne offers a powerful tutorial on one of the foundation stones of our democracy.