In 2006 and was commissioned as a military Intelligence Officer. He served as a squadron Intelligence Officer while deployed in iraq from 2007 to 2008 and as an assistant brigade Intelligence Officer while deployed in iraq in 2011. He is currently assigned to the United States military academy as a history instructor. His military awards and decorations include the bronze star with oak leaf cluster, the mere tore yous service medal. D he is abd from the university of texas at austin and working on a dissertation that examines the role of tom cy novels in the National Security policy of Ronald Reagan. His Research Interests include American Foreign relations and the cold war, ben hallcy, bachelor of science of u. S. History, a master of arts in interNational Security from the university of arizona, a master of history from the university of texas. In addition he is a National Security fellow at the Clements Center for National Security. He resides in west point, new york with his wife beth and their two children. Welcome, ben griffin. [ applause ] thank you very much for the kind introduction and the opportunity to speak here. Im thrilled. Thank you all for coming. I know its friday in new york city so there are plenty of things that you can do. The fact that you chose to come here and listen to me means a lot to me personally. I am an active duty officer. Everything im saying tonight is my own opinion. Not reflective of the United States government. You mentioned the military tech no porn. Thats what tom clancy does. His books are largely about this military technology. Well get into some of that tonight as well. The speech entitled the good guys win Ronald Reagan, tom clancy and National Security. As air force one was traveling east in 1986, Ronald Reagan decided to move back and talk with, socialize with the staff. But rather than focus on preparation frs the upcoming sup summit, talking about things like missile numbers, he instead opted to talk with the staff about the newly released world war iii thriller released by tom clancy red storm rising. He read the book immediately upon release and termed it research for the upcoming summit. Many who heard that took it as a joke. How could the president be using this thriller, this work of fiction as Actual Research for a very serious topic of arms control with the head of the United States enemy, the soviet union. But many of his jokes and stories contain a small bit of truth. It perfectly encapsulated how Ronald Reagan viewed american cold war strategy, and importantly why he believed the u. S. Prevailed. It provides a realistic story that allowed him to visualize the near future. E used red storm rising as a personal war game pep and the conclusions he drew from it would impact the upcoming nowsch gagss, reading to a willingness to reduce Nuclear Weapons but not to give up the Strategic Defense Initiative. That work of fiction was largely irrelevant to reagan. He understand that fictional narratives had power and he would often link public action on spolcy to Popular Culture. In his 1981 address to the graduating cadets of west point, as hes giving the speech at graduation he talk to the wide spread lack of respect for the uniform that many in the country are exhibits towards the United States military. Returning to the theme of his 1980 campaign in talking about the need talking about how the nation has shortchanged the military in the wake of vietnam by continuing to maintain low pay levels and a lingering resentment of those in uniform from the public. He argues that the military deserves better. And then enlists the his younger generation, marking with pride. He noted that this is in part due to recent policy changes, in particular a large pay raise that certainly makes the military happy. We always like getting paid more. Its not the entire explanation as to why were seeing more enlistments. Instead reagan argued theres a new spirit in the land which more than changes the pair of benefits led to a rediscovery of how much there is to love in this land. The unequivocal language of what was his first major Foreign Policy speech demonstrated that the shaping of narratives were was critical. A memo from his secretary of defense shows how conscious the words were. He wrote that the speech needed to honor the feeling that the American People felt. It was a matter that the secretary of defense and reagan discussed before. A telling paragraph terms the ingratitude. It singled out hollywood for criticism, knowing that the film is the antimilitary senment. And the margins, theres a list of muryes with coming home, apocalypse now. All very prominent and generally wellreceived and pretty good movies about the vietnam war but paint a less than positive image of the military. Now this passage didnt make the final draft of the spooek speech. Perhaps largely over concerns that reagan about his angering his friends in hollywood. He comes from that community. He doesnt want them working against him. Its presence in draft form shows how closely they were link in reagans mind. This is a theme he will touch on in his farewell address, his last major address. He will recall in the 1950s and 60s people have patriotism. Movies celebrated democratic vams and reinforced the idea that america was special. Reagan lamented this was no longer true. He believed that wellgrounded patriotism was no longer in style. The american spirit was back but they needed to reinstitutionalize it. This seems odd when you look at the 80s, things like rambo, rocky iv and top gun. Those dominated the box office. But at the same time we saw some other popular but also critically acclaimed films like platoon and full metal jacket that indicated to reagan there was still a lot of work to do to cement this more positive narrative within american culture. The common show how to recognize the linkage between the cultural move and the implementation of policy. In some instances he would use stories as shord hand to describe the policy that he would are want to enact. Tom reed, a primary National Security adviser to reagan recalls that during meetings as theyre discussing this cold war strategy, reagan referenced gary cooper from high noon. The president wanted the u. S. To be a sort of global mash shall caine, someone who is going to fight for a cause. But once the cause is won would walk away leaving the marshal star to collect dust as the sun sets dramatically in front of them. The book convinced reagan that the u. S. And soviet union enjoyed conventional parody. There was not a need for the Nuclear Forces because the u. S. Could defeat the soviets in a straightup tank battle or a regular fight between their armed forces without having to escalate to weapons of mass destruction. Reagan expressed this to british Prime Minister margaret thatcher. Shes surprise and a little upset. Shes very concerned about this conventional imbalance. So shes talking to reagan telling them that they cant possibly eliminate the weapons because without that europe would become destabilized and there would be nothing to check a soviet advance. Right season dismissive of the Prime Ministers claims. Instead he rems that he read red storm rising so she can better understand what the new strategic situation looks like. So tom clancy would really fill two roles for the Reagan Administration. It communicated his policy to a broader audience and also provided an imaginative space for the president s and others to war game and test their strategic principles. Clancy was an unlikely person to serve as the unofficial spokesman for the Reagan Administration. When working on the novel he wrote a friend that the odds of becomes the next forsythe are astronomical, incredible. He assured his friend would would happy settle with a book jacket with his name on it. Clancy would defy the odds. Uponis death he would leave behind an estate valued at 82 million. He garage it waited from Loyola College after majoring in english and minored in physics. His coauthor notes he was nearly blind without his particularly thick glasses. He opted to work with his wife at a Small Insurance Agency no maryland. A lifelong republican, he voted for reagan four out of the five times he could. The one time he could not was in the 1984 primary. He lated explained this vote asking for gods forgiveness remarking that nobody is perfect. He strongly supported the politics of reagan. In march of 81 he wrote his congressman to request a signed photo of the president. Broom field guarded the request. The white house responded positively and in july of that year mailed a signed photograph inscribed to clancy and his wife. He maintained a long lasting deep interest in the military in general, in the navy particularly. The location of the Insurance Company in maryland proved ad van taye jous. He counted a number of naval officers among his clients. He used this to build knowledge. And one officer in particular, Lieutenant CommanderGregory Young earned clancys thanks. Clancy also built expertise throw playing a tack call miniature game harpoon. He noted in a letter that afterdy guesting the game it would be easy to explain the concepts in his book to anyone. Although clancy long harbored a desire to write novels he didnt begin work in earnest until 1982. He planned hunt for october as a middle book along with patriot games. And he actually started working on the draft to patriot games in 1982 after finishing a 500page draft for hunt for red object. He planned three other novels. He could finish this over 500page draft for hunt for red october and these other novel concepts within a ninemonth period would speak to his future prolific output. From 86 to 89 he has a best seller every year on the the New York Times best seller list at the end of the year. But his first book was a rather unusual one. The Naval Institute prez was the publisher of the hard cover. And hunt was the first original work of fiction that the press ever released. Its located on the naval academy. And prior to hunt the best known book from them was the blue jackets manual, a guide given to all recruits. Clancy came to their attention by hand delivering a letter to the editor. And this was the first time clancy ever received compensation for anything that he had written. After writing this letter huh approached them with the draft of his manuscript. In order to offset the cost of pun lishing the book, the publishers chose to sell paper book rights. So putnam books paid 35,000 for the rights. Decent but not great for a firsttime author. In july of 84, hunt for red october hits the book stores in washington, d. C. And new york signaling a career change. The book good generally favorable but not exceptional reviews. A review states that clancy rewards the reader with a thriller thats great fun. The longs times praised clancys talent for making this approachable but lamenting the cardboard figures. Reviews like this were common place. And hunts sales did exceed publisher expect tags as the first run of 16,000 books sold out by november. The book did particularly well in washington, d. C. Making the local best seller list there but it still seemed on track to maybe have a niche audience and certainly wasnt on the path to international or national superstardom. This is going to change once reagan intervenes. The president once told a close adviser that he viewed books as friends. And receive a copy of hunt for red october from her as a christmas president in 1984. He reads a third of it on Christmas Day and finishes the rest of it very soon of that. His identification from the novel causes him to depart from his con seept that books were secret and personal treasures. Its strange that he would opt to talk to much about hunt for red october. He would appraise the book as unput downable and the perfect yarn. His september endorsement endorsed the sales. The president s endorsement read to features about clancy in Time Magazine and gushed over the high level officials in washington that read and endorsed the book. The article added a sense of reallife intrigue when the soviet union was borrowing several copies of the book. Eventually there was enough buzz around to book to earn clancy an invitation to appear on good morning america. He prepared to beat the man who defined his trajectory. So on march 13th of 85, clancy prepared to met the president. Led into the oval office. He describes stepping over the threshold as an equivalent of dorothy stepping from the wrecked house into munchkin land. It was more than he expected. He goes on to note that the president could charm the fangs off of a cobra with a personality that envelopes you like a cloud. Reagan asked about clancys next book and inquired object who was going to win. Clancy responded the good guys. Much to the approval of the president. All this took place in about five minutes. As reagan had to then go out to lunch with Henry Kissinger where the two would discuss the death of a soviet leader. He recalls if reagan could not charm gore ba chof, then ronnie could drive him into the pavement. Reagan in the east garden and clancy in the roosevelt room. There clancy discussed the book with secretary of the labor who said his on reading the level was to ask, who the hell cleared this. A White House Reporter recalls that lunch turned into a lively discussion between clancy and the Navy Secretary over the Naval Warfare and strategy. Clancy would later note that the discussion covered sdi. And the prospect of the use of Nuclear Weapons over which he and past and future security adviser disagreed about. The general advocated that you could win a nuclear war, something that clancy didnt buy into. Other attendees were senator hatfield from oregon who asked clancy to sign his book, despite being in clancys words a rather dovish fellow. As well as director of u. S. Information agency and longtime friend of Reagan Charles wick. He would later use a letter as an excuse to get more funding out of the program. The audience of the lunch and the seriousness in which the participants call it is indicative of the growing regard of clancy. His only other visit to the white house came one week later, a ser many any marking the arrival of the president of origin tina. He mingled with his fellow guests including Arnold Schwarzenegger and the clancies left the white house to prepare for dinner in the evening. Following dinner clancy and his wife spoke briefly with nancy reagan who took her charmlessness from her husband and Robert Mcfarland who took his opportunity to express love for the hunt for red october but also told clancy he was nothing like jeffrey pelt in the book. Clancy briefly mention that he floated an idea which he liked but clancy did not further elaborate on this. The president and the first lady danced, clancy and his wife made their exits. The night before they approached schwarzenegger in storing in an adaptation of hunt for red october. So clancy was clearly a hit in official washington. Newspaper articles, for people who read and enjoyed hunt for red october. At the state dinner, the photographer said everyone in the white house had read the book. Secretary of defense was among the last in the administration to read it but quickly became its biggest public supporter. The editor of the times approached him in taking part in a series that would have prominent World Leaders talk about a book they felt deserved more attention. Kay lies passed him a copy of the hunt and included a note that she had it on Good Authority that the big boss across the river loved it. Wineburger read the book. Explaining that it offered many lessons for those who want to keep the pieces. He submitted this review to the wall street journal and would later go on to review clancys patriot games for the people saying it give considerable insights to the minds of terrorists and how the upholders ensure the freedom of all. They would make use of the reviews as blushes on the back. Probably a fair impression to lend at this point. Its remarkable that you have a sitting secretary of defense taking time out to review works of fiction as opposed to going things like working on budgets or handling the many issues that kwom with running an organization as large as the department of defense. So a reason for the novels immediate appeal to reagan is that his progress tag nis jack ryan has a resemiabblance to cor in rain. Despite working for the cia, he apologizes for every deception, such as when hes forced to wear a naval uniform. Stating he does not like to pretend what he is not. It helps establish him as a character who puts whats right over whats necessary. Ryan does not second accolades for his work. Instead of successfully competing his mission, he declines an opportunity to go to the white house for official praise from the president. Instead boards a plane to head home with a gift for his daughter in hand. So ryan asleep on the eastbound concord is the clancy equiv