When: 6 p.m. April 8, 2026
Where: Miller Concert Hall,
Duerksen Fine Arts Center
NOTE: Ticketing information will be available in March 2026.
H.R. McMaster
2026 Speaker • 6 p.m. April 8, 2026 • Miller Concert Hall
Retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster served as the 25th U.S. National Security Advisor from 2017-2018. McMaster is a decorated three-star general who served in the U.S. Army for 34 years. He holds a Ph.D. in military history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is the author of three NY Times bestselling books: "Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Lies that Led to Vietnam," "Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World," and "At War with Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House."
McMaster led important strategic assessments, including the revision of Iraq's strategy during the 2007 surge and efforts to develop security forces and governmental institutions in post-war Iraq. In 2009-2010, he led an assessment and planning effort to develop a comprehensive strategy for the greater Middle East.
From 1994 to 1996, McMaster was an assistant professor of history at the United States Military Academy, where he taught undergraduate courses in military history and history of the Korean and Vietnam Wars, as well as a graduate course on the history of military leadership for officers enrolled in the Columbia University MBA program. He currently teaches graduate courses at Stanford University on contemporary challenges to international security and building strategic competence.
McMaster is a distinguished graduate of the United States Military Academy. His military awards include the Silver Star Medal, the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster and the Purple Heart.