Think Strategically; Think Differently
Event information: September 21, 2026 Lecture at 5:30 - 6:30 Check-in at 5:00 Lunch & Learn Allen 1016 Description In this compelling lecture, General Brooks will discuss the importance of applying a strategic lens to geopolitical, military, and international affairs. He will elaborate on why traditional strategic thinking, while necessary, is often insufficient for finding creative solutions; instead, we must also learn to think differently. This engaging session aims to expand students' horizons, equipping them to critically evaluate circumstance emerging around them. Speaker bio General Vincent K. Brooks, U.S. Army, Retired General (Retired) Vincent "Vince" Brooks served in the U.S. Army for over 42 years from his entry into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1976 with the historic Class of 1980 until his retirement from active duty in 2019 as a four-star general. Brooks spent his final seventeen years of service in the general officer ranks and for nearly all those years in command of large, complex military organizations in challenging situations. In his final assignment on active duty he served three concurrent roles, commanding the United Nations Command (multinational), the Republic of Korea – United States Combined Forces Command (bi-national), and the United States Forces Korea (US only, all military services). His military service includes tours of duty in Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia, the Western Hemisphere, and the Indo-Pacific Region as well as the American Homeland. In his post-military career, General Brooks served as a visiting Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and, currently, he serves a Distinguished Fellow at the University of Texas with both the Clements Center for National Security and the Strauss Center for International Security and Law. For two academic years he held the endowed Class of 1951 Chair for the Study of Leadership at West Point. He has served on the board of directors of four publicly traded companies (Diamondback Energy, Jacobs Solutions, Verisk Analytics, Amentum) and of two non-profit organizations (Gary Sinise Foundation, Korea Defense Veterans Association). General Brooks is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is a consultant principal with the prestigious consulting company WestExec Advisors. General Brooks holds a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point where he studied Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Aerospace Engineering, and a Master of Military Arts and Science from the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies. Recently, General Brooks was named a 2026 Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Military Academy.
