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Patuxent Defense Forum “Taiwan as a Flashpoint for Conflict between the US and China,

April 1

” Cross -Strait Tensions: Taiwan as a Flashpoint for Conflict between the US and China

April 1, 2025 All Day at Campus Center- Cole Cinema, SMCM

 

The Patuxent Defense Forum is an annual program that convenes scholars, members of the defense community, and national security experts to discuss issues relevant to defense, national security, and international public policy. The upcoming Patuxent Defense Forum will focus on Taiwan and is titled “Taiwan as a Flashpoint for Conflict between the United States and China.” The forum will feature academics, national security experts, and members of the defense community from the United States and Taiwan.

The forum will serve as an opportunity to engage and enhance our understanding of this important topic with an audience of students and faculty from St. Mary’s College, members of The Patuxent Partnership, and the Southern Maryland community connected to the PAX Naval Air Station and the supporting defense community.

15th Annual Patuxent Defense Forum

“Cross-Strait Tensions: Taiwan as a Flashpoint for Conflict between the US and China”

Presented by the Center for the Study of Democracy and The Patuxent Partnership

April 1, 2025 |8am -5pm

SMCM, Cole Cinema, Campus Center

PROGRAM AGENDA 

8:00-9:00 am Registration/Coffee and Networking

9:00-9:15 am Welcome
Bonnie Green, Executive Director, The Patuxent Partnership
Antonio Ugues, Jr., PhD, Director, Center for the Study of Democracy

9:15-9:45 am Opening Remarks
Hal Brands, PhD, Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies ( Bio below)

9:45-10:00 am Break

10:00-11:45 am Panel I – Rising Tensions and the Prospects of Armed Conflict between the US and China

Chairperson: Steven Wills, PhD, Navalist, Center for Maritime Strategy ( Bio below)
Panelists:
● David G. Brown, Retired Faculty, China Studies, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Retired Foreign Service Officer, US Department of State
● Chien-Wu Hsueh, PhD, Professor, College of International Affairs, National Chengchi University (Taiwan)
● Shuh-Fan Ding, PhD, Professor Emeritus, College of International Affairs, National Chengchi University (Taiwan)

11:45 am-12:00 pm Break

12:00-1:00 pm Lunch (Great Room)

1:00-2:30 pm Panel II – “From Tension to Armed Conflict: Navies, Technology, and Information Warfare”

Chairperson: Liang-Chih Evans Chen, PhD, Research Fellow, Division of Defense Strategy and Resources, Institute for National Defense and Security Research (Taiwan)
Panelists:
● Brent D. Sadler, Senior Research Fellow, Naval Warfare and Advanced Technology, Allison Center for National Security, The Heritage Foundation
● Hon-Min Yau, PhD, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Institute of International Security, National Defense University (NDU) (Taiwan)
● Ying-Yu Lin, PhD, Assistant Professor, Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, Tamkang University (Taiwan)

2:30-2:45 pm Break

2:45-4:15 pm Panel III – “Diplomacy and Geopolitics: Is Armed Conflict Avoidable?”

Chairperson: Matthew Fehrs, PhD, Associate Professor of Political Science, Department of Political Science and Public Policy, St. Mary’s College of Maryland
Panelists:
● Harrison Prétat, Deputy Director and Fellow, Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, Center for Strategic and International Studies
● Yeh-Chung Lu, PhD, Professor and Vice Dean, College of International Affairs,National Chengchi University; Vice President of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (Taiwan)
● Yun Wang, PhD, Associate Professor, College of International Affairs, National Chengchi University (Taiwan)

4:15-4:30 pm Closing Remarks- Hal Brands, PhD, Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies

4:30-5:00 pm Reception in Aldom Lounge, Campus Center

Speaker Bios

Hal Brands: https://sais.jhu.edu/users/hbrands2
Brent Sadler: https://www.heritage.org/staff/brent-sadler
NEWS: The White House has chosen retired submariner Brent Sadler to lead the U.S. Maritime Administration, according to a Congressional notification.
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Technology – which oversees the Department of Transportation – received Sadler’s nomination on Monday. The Maritime Administration sits under the Department of Transportation, which falls under the oversight purview of the Senate Commerce Committee.
Link: https://news.usni.org/2025/03/25/white-house-taps-naval-analyst-brent-sadler-to-lead-marad?utm_campaign=dfn-ebb&utm_medium=email&utm_source=sailthru
Harrison Prétat: https://www.csis.org/people/harrison-pretat
Matthew Fehrs: https://inside.smcm.edu/directory/matthew-fehrs
David G. Brown: https://paxpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/DGBBioTaiwan.doc
Steven Wills: https://paxpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Dr.-Steven-Wills-Bio.pdf
Chien-wu Alex Hsueh is a professor in the Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies at National Chengchi University in Taiwan. He earned his Ph.D. degree from the Department of Political Science at the University of South Carolina in 2015. His expertise lies in international relations, international political economy, and quantitative research design. Currently, he is dedicated to studying China’s influence and the responses of other states. His work can be found in International Relations of the Asia-Pacific and many Taiwanese journals such as Issues & Studies, Taiwanese Political Science Review, and Taiwan Democracy Quarterly.
Shuh-Fan Ding is a Professor Emeritus in the College of International Affairs at National Chengchi University (NCCU) in Taiwan, holding a PhD and known for his expertise in international relations and related fields. Affiliation: College of International Affairs, National Chengchi University (NCCU). Location: Taiwan. Degree: PhD. NCCU: NCCU is a prominent public research university in Taiwan, known for training public servants and offering a wide range of colleges and research centers. USA/University of Notre Dame Political Science, Ph.D
Hon-Min Yau is an Associate Professor and Director of the Graduate Institute of International Security at the National Defense University (NDU) in Taiwan, holding a PhD from Aberystwyth University’s Department of International Politics. Position: Associate Professor and Director of the Graduate Institute of International Security. Institution: National Defense University (NDU) in Taiwan. Education: PhD from the Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth University Research Interests: His research focuses on East Asian cyber strategy, cyber deterrence, and cooperation.
Dr. Ying Yu Lin is an Assistant Professor at Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies Tamkang University in New Taipei City, Taiwan and a Research Fellow at Association of Strategic Foresight. He received his Ph.D in the Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, Tamkang University. His research interests include PLA studies and Cyber security.
Yeh-Chung Lu is assistant professor of the Department of Diplomacy in National Cheng-chi University (NCCU), Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. Dr. Lu focuses on US-China relations, and American and Chinese foreign policy. His research interests include IR theory, international security issues, international institutions, globalization, and nationalism. His publications appeared in scholarly journals as Wenti yu Yanjiu, Journal of Contemporary China, New Asia, and edited books. In addition to teaching and research, Dr. Lu provides his views to several ministries in Taiwan from time to time, including Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defense, and the Mainland Affairs Council, etc. Dr. Lu is now in charge of a project commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council. His opinions also appear on public media at home and abroad. Dr. Lu received his doctoral degree in Political Science from George Washington University, Washington, DC, U.S.A., and B.A. and M.A. in diplomacy from NCCU in Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Yun Wang, PhD, Associate Professor, College of International Affairs, National Chengchi University (Taiwan), Joint Associate Research Fellow at The Institute of International Relations His expertise lies in International relations, cross-strait relations, human rights, religious freedom, transnational social movement. He earned his PH.D. at the University of California.

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