Last week, Jack Rhodes (’24) participated in this year’s Student Conference on U.S. Affairs (SCUSA 74) hosted by the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Jack shared a few thoughts on the experience:
This past week, I had the absolute pleasure of attending the 74th Student Conference on U.S. Affairs at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Over the four-day conference, I worked with students from 92 universities and 14 countries, engaging this year’s conference theme of “Innovation and the Future of American Foreign Policy.”
We worked closely with cadets at West Point as we developed lasting civil-military relationships with many individuals who will serve as our future leaders in government, military, and the private sector. Moreover, we enjoyed the keynote speech by the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and former Secretary of State John Kerry on the implications of climate change.
My roundtable focused on the threat and promise of innovative technologies. I was especially pleased to present our policy recommendations for keeping America at the forefront of emerging technologies. These included safeguarding from risks such as foreign cyber threats and the spread of disinformation, as well as promoting the potential benefits of technologies like humanitarian approaches to artificial intelligence.
This experience was an incredible synthesis of my knowledge from coursework, internships, and independent research. I would especially like to thank the Duke Program in American Grand Strategy for making my trip possible!
