WASHINGTON — The new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, will make his first appearance before the news media at the Military Reporters & Editors conference at 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 18 in Arlington, Va.
Dempsey said he plans to outline his goals for the troops, and then will answer questions from the media. As chair, he serves as the top military adviser to the president and the secretary of defense; previously, he has served as deputy commander and acting commander of U.S. Central Command as well as chief of staff of the Army.
The Military Reporters and Editors’ conference on Nov. 18 will be held at The Air Force Association‘s offices, 1501 Lee Highway in Arlington, Va.
The events will include a discussion of new technology from the military’s chief scientists, story ideas for the future as the drawdowns continue in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a session about the future of the military without Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
After a year of very different battlegrounds, as well as several dangerous situations for journalists, the conference will also include how to cover war in the new world, as well as s session addressing journalists’ mental health as they continue to witness, write about and photograph war trauma.
On Nov. 17, a pre-conference session will feature a defense-specific computer-assisted reporting session from 1-5 p.m., followed by a Thursday-night happy hour with a military book agent and several authors who will talk about how to make a proposal into a deal. Both of the Thursday events will be held at Medill News Service, 1325 G St. NW, Washington, and co-sponsored by the Medill National Security Journalism Initiative.
The conference will close with the annual War Correspondents Dinner at 8 p.m. Nov. 18. at the Old Ebbitt Grill, 675 15th St. NW, Washington.
MRE is an association of reporters, editors, photographers, television news people, educators, retired journalists, college students and others who cover or are interested in national security and veterans issues.
The group exists to advance public understanding of the military, national security and homeland defense; to educate and share information with its members and the public on best practices, tools and techniques for such coverage; to represent the interests of working journalists to the government and military; and to assure that journalists have access to places where the U.S. military and its allies operate.
To register for the conference, go to http://militaryreporters.org.
