About the event: The Stanford Indo-Pacific Policy Lab (IPPL) at the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) invites the Stanford community to join us for the first event in the Principals Series: Conversations with National Security Leaders. Dr. Oriana Skylar Mastro, Director of the IPPL, will facilitate a discussion with the Deputy Commander of US PACOM, Lieutenant General George B. Rowell, USMC, followed by a moderated Q&A session. Topics will include Chinese coercion in the South China Sea, industrial base integration, and the future of U.S. partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. At a critical period of great power competition, IPPL bridges the gap between leaders in policy and national security by creating space for informed dialogue among scholars, students, and principals. Please join us on Monday, October 12th, 2026 from 12:15-1:30 PM. This session will be under the Chatham House Rule. Lunch will be provided.

About the speaker: Lieutenant General Rowell became the Deputy Commander for US PACOM on 14 May 2026, after serving as the command's J5 Director of Strategic Planning and Policy. He graduated with honors from the United States Naval Academy in 1992 and was designated an F/A-18 pilot. He commanded Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 533, which earned the MCAA Hanson Award as Fighter Attack Squadron of the Year, and Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron One, which received the MCAA Commandant's Aviation Award. As a general officer, he served as Director of Communications at Headquarters Marine Corps, Assistant Wing Commander of 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, and Deputy Commander, United States Forces Japan. In March 2026, Japan awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, for strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance. A TOPGUN and Army War College graduate, he has logged over 3,500 flight hours, more than 3,000 in the F/A-18.

 All CISAC events are scheduled using the Pacific Time Zone.

No filming or recording without express permission from speaker.