Front & Center with John Callaway: First Line of Defense?

John Callaway and his guests explore the First Line of Defense and the Expanding Role of the Citizen Soldier.

Major General David Harris retired as The Adjutant General for the State of Illinois in June of 2003. As The Adjutant General, he was the Commanding General of both the Illinois Army and Air National Guard, responsible for the daily operations of the Illinois National Guard and oversaw approximately 13,500 men and women in uniform. He served on the governor's cabinet and was the governor's principal military advisor. General Harris served in uniform for 33 years, 23 of which were spent with the Illinois National Guard. Before his appointment as The Adjutant General, Harris was the Senior Vice President at the Illinois Hospital Association (IHA). Prior to joining IHA, he served 10 years as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives. Harris is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. (B.A.) and was commissioned an officer upon completion of Infantry Officer Candidate School at Ft. Benning, GA. His professional military education includes the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff College in residence, Military Police Officer courses, and training and leadership seminars at the U.S. Army War College.

Richard Todas is a Colonel in the Illinois National Guard and has served more than 31 years in the military, 27 years as a commissioned officer. At the time of this recording, he was assigned to the Illinois Joint Staff Headquarters. His military service includes active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam and Cuba preceding his enlistment in the U.S. Army National Guard and commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in 1975. Todas was Commander of the 66th Infantry Brigade, which was mobilized in January of 2002 for force protection and installation security in Europe in the wake of 9/11. In civilian life, Colonel Todas is Chief of Staff for the Mayor of Aurora, IL. He is an honors graduate of the University of Illinois and earned his J.D. at John Marshall Law School. He was previously a police officer, Division Chief of the Assistant State's Attorney's office in Kane County, and in private law practice.

John Allen ("Jay") Williams is Professor of Political Science at Loyola University Chicago, with degrees from Grinnell College (B.A.) and the University of Pennsylvania (M.A. and Ph.D.). His writings include works on military strategy, military forces and missions, catastrophic terrorism, defense organization, civil-military relations, military culture, military professionalism and leadership, personnel issues, professional military education, and strategic policy. Williams' latest academic book is U.S. National Security: Policymakers, Processes, and Politics (with Sam C. Sarkesian and Stephen J. Cimbala). Dr. Williams is Chair/President and a Fellow of the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society (IUS), and is a former Executive Director. He serves as Chair of the Academic Advisory Council, National Strategy Forum. Williams retired as a Captain in the U.S. Naval Reserve with 30 years of commissioned service. As a designated Strategic Plans Officer, he performed active and reserve duty aboard USS Columbus (CG-12), U.S. Naval Academy, the Chief of Naval Operations (Strategic Concepts Branch), the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Strategy Branch), the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Assistant Principal Deputy Undersecretary for Strategy and Resources), the Naval War College, and the Commander, Second Fleet.