Wallace Delivers Talk at Military Conference
James C. Wallace, Lecturer in International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, was a keynote speaker at Religion Matters, a U.S. military conference on religion as a factor for analysis in ongoing operations
The conference, which was hosted by Admiral Kurt Tidd and Major General Michael Plehn and co-sponsored by the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, was attended by 40 senior representatives from all branches of the military and held at U.S. Southern Command in Doral, Florida.
Wallace’s talk, entitled “The Gordian Knot — The Constitution, The Chaplaincy and 21st Century Warfare,” addressed the U.S. Constitution and the First Amendment’s restrictions on religious activity as it applies to the military and the growing role of “religious advisement” in battlefield operations in countries where culture and religion play a significant social role.
According to Wallace, religious advisement is increasingly a key issue for all of the ABCA militaries (America, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand), all of which have current initiatives directed at addressing religion in conflict and battle zones.
The conference concluded with a panel including Wallace on Al-Hikmat TV, the leading Muslim channel in the Miami area.