Rebecca Skoryanc, Author at WestExec Advisors

WestExec Welcomes Admiral Bill Moran, USN (Ret.) and Rachel Ellehuus

Washington, DC – WestExec Advisors is pleased to announce Admiral William "Bill" Moran, USN (Ret.) has joined its distinguished team of principals. ADM Moran is the former Vice Chief of Naval Operations and the former Chief of Naval Personnel. He recently retired, culminating 38 years of service as the U.S. Navy's second-highest ranking officer. In his last role in the Navy, ADM Moran led many important budget initiatives and contributed on all key operational decisions. He was responsible for guiding an [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-03-04T10:50:41-05:00February 18, 2020|Press Releases|

Vikram Singh interviewed on NPR’s All Things Considered

"NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Vikram Singh, former deputy special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and a former defense negotiator. They discuss the U.S. and Taliban's ceasefire deal..." Read the full transcript here: Full Transcript

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:37:58-05:00February 18, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense, Geopolitical Perspectives|

Michèle Flournoy featured on USIP panel, “Ending Our Endless War in Afghanistan”

"After over a year of intensive talks, press reports indicate that an official agreement between the U.S. and Taliban is imminent. The agreement reportedly begins with an immediate reduction in violence by all sides, followed by the signing of a U.S.-Taliban agreement. This would lead to intra-Afghan peace negotiations, accompanied by a gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops. Implementing and verifying each step in this process will require meticulous diplomacy, but this reported agreement could mark a major turning point in the [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:36:29-05:00February 18, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Julie Smith writes in War on the Rocks: “Germany’s 5G Debate Ought Not Be A Referendum on Donald Trump”

"Chancellor Angela Merkel can’t seem to make up her mind. For months, her administration, the Germany Parliament, and outside experts have been debating whether to rely on high-risk vendors for the construction of the country’s 5G telecommunications networks. Unfortunately, this important debate keeps getting sidetracked. Because the Trump administration is using another one of its ill-conceived “maximum pressure” campaigns to persuade Germany to ban Huawei, this debate has morphed into a black and white choice between the United States and China. [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:35:21-05:00February 16, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Celeste Wallander quoted in The Washington Post article, “At Munich Security Conference, an Atlantic Divide: U.S. Boasting and European Unease”

“'The first year I was here, the Europeans all said, "It’s fine, because all the adults are in the room,”' said Celeste Wallander, who was on President Barack Obama’s National Security Council. 'The second year, it was, "Tell us this is as bad as it’s going to get." The third year, it was like, "Oh my God, this is awful. What do we do," and this year they’ve all normalized it...'" Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:47:45-05:00February 15, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Lisa Monaco writes in Just Security: “The Soul of the Justice Department: Who Must Stand Up For It Now”

"Over the course of 20 years in public service, including 15 at the Department of Justice, I had the opportunity to work under some great Justice Department leaders, including Janet Reno and Bob Mueller. I couldn’t have picked two people from more different backgrounds or life experiences to serve as mentors for a career in the Department. But each in their own way shaped me as a lawyer, as a prosecutor, as a public servant, and as a person. Many of [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:34:22-05:00February 14, 2020|News|

Lisa Monaco quoted in the Financial Times article, “U.S. Attorney-General Called to Testify on Interference Claims”

"'A good prosecutor withdraws from a case when they can't in good conscience continue to participate. That's how serious it is,' said Lisa Monaco, a partner at O'Melveny who was a senior justice department official in the Obama administration..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-04-07T17:31:16-04:00February 12, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Mike Singh testifies before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs: “The Middle East Peace Process: An Analysis from Former U.S. Negotiators”

"Historically, the strategic foundation for U.S. involvement in the peace process has been twofold. First, the peace process was a way for the United States to manage seemingly contradictory partnerships with Israel and the Arab states, few of which recognized Israel and several of which had waged war repeatedly against the Jewish state. As Egypt and Jordan relinquished their own claims to the West Bank and Gaza beginning in the 1970s, the Arab world largely threw its support behind the Palestinian [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:26:12-05:00February 12, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense, Geopolitical Perspectives|

Julie Smith quoted in The New York Times article, “Merkel Succession Crisis in Germany Leaves Europe Leaderless, Too”

"Ms. Merkel will simply not take risks even when they are necessary, said Julianne Smith, a former Obama official now with the German Marshall Fund in Washington. 'It’s the worst of all worlds — we need Merkel to lead and sadly it’s not happening,' she said..." Read the full article here: Full Article

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:28:32-05:00February 11, 2020|Geopolitical Perspectives|

Nick Rasmussen quoted in The New York Times article, “Killing of Terrorist Leader in Yemen Is Latest Blow to Qaeda Affiliate”

“'AQAP [Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula] remains a significant, lingering concern, in part because the group was so fixated on aviation as a target, and the kind of bomb-making expertise that the group developed was unlikely to have been contained to just a few select individuals,' said Nicholas J. Rasmussen, a former director of the National Counterterrorism Center. “'That kind of knowledge and expertise is of course shareable and transferable — not just within AQAP but beyond to other Al [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-02-24T15:27:21-05:00February 10, 2020|Cybersecurity & Defense|

About Rebecca Skoryanc