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General Jack Keane    

Retired Four-Star General and Former Vice Chief of Staff of the US Army

General Jack Keane is a foreign policy and national security expert who provides nationwide analysis and commentary in speeches, articles, congressional testimony and through several hundred television and radio interviews annually. He serves as an advisor to presidents, cabinet officials, members of congress, international leaders, CEOs and business leaders. He is the Chairman of the Institute for the Study of War, a member of the prestigious Secretary of Defense Policy Board, having advised four Defense Secretaries and a member of the 2018 and 2022 Congressional Commission on the National Defense Strategy.

General Keane, a four-star general, completed 37 years of public service in December 2003, culminating in his appointment as acting Chief of Staff and Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. As the chief operating officer of the Army for over 4 years, he directed 1.5 million soldiers and civilians in 120 countries, with an annual operating budget of 110 billion dollars. General Keane was in the Pentagon on 9/11 and provided oversight and support for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In late 2006 President Bush invited General Keane to the Oval Office among others to discuss Iraq. Alone among them, General Keane brought the president a concrete strategic concept, later to be known as the troop "surge" which he helped develop, to change American strategy for the war and improve its execution. During the surge period General Keane conducted frequent trips to Iraq and Afghanistan for senior defense officials. General Keane is a career infantry paratrooper, a combat veteran of the Vietnam War decorated for valor, who spent much of his military life in operational commands, including command of the famed 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and the legendary 18th Airborne Corps, the Army’s largest warfighting organization.

General Keane is the son of an immigrant mother, a WWII Marine father, a born and raised New Yorker and lifelong NY Yankee fan. He was commissioned an infantry 2nd Lieutenant from Army ROTC as a Distinguished Military Graduate at Fordham University receiving a Bachelor of Science degree and received a Master of Arts degree from Western Kentucky University. He is a graduate of the Army War College and the Army Command and General Staff College.

Speech Topics


Transformation Management and Mismanagement of Change in a Large Complex Organization

Having managed the transformation of the US Army, General Jack Keane is an expert in change management. Keane talks about the problems, challenges, failures, and successes associated with transforming large organizations, emphasizing the management tools necessary to accomplish great things.

Living A Life Among Heroes: What I have Learned from Ordinary Soldiers Who Do Extraordinary Things

In this lecture, four-star General Jack Keane focuses on ordinary soldiers and their unspoken code of honor. Paying tribute to their willingness to make sacrifices for their country, and their devotion to a cause, he explains the commitment involved in being a solider, and how we can all honor those who are devoted to the greater good.

Leading Your Organization to Excellence

In this speech, keynote speaker General Jack Keane discusses the difference between authority and leadership, and how to utilize that difference to command respect and bring success to your organization.

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