Retired U.S. Army Gen. Wesley K. Clark will deliver a talk on U.S. national security at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, October 22, in the Sutliff Auditorium of the Lewis Katz Building on Penn State’s University Park campus.

The event is free and open to the public, however, advanced registration is requested.

Wesley K. Clark retired as a four-star general after 38 years in the Army, having served in his last assignments as commander of U.S. Southern Command and then as commander of the U.S. European Command/NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe.

He is currently CEO of America United, a nonpartisan 501c(3) organization, focused on promoting greater common ground in the United States by reducing partisan division and revitalizing public and political discourse through civics, citizenship, and civility.

Clark graduated first in his class at West Point and earned degrees in philosophy, politics, and economics at Oxford University (B.A. and M.A.) as a Rhodes Scholar. While serving in Vietnam, Clark commanded an infantry company in combat, where he was severely wounded and evacuated home on a stretcher. He later commanded at the battalion, brigade, and division level, and served in a number of significant staff positions, including service as the director, strategic plans and policy (J-5). He was the principal author of both the U.S. National Military Strategy and Joint Vision 2010, prescribing U.S. warfighting for full-spectrum dominance. He also worked with Ambassador Richard Holbrooke in the Dayton Peace Process, where he helped write and negotiate significant portions of the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement. In his final assignment as NATO’s supreme commander in Europe, he led NATO forces to victory in Operation Allied Force, a 78-day air campaign, backed by ground invasion planning and a diplomatic process, saving 1.5 million Albanians from ethnic cleansing.

Clark’s awards include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Defense Distinguished Service Medal (five awards), Silver Star Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, honorary knighthoods from the British and Dutch governments, and numerous other awards from other governments, including the award of Commander of the Legion of Honor (France). He has also been awarded the Department of State Distinguished Service Award and numerous honorary doctorates and civilian honors.

Clark serves on numerous corporate boards including BNK Petroleum and Leagold Mining and is active in energy, including oil and gas, biofuels, electric power and batteries, finance, and security. During his business career he has served as an adviser, consultant, or board member for more than 90 private and publicly traded companies. In the not-for-profit space, he is a senior fellow at UCLA’s Burkle Center for International Relations, a trustee of International Crisis Group; a director of the Atlantic Council; and founding chair of City Year Little Rock/North Little Rock. A 2004 U.S. presidential candidate and best-selling author, Clark has written four books and is a frequent contributor on TV and to newspapers.