Colonel Peter Frank, German Army, Associate Military Professor, NPS Department of National Security Affairs, will be the guest speaker at the World Affairs Council of the Monterey Bay Area’s monthly luncheon on the topic “Does Europe Have a Future?”

The European Union (EU) is in many ways a remarkable political achievement. A supranational community with a population of more than half a billion, the EU 

has a combined GNP larger than that of the United States, considerable wealth, advanced industries, and significant military forces. Nevertheless, Europe is currently struggling with fundamental challenges, both old and new, which include ISIS terror, unparalleled migration, and a range of political, economic, and financial problems. Colonel Frank will discuss the root causes of Europe’s dilemmas today, the current situation there, and the steps European leaders are taking.

Colonel Frank’s research interests include international relations, crisis management,

NATO and the European Union, and European security and defense policy. He joined the NPS faculty in October 2014. He has held a variety of national and international leadership and staff positions at the tactical, operational, and national ministerial level and in NATO operations as well. He received an M.A. in Business and Administration from the Bundeswehr University, Neubiberg and is a graduate of the German Armed Forces General Staff Course, Hamburg. Colonel Frank received an M.A. in National Security Affairs from NPS in 2003.

The talk will be from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Rancho Cañada Golf Club on Carmel Valley Road in Carmel. If you would like just to listen to the lecture (audit), there is no charge, and no reservations are required.  Auditors should be seated by 12:40 p.m.  Lunch will be served before the talk begins. The entree is chicken cordon bleu, and there is a vegetarian option. If you would like to have lunch at noon, the cost is $25 per person for World Affairs Council members and NPS students (a special rate for students) and $35 for others.  For lunch reservations, please fill out the attached reservation form and send it in by the deadline of Monday, January 18.

In addition, the World Affairs Council has monthly discussions that are free and open to the public.  The topic for January is “What to Do about ISIS.” On Monday, January 11, the discussion will be at Monterey Peninsula College, Room 101, Social Science Bldg., at 4 p.m.  That topic and others also will be discussed on Monday, January 25, at the OLLI Office at CSUMB, 6^th Avenue and Inter-Garrison Road, at 2 p.m. and again at 4 p.m.  

If you have questions or would like more information, please either send me a note or see the World Affairs Council website: http://www.wacmb.org/WACMB/Upcoming-WACMB-Programs.html.