In the News

After more than a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, a new generation of veterans is serving in Congress. The legislative branch currently includes at least 22 veterans of those conflicts, a new high even as the total number of military veterans in Congress declines.

On Wednesday night, Checkpoint will moderate a discussion in Washington with some of them. “Boots on the Ground: The Role of Veterans in Government” will include Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.); Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.); Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii); Army Col. Patrick Mahaney Jr., a Special Forces officer; and Michael D. Lumpkin, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict.

The panel, held at New York University’s Constance Milstein and Family Global Academic Center in Washington, will address the roles that veterans in office play in shaping national security policy, the way in which new military technologies are affecting policy and how regular veterans can take an active role in electoral politics.