Please join us on the UCSB campus on Saturday March 9 for our annual pi day lecture on science and policy. This year we have the privilege of hosting Colonel Francisco Leija of the United States Army. Colonel Leija will discuss technology modernization in the United States military, the associated implications for the Department of Defense and university research and defense policy. This will be presented through the prism of the newest Army Futures Command, the newest Army command and his personal journey in the military. Kindly use the form at the end of this page to make your reservation for this event. As is customary, free pies and refreshments will be served to all attendees.
Speaker: Colonel Francisco Leija, United States Army Futures Command
Title: Technology Modernization in the United States Military
Date: Saturday, March 9, 2019
Time: 3:00 PM
Place: Engineering Science Building (ESB) Room 1001, UCSB (Google Map)
Parking: $4 in lot 10, next to ESB
Cost: Free
Colonel Francisco J. Leija is currently a senior advisor to the Deputy Commanding General of the newest Army four-star command: Army Futures Command in Austin, Texas. He currently is developing the command’s University Technology Development Division. Previous stints include serving as a White House Fellow at the Department of Homeland Security, serving as a Special Advisor to the Secretary on immigration and border security matters in the DHS, and serving as an Assistant Professor at West Point. His last combat service, from 2010 to 2012, was in the storied 10th Mountain and 82nd Airborne Divisions. In this capacity, he directed a planning cell for a 30,000 member force, a Department of State cell, and 23 separate stabilization & development initiatives for the district of Zharay in the Kandahar province. Francisco is a native of California. He joined the Army as a private, with only a high school degree, in 1993. He has remained on active duty for over 27 years. He is fluent in Spanish and received his M.A. from Norwich University, M.M.A.S. from the School of Advanced Military Studies, and a B.A. from Kansas State University.