Soft Power Mechanisms for National Security

National security does not involve only military forces. Throughout the years, soft power has become an increasingly useful tool for ensuring national security, via civilian-focused work such as diplomacy, humanitarian aid, and cultural touches. Is soft power effective? How can it be best deployed to ensure national security without resorting to military tactics? Join Perry World House for a conversation on the soft power mechanisms of national security.

Colonel Jody Daigle has served in the U.S. Army for over 22 years. A 2002 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he held numerous Infantry and Special Forces roles, with six combat deployments to Iraq and the Southern Philippines. His career additionally focused on the Indo-Pacific region, strengthening military capabilities through international partnerships and serving in diplomatic roles at U.S. embassies in India, China, and the Philippines. Colonel Daigle holds master’s degrees from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, specializing in strategy, leadership, and international relations.

Stephanie Garvey is a US diplomat with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). She has served in multiple countries overseas, including Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Ghana, Mali, and Cambodia, working on both bilateral and regional programming. She is a technical specialist in the areas of democracy, good governance and peacebuilding and has worked extensively on programming related to human rights, rule of law, elections, civil society, and countering violent extremism. Ms. Garvey holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and English from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She served in the Peace Corps in Namibia.

Lieutenant Colonel Lee Turcotte is an Air Force civil engineer and explosive ordnance disposal officer with 20 years of service. He has deployed eight times, including four tours in Afghanistan, where he served on a provincial reconstruction team and led bomb squads to render safe roadside bombs. In Germany, he managed NATO infrastructure investment; at the Pentagon, he oversaw the Air Force’s European and nuclear-related construction portfolios. His most recent assignment was the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, where he assessed risk to strategic military capabilities, including the nuclear enterprise. He has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in international relations.

Michael C. Horowitz is Director of Perry World House and Richard Perry Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also Senior Fellow in Innovation and Technology at the Council on Foreign Relations. From 2022 to 2024, Professor Horowitz served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Development and Emerging Capabilities. He is the author of The Diffusion of Military Power: Causes and Consequences for International Politics, and the co-author of Why Leaders Fight. He won the Karl Deutsch Award given by the International Studies Association for early career contributions to the fields of international relations and peace research. He has published in a wide array of peer reviewed journals and popular outlets. His research interests include the intersection of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics with global politics, military innovation, the role of leaders in international politics, and geopolitical forecasting methodology. Professor Horowitz worked for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy as a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow. He is a life member at the Council on Foreign Relations. Professor Horowitz received his Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University and his B.A. in political science from Emory University.

Event Venue

Perry World House, 3803 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, United States