Announcements

The Peters Township Public Library will welcome senior military officers from the United States Army War College for a panel discussion on Tackling Global Threats: Challenges Facing National Security on Thursday, February 6 at 7:00 p.m. This program is hosted in partnership with the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh and offers the community the opportunity to meet with officials from the U.S. Army War College who will address various national security issues and the role the military plays in response.  Registration is requested for this program. Register online or call 724.941.9430 #1.

Featured speakers at the program:

• Moderator: Colonel Jonathan A. Shine, Assistant Professor of Strategy, Department of National Security and Strategy at U.S. Army War College
  
  COL Shine is currently an Assistant Professor of Strategy at the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, PA, where he teaches courses on strategy and national security policy. He is a graduate of Princeton University (BA in Political Economics) and Georgetown University (Masters in Public Policy Administration). His military education includes the Army’s Field Artillery Basic and Captains Career Courses, the Combined Arms Services Staff School, the U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College. COL Shine earned his commission in 1998 after graduating from Princeton University’s Army ROTC program. He has served in a variety of command and staff positions in the Republic of Korea, Fort Bragg, NC, Fort Stewart, GA, the Pentagon, Fort Bliss, TX, and Fort Irwin, CA. His combat deployments include three tours in Iraq (including the initial invasion of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003) and one deployment to Zabul Province, Afghanistan. Other career highlights include command of a Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Battery and a M109A6 Paladin Self-Propelled Howitzer Battalion. He participated in several exercises in Europe and Africa as a part of the U.S. Africa Command’s Regionally Aligned Force. From 2007-2009, COL Shine served as the Aide-de-Camp to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

• Colonel Joe Buccino, U.S. Army
  Topic: National Security Along Our Southwest Border
  
  Colonel Buccino is a native of Deer Park, New York. His civilian education includes a Master of Professional Studies from Georgetown University. He is currently a student at the U.S. Army War College researching a strategic project on the application of land forces in space-based warfare. Prior to his arrival at Carlisle Barracks, Colonel Buccino served as the Public Affairs Advisor to Deputy Secretary of Defense and then Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan in the Pentagon, where he conducted regular off-camera media briefings with the Pentagon Press Corps, organized media engagements for the Secretary of Defense, and assisted in speechwriting and congressional preparation.  Prior to his time at the Pentagon, he served as the Communications Director for the 82nd Airborne Division. He was the narrator and producer of “The All American Legacy” Podcast, which remains available on iTunes and tells the greatest stories from the Division’s first 100 years. Colonel Buccino is a published poet and fiction writer. His short stories have been published in Grain Magazine and Boulevard. In 2015, he performed his one-person one-act play “The Only Man Who Knew” over two nights at the Davis Performing Arts Center in Washington, D.C.

• Lieutenant Colonel Amanda B. Evans, U.S. Air Force
  Topic: The State Partnership Program – Promoting Enduring Security Relationships with Allies
  
  Lt Col Evans, a native of Salinas, CA, enlisted in the Air Force in 1995 as a financial services technician and was commissioned as a finance officer through Officer Training School in 2000. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Wayland Baptist University, an MBA in Financial Management from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from the Air University. Lt Col Evans has served in a variety of positions during her 24 years in the Air Force, including Financial Services Officer, Major Command Budget Analyst, J8 Deputy Director, and Commander. She is a Certified Defense Financial Manager and holds a Department of Defense Financial Management Level 3 Certification. Lt Col Evans was last assigned to the Pentagon as the Assistant Executive Officer for the Chief at the National Guard Bureau, where she was a trusted advisor and provided vital communication links between the Joint Chiefs, Joint Staff, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Prior to working at the Pentagon, she served as Financial Services Field Support Branch Chief at the National Guard Bureau (NGB/FM) where her team authored and disseminated policy and decision support for 90 wing comptrollers.  Lt Col Evans also possesses command experience as the 15th Comptroller Squadron Commander at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii and has served overseas in Germany, Croatia, Bosnia, South Korea, and Jordan. Lt Col Evans is currently a student at the U.S. Army War College, where she is conducting a strategic research project about empathetic military leadership and the positive impact heart-led leaders have on organizations.
  
  
  
  
  
• Lieutenant Colonel David E. Short, U.S. Army
  Topic: What is the Future of Warfare in Space?
  
  LTC Short, originally from East Bridgewater, Massachusetts, holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Stonehill College and a Master in Organizational Management and Leadership from Webster University. He is an Air Defense Artillery officer with over 20 years of service specializing in air and missile defense operations from the tactical through the strategic level with experience in global ballistic missile defense planning with the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system. LTC Short served as commanding officer of a Patriot missile battery at Fort Bliss, Texas, and Okinawa, Japan before his assignment to the United States Strategic Command at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado. He managed strategic assets of the anti-ballistic missile system and integration with space-based systems in coordination with the Missile Defense Agency, United States Northern and Pacific Commands. As an instructor at West Point, he assisted in the development of the Army’s resiliency program by developing training that emphasizes the optimization of human performance. He has deployed to the United States Central Command in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom to countries such as Kuwait and Iraq. He has served multiple tours overseas in Okinawa, Japan and the Republic of Korea. His most recent assignment included a deployment in support of Operations Spartan Shield and Inherent Resolve in the United Arab Emirates and Jordan as commander of 1st Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment. LTC Short is currently a student at the U.S. Army War College, where he is conducting strategic research on senior leader misconduct and the effects of willpower on decision making.

McMurray Veterans of Foreign Wars POST 764 generously provides financial support for the International Program Series which is part of the Pennsylvania Library Association PA Forward initiative. Libraries can give citizens of all ages the knowledge and skills they need to improve their lives, to contribute effectively in their communities, and to participate in civil discourse.