The Baltic Sea remains one of the most complex regions that the U.S. and NATO are obligated to defend, with Russia posing the only substantial threat to peace and stability. The impact of Russia’s growing presence in Belarus, the evolving global pandemic, the outcome of U.S. elections, and NATO’s ongoing period of reflection will cause ripples for Baltic Security. Finland, Sweden, and the U.S. share a focus on the security and stability of the Baltic Sea region. Already close partners, Sweden and Finland have sought ways to strengthen the security relationship with the U.S., including signing a Trilateral Agreement in May 2018.

Finland and Sweden have recently signaled significant increases in defense investment and continue to cooperate closely with NATO as “enhanced opportunity partners.” Join us for a discussion on Finland and Sweden’s ongoing role in Baltic Sea security, what the new defense investments are and what they mean, and why partnership with the U.S. and NATO should continue to be strengthened.

Imagine American life without private property rights and a free market system, the foundation that men and women, since the nation’s birth, developed and preserved. Plymouth’s first colonial settlement rejected communal property and successfully implemented the idea of individual property rights by promoting individual initiative and prosperity within the community. Today the assault on private property rights and the creep of socialism continue to challenge free-market principles. Join the discussion and trace the origins of free-market principles from Plymouth’s economic structures to today’s free-market economy and discover the influence on modern-day property rights and economic liberty.

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The 2020 Antipoverty Forum will highlight people and policies reconnecting communities to overcome poverty and social challenges.

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Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and in the face of a rising China, the U.S.-Taiwan partnership is more important than ever. Taiwan is an important partner in the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy and a strong democracy with shared values. For years, The Heritage Foundation has called for the U.S. forging an ever-closer partnership with Taiwan, from advocating for a free trade agreement to actively supporting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations. Join us as we discuss how to build upon the U.S.-Taiwan partnership and the role it plays.

Does school choice treat children as widgets? Does it hurt children with special needs? Does school choice have racist origins? Does it siphon money from public schools and balkanize Americans? In School Choice Myths: Setting the Record Straight on Education Freedom, a new book edited by Corey DeAngelis (Reason Foundation) and Neal McCluskey (Cato Institute), 14 of the nation’s top education policy scholars dispel these and other misconceptions. Join us to hear from several of the book’s contributors, and to equip yourself with the information you need to shatter falsehoods standing in the way of education choice and freedom.

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It has been an unprecedented election season, including a global pandemic, widespread civil unrest, and the increasing polarization of the country. Americans have a lot to contemplate as they go to the ballot box. But once the people have spoken…it’s time to analyze the results.

Join our all-star panel for unique insights on how the results could translate into policy and action. There will be no shortage of colorful commentary, as our panelists discuss the political implications in the aftermath of what promises to be an historic election. What do the results mean for our constitutional republic? Will there be changes to our foreign policy? How will the results affect the economy and jobs? What are the ramifications for the Supreme Court? We will explore all of these questions and more!

Operation Warp Speed (OWS) is an unprecedented public-private partnership to produce and deliver 300 million doses of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine by January 2021. Thus far nearly $10 billion has been directed by Congress to this effort which carries the promise of an early end to the pandemic and the resumption by Americans of their normal lives. The two main government partners within OWS are the Health and Human Services and Defense Departments. The Department of Defense is providing key assistance and capabilities including assistance with logistics, contracting and supply chain management. Something else DOD is providing is leadership.

In May 2020 Army General Gus Perna was weeks away from concluding a 39 year military career when President Donald Trump called upon him to serve as the Chief Operating Officer for OWS. Confirmed by the Senate on July 2, General Perna with Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the Chief Scientific Advisor, now helps lead this historic undertaking which has been compared to the country’s WWII Manhattan Project.

From building the border wall to rescinding the unconstitutional DACA program to stopping illegal immigrant caravans from Central America, the Trump Administration has made a dizzying number of border security and immigration changes. Border security and immigration are regularly among the top issues that Americans care about because they affect so many aspects of our lives – the economy, crime, public health, education, culture, and more.

The meaningful progress of the Trump Administration is opposed by the radical left who seek to undo these changes and impose an open borders immigration policy, along with amnesty for millions of illegal aliens already in the United States. The Trump Administration made these changes in the face of stiff and coordinated opposition via lawsuits and judicial activism, congressional inaction, and state and local sanctuary jurisdictions. This opposition has real consequences, including heartbreaking drug overdoses and violent gang activity in the United States from the deadly drugs and MS-13 gang members crossing our border. In 2020, COVID-19 further complicated America’s border and immigration issues, leading to travel restrictions, employment visa and foreign student policy changes to protect public health and prioritize Americans getting back to work. America will continue to experience dynamic immigration issues when countries recover from COVID-19 and have to address their struggling economies.

In some respects, 2020 has been a disappointing year for the Second Amendment. The Supreme Court continued its decade-long silence on this important constitutional right, and gun control legislation remains a potent rallying cry for many local, state, and national lawmakers. And yet, 2020 is nevertheless poised to be a year of Second Amendment resurgence. Nationwide protests, violent crime spikes in major cities, and calls to defund or abolish police departments have led to record-breaking numbers of gun sales. Nearly 40% of new sales during the first half of the year were by first-time buyers, with an estimated 2.5 million Americans joining the ranks of gun owners between January and June.

Who are these new gun owners? What motivates them? What obstacles do they face in the exercise of their Second Amendment rights? How might this unprecedented spike in first-time gun owners affect the national conversation about the right to keep and bear arms? Join our important conversation about the changing landscape of gun ownership in America and what this means for the larger debate on gun control.

Several months ago, the first reports of a deadly virus in Wuhan began to surface. As the global health community sought answers, the Chinese Communist Party hid behind a Great Wall of Secrecy. Now, as the Chinese government pursues a doubling of their nuclear arsenal, they’re hiding behind the same wall. What are China’s true nuclear ambitions? How must the U.S.—and the world—respond?

The Heritage Foundation is pleased to host Ambassador Marshall Billingslea, Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control, to discuss all this and more.