On April 5, 2006 General Shalikashvili's family, colleagues, and friends joined NBR in honoring his leadership and celebrating the launch of the endowed Chair in National Security Studies with a gala dinner at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, DC. The evening's events were preceded by a private forum on NBR's Strategic Asia Program, which General Shalikashvili helped develop and to which he continues to contribute in his capacity as a Senior Advisor.

NBR's Strategic Asia Program is a major ongoing research initiative that draws together leading Asia studies specialists and international relations experts to assess the changing strategic environment in the Asia-Pacific. The Program transcends traditional estimates of military balance by incorporating economic, political, and demographic data and by focusing on the strategies and perceptions that drive policy in the region.

The purposes of the Strategic Asia Forum were to:

• Recognize the contributions General Shalikashvili has made in advising and shaping NBR's Strategic Asia Program;
• Provide a substantive component to the gala events honoring the announcement of the John M. Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies; and
• Through discussion among senior policymakers and leading Asia scholars, determine emerging strategic challenges and opportunities for the United States in Asia over the next five to ten years, and thus help shape the program's research agenda.

The Forum was attended by 80 guests in addition to the panelists. It was an off-the-record event with non-attribution rules in force.

In the evening, National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley joined former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and other notable guests to honor General Shalikashvili and his legacy. Program materials from the evening can be found by following the links below:

• Gala Program
• Tribute Journal
• Addendum