Plenary Session 7 - Homeland Defense & Security: Reframing Our Concepts

Lieutenant General A.C. Roper is the Deputy Commander, U.S. Northern Command, and Vice Commander, U.S. Element, North American Aerospace Defense Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. As Deputy Commander, Lieutenant General Roper assists the Combatant Commander in anticipating, preparing for and responding to threats against North America and within Northern Command’s assigned area of responsibility. Additionally, he provides oversight of U.S. Northern Command’s mission to provide Defense Support of Civil Authorities.

Lieutenant General Roper's other general officer level assignments include duties as Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve Command, Fort Bragg, NC, and Deputy Chief, Army Reserve, Office of the Chief of Army Reserve, headquartered at the Pentagon, Washington, DC. Prior to this assignment he commanded the 76th Operational Response Command in Salt Lake City, UT which was the USAR's all hazard response command. He also served as Commanding General – 80th Training Command (OPCON to TRADOC), Acting Deputy Commanding General - CBRN, 335th Signal Command and Commander of the 415th CBRN Brigade where he was dual-hatted as the Task Force Operations Commander, JTF-51, ARNORTH for the C2CRE-A homeland response mission. Lieutenant General Roper deployed to Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield and to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He also supported Joint Task Force Andrew relief operations in Southern Florida.

Lieutenant General Roper was commissioned in 1983 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His military education includes the Chemical Officer Basic and Advance Courses (Honor Graduate of both), Public Affairs Officers Course, Equal Opportunity Advisors Course (Commandant's Award), Inspector General Course, Combined Arms Staff Services School, Command and General Staff College (Commandant's List), the US Army War College, the Joint Senior Reserve Component Officer Course, the Defense Support to Civil Authorities (DSCA) Course, the National Defense University's CAPSTONE Course, the NORTHCOM Joint Task Force Commanders Course and Harvard University’s National & International Security Seminar. He earned a Master of Science from the University of Alabama and a Master in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College.

Lieutenant General Roper's awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Combat Action Badge, and various other awards. He also served as a principal member of the Secretary of the Army’s Army Reserve Forces Policy Committee and the Secretary of Defense’s Reserve Forces Policy Board. In his civilian capacity, Lieutenant General Roper has over 33 years of law enforcement experience culminating with his 10 year tenure as the Chief ofPolice of the Birmingham Police Department. He is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)National Academy, the FBI National Executive Institute, and also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice. He specialized in protecting critical infrastructure and served on the Executive Board of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. He and Edith, his wife of 37 years, are the proud parents of two adult daughters.

Catherine Herridge is an award-winning senior investigative correspondent for CBS News covering national security and intelligence. She joined CBS News in November 2019 and has conducted interviews with newsmakers like President Donald Trump, then U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr, then acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, and then Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe. Herridge has also contributed impactful reporting to various CBS News broadcasts and platforms, including major investigations into corruption among the highly-trained Navy SEALs and the toxic exposure of U.S. veterans after 9/11. Herridge has previouslv reported on some of the most impactful national and international security stories of our time, including the g/11 terrorist attacks from New York City, the military trials for the alleged suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report, and the House impeachment proceedings. Herridge has also reported from Afghanistan, Iraq, Oatar, Israel, Northern Ireland, Russia, as well as the former Yugoslavia.

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