I had the distinct honor and pleasure last week of attending and invitiation-only "Around the Campfire" session in Cody, Wyoming" on the "The Future of U.S. Special Forces."
Other than that the SF guys are some of the brightest in the military, and that they take their mission incredibly seriously, and are always trying to improve, I can't say anything about the content of the sessions.
But the format and the setting were both extraordinary, and worthy of emulation. Cody, at the gateway to Yellowstone and built by Buffalo Bill himself, is one of the best kept secrets in America. (I'd never even heard of it.) It is a true gem - a cowboy town, (real cattle and bison, real guns) of 8,000 of the warmest people I've met. We got to do a lot, including touring their world-class museum, visiting a trail town of reassembled original frontier buildings, seeing Colt 45 holes shot through various dollar bills and pieces of clothing, and mixing with many of the local residents. At the same time, we got a lot of work accomplished. The 12 or 13 guests, from a wide variety of disciplines, were all invited to answer and discuss a series of questions posed by the hosts. Having a group that small really gave everyone an opportunity to talk at length, and having some excellent minds, including not only several current and retired generals but guys off the line as well, made for an excellent discussion. Beats the big conferences, any day. Thanks guys!