The 2010 Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner Speaker

General James E. Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will be the keynote speaker for the 53rd Annual Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner. The dinner is to be held this year on Friday, March 12, 2010, at the Hilton Washington.

General Cartwright serves as the eighth Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and is the Nation's second highest ranking military officer.

As Vice Chairman, General Cartwright chairs the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, Co-Chairs the Defense Acquisition Board, and serves as a member of the National Security Council Deputies Committee, the Nuclear Weapons Council and the Missile Defense Executive Board. In addition, he Co-Chairs the Deputies Advisory Working Group, which provides advice to the Deputy Secretary of Defense on resourcing and other high-level departmental business issues.

General Cartwright is a graduate of the University of Iowa, a distinguished graduate of Air Command and Staff College, received his Master of Arts Degree in National Security from the Naval War College and completed a fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. General Cartwright is a Marine pilot with operational assignments in the F-4 and F-18. He has commanded the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, and is the only Marine to Command the United States Strategic Command. While at USSTRATCOM, General Cartwright had oversight of Military Space Programs. He is a recognized advocate of US Space Programs and continues that support today in his role as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The National Space Club is the foremost entity devoted to fostering excellence in space activity through interaction between industry and government, and through a continuing program of educational support. Through its programs, activities, and awards, the National Space Club works to promote space leadership and education. The active involvement of senior members of government, industry and academia serves to stimulate a range of activities focused on these objectives.

The annual Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner is the major event of the Washington Space Club calendar, first celebrated in 1958. Held each year in late March or early April, near the anniversary of the first successful flight by Dr. Goddard of a liquid-fueled rocket, this black tie event brings together 2,000 members of the government, industry and educational space community.

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