photo by: AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson

Former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is pictured in this file photo.

As current U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces questions about his leadership of the country’s military, a former U.S. defense secretary will be in Lawrence later this month to deliver a keynote address.

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will deliver public remarks at 7 p.m. April 30 at the Dole Institute of Politics to kick off a national conference that brings together leaders of the country’s defense and intelligence industries.

Gates will be the keynote speaker for the KU Security Conference, which will focus on programming that examines China’s long-term geopolitical objectives and how they impact U.S. national security.

Gates served as secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011, serving in both Republican and Democratic administrations. He originally was appointed by President George W. Bush, but was kept in the role by President Barack Obama, following Obama’s election.

Gates — who was born in Wichita and graduated high school there — also had a long career at the CIA and the National Security Council before serving as the defense secretary. In between government appointments, Gates became president of Texas A&M University, where he served from 2002 to 2006.

Gates will be the second former U.S. Defense Secretary to speak at KU in less than a year. Chuck Hagel, who served in the Obama administration, spoke at the Dole Institute in October.

Gates’ April 30 event will be open to members of the public. Jerry Seib, a fellow at the Dole Institute and a former Washington bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, will lead a moderated discussion with Gates.

The Dole Institute also announced several other upcoming events for its spring season. They include:

• Former staff members of the late Sen. Bob Dole will present the annual Dole Lecture at 7 p.m. on April 16. Sheila Burke, Rod DeArment and Robert Lighthizer will discuss Dole’s leadership during his time in the Reagan administration and thereafter. The event also will honor the 80th anniversary of Dole’s wartime wounds that he received near Castle d’Aiano, Italy in 1945.

• The Dole Institute’s annual Easter Egg Roll is set for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 19. The event, modeled after the White House Easter Egg Roll, will feature live bunnies, family-friendly games, an egg roll, egg hunts, live music, a storytime reading session, craft activities and other attractions.

• A new exhibit will be on display at the institute throughout April. The exhibit, “Dole & Dr. K: A Story of Loss and Recovery Turned Advocacy for Armenia,” highlights the relationship between Dole and the Armenian surgeon who performed multiple surgeries on Dole after he was wounded in World War II. Dole’s interactions with Dr. Hampar Kelikian led Dole to consider a career in public service, which later included Dole becoming a champion for Armenian issues while he was in the U.S. Senate.