secretary general, senator hagel and general scowcroft, fred and members of the atlantic council and distinguished guests, thank you for the opportunity to say a few words this evening. as it enters its seventh decade of existence, nato is one of the most successful nato alliance in history, of that there is no doubt, yet it and the 28 member states now face a 21st century, a new series of threats and challenges that were unthinkable 60 years ago. and nato's proud reputation as a provider of peace is being put to the test in afghanistan where allied service members and civilians from 42 nations work together to defeat al qaeda and the taliban to build a stable and peaceful state. proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile technology threaten the alliance populations and our territories and cyberwarfare will seek to undermine the infrastructure that we take advantage of in our everyday lives. and climate change and energy security and failed and failing states and the resumption is daunting and requires the closest cooperation among allies. some outsiders have