brickley, i cannot imagine anything more relevant or pressing at this point. as a journalist i am happy to say this meeting is on the it,rd so you can use recorded, and i am sure we will all leap with much more wisdom than we arrived with. if you have a cell phone or other personal device, if you could not only muted but also turn it off that would be fantastic. -- the format, i will guide the conversation for the first half hour or so then turn it over to audience questions for a half-hour. i read these meetings with stalinist efficiency. we will be out of here at 7:30 sharp. the council is brought together with a a distinguished group of experts today. to my right is michael chertoff, formerly secretary of the department of homeland security. to my far right, their full bios are in your information. i have learned a lot from the military who have to say that i have learned having problems about the world. i have learned a lot from the military and generals in the audience. i have learned that if you're having problems understanding the world, divided into ta