national security. under the obama administration, he served as national security adviser to the president, overseeing national security council cybersecurity, -- he has also served as the commander and supreme allied commander to europe. he is the most senior -- no person has ever held all of the positions that i just named. major general served on the councils advisory board, he is also the chief executive officer of the -- and chair of the board of the national defense industry industrial association. the country's largest defense association. he is a retired marine corps major general, and the defense was privately named him one of the most 100 most influential u.s.. -- [inaudible] offers relevant insights into the -- generals, it is great to see you both. i am looking forward to hearing your perspectives. monitoring this conversation is missy ryan, who serves as a staff writer and pentagon correspondent with the washington post for several years. she has reported on national security topics from over ten countries, spanning latin america and the middle east. it really is an impressive list of places that she has visited in her career. including a report from iraq, egypt, libya, lebanon,