with that, please join me in welcoming admiral william fallon. [applause] >> thank you for the kind introduction. i hate to start out making excuses, but as you can probably hear, i just bent an hour and half with a fired up a bunch of undergrads year. they pummeled me with questions. i think this comes with chasing my grand kids around the woods in washington. at any rate, i'm delighted to be here with you today. this is my first visit to this campus. i was asked to talk about the middle east and our interests and policies related there. it is an area of high interest and a fair amount of my past was spent in the area. american interaction in the middle east came early to our young nation. in came in the early 19th century against the barbary pirates. until recently, u.s. focus has been primarily maritime, overseeing economic and security interests with almost -- with only a small footprint. my first personal experience in the region was about 35 years ago. i was visiting in my professional capacity as a naval officer. it is relatively recent fr

[laughter] with that please join me in welcoming admiral william fallon. [applause] thanks for the kind introduction short and sweet and following my mother's good advice to be seen, be seen and be gone. i hate to stop making excuses but as you can probably hear, i just spent an hour and a half a bunch of undergraduates here and i was screaming at them to make up for an hour and a half. that is actually not true. i think this comes from chasing my grand kids around montana last week. come back here. come back here. anyway i'm delighted to be here with you today. at the dartmouth this is my last visit to the campus and i like what i see. i particularly like the factor that's about 40 degrees cooler and very grateful. timing is everything. let me get into it. just to talk a little bit about the middle east and our interest in the policies related thereto. it's an area of high interest and a fair amount of my path that's been in the area. but what i would like to begin with is this. american interaction with the extent of the middle east actually came early t

admiray pleasure to welcome to dartmouth al nd to introduce toh you admiral william fallon. a aviaral fallon has spent more than 40 years servingto in the united states military. o he began his career as a naval aviator in the vietnam culminatn his position as combatant commander in the united states specific command which is the position that is responsible for all u.s. military forces, plans and operations in the entire region of asia. he was subsequently the combatant commander of the united states central command which has the same responsibility but for all u.s. forces in the middle east. these are arguably the two most important positions in the united states military, and had oral fallon is the only person that has served in both positions. since his retirement, from the united states navy four years ago, admiral fallon has begun a second career of public service and served in a variety of boards and commissions and panels related to higher education, related to various congressional commissions and also for the private sector. admiral fallon is an expert will only on

it's my great pleasure to welcome to dartmouth and introduce to you admiral william fallon. admiral fallon has spent more than 40 years serving in the united states military and began his career as a naval aviator in the vietnam war and served in a variety of positions and command commissions culminating first in combat and the commander of the united states pacific command, the position responsible for all u.s. military forces, plans, and operations in the entire region of asia. of asa. he was subsequently the combatant commander of the united states central command which has the same responsibility but for all u.s. forces in the middle east. these are arguably the two most important positions in the united states military, and had oral fallon is the only person that has served in both positions. since his retirement, from the united states navy four years ago, admiral fallon has begun a second career of public service and served in a variety of boards and commissions and panels related to higher education, related to various congressional commissions and also for the privat

[laughter] with that please join me in welcoming admiral william fallon. [applause] thanks for the kind introduction short and sweet and following my mother's good advice to be seen, be seen and be gone. i hate to stop making excuses but as you can probably hear, i just spent an hour and a half a bunch of undergraduates herend i was screaming at them to make up for an hour a a half. that is actually not true. i think this comes from chasing my grand kids around montana last week. come back here. come back here. anyway i'm delighted to be here with you today. at the dartmouth this is my last visit to the campus and i like what i see. i particularly like th factor that's about 40 degrees cooler and very grateful. timing is everything. let me get into it. just to talk a little bit about the middle east and our interest in the policies related thereto. is an area of high interest and a fair amount of my path that's been in the area. but what i would like to begin with is this. american interaction with the extent of the middle east actually came early to the y