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The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: Ambitious but Achievable
Time to Move from Tactics to Strategy on Iran
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Council News
Michele Dunne and Amy Hawthorne on US Policy in Middle East (NPR)
Hariri Center Director Michele Dunne and Senior Fellow Amy Hawthorne reflect on US policy toward the Middle East and North Africa in the two years since President Barack Obama promised to make it a top priority to support democracy and human rights in the region.
J. Peter Pham Speaks on Sahel Politics and Security in The Hague
J. Peter Pham, director the Atlantic Council’s Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, was one of four experts invited to address a high-level international conference on the crisis in the Sahel region convened today in The Hague.
Rudolph Atallah Testifies before House Panel on Crisis in the Sahel
Rudolph Atallah, senior fellow in the Atlantic Council’s Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, testified at a House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on “The Growing Crisis in Africa’s Sahel Region.”
Mihaela Carstei on the US-Canada Keystone Pipeline Project (CTV)
On the heels of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to the United States, Energy & Environment Program Associate Director Mihaela Carstei joins CTV to discuss the Keystone Pipeline project that would transport tar sands oil from Canada and the northern United States to refineries in the Gulf coast of Texas.
Learning From Libya: Implications for Defense in the Age of Austerity
October 05, 2011
On October 5, the Atlantic Council featured a special Commanders Series event featuring Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, the Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Air Force (RAF). He discussed RAF programs in an age of austerity and stressed the importance of the NATO framework for addressing security challenges in the 21st century.
With over 8,000 sorties flown by NATO coalition aircraft, air power has played a key role in Operation Unified Protector in Libya. Despite the considerable use of British air power, the next wave of British defense cuts is projected to hit the RAF hardest. The Air Chief Marshal discussed acquisition and modernization programs for the RAF and a shifting focus to remotely piloted vehicles. He stressed that on modern, congested battlefields, connectivity and networks will be crucial to military effectiveness and coordination.
Sir Steven also discussed the importance of the NATO alliance to the security of the United Kingdom. Particularly in difficult financial times, he argued, alliances and coordination have become necessary as NATO provides a crucially important framework for responding to unexpected international crises, such as recent events in Libya. Under this framework, allies coordinated their efforts for a timely and effective response, and were able to include non-NATO members to support Operation Unified Protector as well.
Sir Steven joined the RAF in 1973, and is a Jaguar and Tornado pilot by trade. In the 1990s, he was a squadron commander, commanding British forces under Operation Jural, the UK’s contribution to Operation Southern Watch over Iraq. He also served as the director of the UK Typhoon (Eurofighter) program, and as the Director of Air Operations in the Ministry of Defense. Sir Stephen was promoted to Air Chief Marshal and appointed as the Chief of the Air Staff in 2009.
Audio (.mp3)
Commanders Series Discussions:
- Lieutenant-General Walter Semianiw, Commanding General, Canada Command
- Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, USA, Commanding General, US Army Europe and Seventh Army
- Major General Rich Mills USMC, Former Commander of International Security Assistance Force, Regional Command Southwest
- Sir Stephen Dalton, Chief of the Air Staff of Britain's Royal Air Force
- Admiral James Stavridis, USN, SACEUR, and Secretary Madeleine Albright, Former U.S. Secretary of State
- General Stéphane Abrial, French Air Force, Commander, Allied Command Transformation
- General Kip Ward, USA, Commander, U.S. Africa Command
- General Jean-Louis Georgelin, French Army, Chief of Defense of France
- Admiral Timothy Keating, USN, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command
- General George W. Casey, Jr., USA, Chief of Staff
- General John Craddock, USA, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, NATO and Commander, U.S. European Command
- General David McKiernan, USA, Commander, ISAF and Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan
This Commanders Series event is generously supported by Saab AB
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