We created back in june of this year, and its a platform where current and former military and defense literature both the United States and the region are able to discuss some of the most important policy issues facing the two sides we were fortunate to inaugurate this series on june 10 with a conversation with the command of centcom frank mckenzie. Since then we have the honor of hosting some of the countries of brightest most seasoned leaders in the Defense Space including former u. S. Dp michele flournoy, current director grant, current centcom directory commander malloy who just transitioned into that role having served earlier as the commander. We also hosted u. S. Dp former u. S. Dp jim miller, former socom commander, the current security chief duke, former National Security affairs derek, and, of course, former Lebanese Armed forces commander or i should say rear admiral joseph. Let me take this opportunity to thank centcom and its leadership for the partnership with us at amy i. Were honored and proud of working with you. I do recognize we need to bring more officials, officers from the region on the show but believe me that is not for lack of trying. Its not an easy thing to do for all sorts of reasons. But that said im committed to this endeavor and well keep trying. Today we have the privilege of having with us Major General kevin copsey who holds the position of Deputy Commander of strategy for combined joint Task Force Operation inherent result. I will be talking to about the status of the antiisis campaign in iraq and syria, and the future of that effort. I encourage you to check out his bio on a website but let me briefly introduce him. Major general kevin copsey was from the uk, was commissioned to the royal engineers in april 1990. He has had a long interesting to square with postings around the world in your but also in afghanistan. He worked with the ministry of defense in london and at nato. He became the british army had a future force developments, responsible for delivering a new Army Operating concept which is not an easy thing to do. Jungle, welcome to our defense Leadership Series general. I recognize we might be facing some technical issues today but we will be patient with that and we recognize at some point you might have to remove the videos we can get better quality sound from you. Let me just once again welcome you and thank you for agreeing to do this with us. Its an important conversation, and let me say for those less familiar with centcom, perhaps general you could just tell us how does work to someone like you, a British National survey and an american combatant command such as centcom . Thats great. Here its been fantastic. Thanks so much for inviting me and giving me the opportunity for us to talk about what has been a successful military campaign and how we actually made the journey 20 are now in the opportunities as we reflect to what the future could look like here in iraq and syria. And yet it is unusual that we have a british deputy. I am sat inside cjtoir headquarters in baghdad. Only a small group of us here that touch the Iraqi Security forces as we continue the defeat of daesh. This headquarters we could only is actually made up of 27 different nations that sit within a Broad International commission of 80. In the headquarters itself one has a u. S. Lieutenant general of the force and the myself as deputy but been below theres a whole mixture of International Officers from various different nations, each one bringing a unique together plans a work for weight which we can approach the challenges set by daesh and also to get to look work alongside the Iraqi Security forces. Its a humble position to be. Its insightful and interesting, and uncertain as well, and all blended together make it to be a very challenging position as well. I heard mountaineering and alpine alpine skiing. Where did that come from . So a lot of my earlier time in the army was spent in germany, and the British Military put a great premium on trying to stretch in both physically and mentally, if not on the battlefield, on operations that high up the mountains in altitude in areas you are uncomfortable with their that was how it started, and e pursue within the British Military quite a semi professional approach to lots of the sports come into particular alpine skiing. I started to race for the army for a number of seasons until one gets a little too old in the twilight of his skiing career and i spend my time as the president of the winter sports, put in a bit of what i know and have been provided for by the British Military back into the system so that soldiers within a British Military can enjoy the snow that i enjoyed and develop accordingly. So its a really good opportunity. Okay. Lets make a deal. Before we start this conversation if you since im about to ask any question that is policybased, just raise a red flag or throw at me a yellow card or something because i understand centcom doesnt like you policy. It implements policy coming from civilian leadership and the pentagon and state department but i just cant help myself. If you see anything that is more of a policy oriented question just tell me, theres no way i can answer that. Is that a deal . Absolutely fine. Thanks. Okeydokey. Let me start with this broad question. Secures ago this organization isis controlled landmass roughly the size of britain, right . Subjugating the lives of eight to 9 million people. But today it has lost all that territory or at least nearly all of it and a lot of it resources thanks to the campaign that you were helping lead, general, witches Operation Inherent resolve. And, of course, a work of a lot of regional and local partners that even quite helpful here lets her with this. Describe to us the elements of the campaign, you pursued all these years to achieve what you described in the beginning, a military success and speak to degrade this organization. Yes, thanks. We are in the twilight of what a been a successful military campaign, and lets reflect that when isis became a substate governing almost 110,000 square kilometers is alongside the iraqis 79 of the nations came together to form this coalition. It was an argument the Largest Coalition that is come together since the second world war. Identity of approach to defeat daesh. Not just in the levant but because the threats they have had [inaudible] we can talk later on about how terrorism metasizes around the globe irrespective of national borders. The coming together of that pulled together about 27 nations with the various types of military capability, but the key was and still is is to enable the Iraqi Security apparatus, beat the peshmerga, the conventional forces dent in the south, or even [inaudible] in the northwest. Over 120,000 have been trained and it was that force, the part of forces the wind took the fight to die esch, they are ones who fought through the streets of mosul and theyre the ones who liberated and dismantle the caliphate. Then the coalition was there to provide an enabling support, the artillery, the airpower needed, intelligence, surveillance and to a degree some of that is provided now. We have actually gone past what has been the high intensity part of the conflict, and we dismantled the physical part of daesh. Thats what we have defeated them and thats not objectively easy to measure. Were we still got work to do is to undermine the finances and their narrative and again we can talk about that a little later on. What really change was to think. One was the fall of last year which sees go from high intensity into this final chapter of our military campaign, and bizarrely covid as look at the covid pandemic when it hit east cause a lot of nations because we could be that close to our iraqi partners during the training come to go back home to their host nations. And two things happened. The first of which was realizing that the iraqis actually they are stronger if fashion. The have the capability. And then also to realize we invented a new part of the campaign from this high intensity into the final chapter or face for as we recalled. And as we hollowed out our force we started to recalibrate ourselves intellectually from doing the tactical level training for security forces, helping to mentoring and advising of the higher operational level. So where i sit today in central Baghdadi International is i am in a camp that is colocated with [inaudible] and that joint Operational Command deploys and answers against daesh, and we sit back and rewatch any monitor and we help them in the planning tools needed for them to get up to the final defeat peace. So without forces where else is a person focus . We still the best equipment to make sure that [inaudible] through Modernization Program that allows him to overmatch daesh allows them to find particular streams or sellers to make sure those soldiers as they go out and risk their lives actually are probably paid. So enough about thats been about 5 billion over the course of the Campaign Given in divestment, or stipends as we would call it. Weve had to rebalance our force as covid hit we realize we were in too many bases, that were not needed anymore. We transitioned many of those across to the Iraqi Security forces. The last one we did was camp taji which was in Early September this year, and in doing so you have now got the Iraqi Security forces that if the footprint allow sin to be balanced across the country to get after the defeat of daesh. So upon reflection we have done high intensity, we recalibrate intellectually into the operational level of support they need and we rebalanced our force to actually support the iraqis in what they need rather than the wants and desires we did during phase three. General, i dont know if youre able to hear me just fine, but i think the sound was fine on your end but maybe the video was a little bit freezing. They do for the next few minutes we will turn up the video on your end and we will see if i gets any better. Is that okay . Yeah, thats absolutely fi. All right. I think use said yourself, and this is really no secret, the organization is not defeated additionally on the ropes, i hope at least, militarily speaking, capabilities severely degraded but it is not defeated. Of course that requires yes, i would use those words like whole of government approach, right . And requires the involvement of much more than centcom but many other elements of National Power. But just tell us what kind of threat does this Organization Still pose today . Yeah, thats a good question. So what i would say is daesh is definitely down but not out. We have dismantled the caliphate but there are areas. There are scenes geographically and conceptually where they can still operate. But they do not operate in a joint, well lit fashion at all. That they have resorted to life as a criminal. They are in survival mode, that its all about theft, extortion and kidnapping. They are operating in urban areas where should be easy enough to be targeted by the Iraqi Security forces. And theres probably four areas we have concern. One is Euphrates River valley with the daesh operating there an obvious he trying to exploit the intertribal dynamics and the geography of that area. Theres also the disputed territories between baghdad and verbal, and that gap changes distance right along where is known as the corridors line. That border between iraq and syria. Certainly the latitude we work alongside Syrian Democratic forces and Iraqi Security forces at their leadership level to try operations that mutual support each other to try to tie down anyway which daesh could exploit the border. Similarly with the kurdish coordination line is to keep on encouraging both the peshmerga in the north and the iraqi secret of the south to have joint coordination and joint operations and to be fair parties have actually made huge inroads in starting to get after that and put together collectively can they continue to squeeze on daesh particularly in the mountains. But its the fourth area that is probably the biggest concern and that is the detainee camp particularly those in northeast super Syrian Defense force has been a fantastic job of administering and containing and running those particular institutions. But its whats happening inside them that oir has no mandate for and no involvement in. But we do both encourage, train and provide equipment for the for them to better job but what i do fear is without being an International Political microscope placed on these locations, that the threat of daesh 2. 0 could be realized. Because within that youve got commandandcontrol and youve also got their ability to permeate their murders narrative. And this was also finance and finest networks. There are other organizations involved in dismantling those parts, but thats the one bit that would be my worry is those particular institutions. Perfect segue, general. Why dont we try to have you back on video and see if that works. Okay. Perfect segue because i think this merits a sort of indepth conversation about this whole issue of resurgence because theres been a good bit of analysis coming out of washington by reasonable and seasoned analysts regarding this issue of resurgence. Tell us how to send, use view of resurgence. Do you apply the factory is returning to what it was before . How are you addressing this and how concerned are you about it . You started talking about it but tell me a a little bit more abt this issue. So the issue is a lot of observers would say there has been a slight increase in a activity and, therefore, it is researching. Right. Is it resurging in a Cohesive Group that is able to see his territory to try to regain what it believes is a caliphate . No, it is not. What it is doing of course is having an allergic reaction to the amount of pressure has been put on them on a daily basis in every domain, land, air, the narrative of Iraqi Security forces, by the sdf and thus bound to create a reaction when you push the tiger into a corner. And you get more active at the local level. It eliminates more networks and intelligence for the iraqis and our other partners to exploit the work. It is that cause and effect on the one hand, we have this proactive fullwood lane Security Apparatus and then pushes daesh into doing a counter action. That counteraction will have returns over time because they can be an easy target. They become more and more geographically fragmented and been able there are other parts of the coalition that would also assist the iraqis in ensuring we can actually help undermine the narrative in the information environment as well, which is arguably just as important if not more important than the physical domain. Talk about the detainees, general. Its a big issue that could probably be described as a ticking time bomb. The Chinese Government believed its a high impact United States government believes that the high risk impact, a lease that was back in may i dont know if it is still an issue today, but i risk of a massive breakout of isis prisoners from those detention camps run by the sdf, there are like 20 of them i guess in northeast seaters you. 2000 foreign fighters and roughly i dont know, 8000 iraqis, syrian fighters. How concerned are you about that . I think you started addressing it. This could perhaps aid any resurgence that might happen for isis if there is a mass breakout. What is a capacity of the sdf to resisting this . Over to you. Thats a fair question. I cant answer for some of those institutions that are outside of the airy we operate in but certainly within what we call eastern Syrian Security area, those detainee camps that are administered and once will buy the Syrian Democratic forces is very alive to any potential for breakout. Theres been numerous intent that is happening previous months but conversely, we have now been able to using the development of a i discovered on as part of our face four of the the campaign is to provide nonlethal to [inaudible] as was also cctv cameras and upgrade not just the sanitation, the food delivery but also the security with in it as well to make sure the sdf didnt feel more confident and comfortable and be able to deliver it. And the areas where the coalition has created Infrastructure Projects to also a debt. For example, the prison is having an extension that has been funded by the coalition that will allow the detainees to be in aries, to spread out and easily control the sdf. Weve enhanced the womens prison also which is where they can also have their extended families with them. And also funded a Youth Rehabilitation Center as well, noting daesh 2. 0 is also going to be focused on the children, the cubs of the caliphate as it were once known as in some of the idp camps and elsewhere. And by actually taken into these rehabilitation camps and facilities has been able to expose them to an alternative to the narrative. That has been a wonderful initiative thats happen and were looking to try to extend that in due course. Am i concerned about mass breakout . It is always a worry. Are we doing our best to mitigate it . Yes, that the training and investments to the Syrian Democratic forces. Do they feel comfortable and confident in delivering the security that is required . Absolutely. Sigh think were in a in a reay good place at the moment for those areas that we are deployed in. Copy. I feel we can of your video on all the time, but lets keep alternating every now and then i guess. I will leave it up to you. I dont want to be too much bothering you. Let me ask you to more questions about the operation itself and thin try to reflect a little more broadly about the campaign. And i might be borderline violating the agreement i have with you a sports policy, but this is not really correct policy question. Its more the consequences of policy. As you very well know weve done a lot to enhance the capabilities of our iraqi partners, counterterrorism capabilities, and we supported the sdf militarily. What will happen to those efforts if we do believe or significantly reduce our military footprint in iraq . Try to type back to everything you said before as far as resurgence, as far as our effort to defeat the organization. What would happen if we leave, to those efforts, at least. Was okay, i will try the video and we will see how we get on. Thats a fair comment, if only because one dependency culture, inherent resolve to our partners. But what i think we need to be very mindful of is exactly how good those partners are and how little we actually do as an end result. But the daytoday operations are done by iraqis and sdf. We have hollowed out, youll see the recent announcement of ever decreasing u. S. Particular troops going down and down caused by covid, caused by the recalibration into the operational level of advising that i spoke about earlier. And we sit alongside them in the job and of the irbil as well and command, and that is it. They plan, they take turns come a planet, the exploit any operation into the [inaudible] so that momentum is there. There still probably work to do. There still remains at the daytoday operations has changed strong momentum behind it, that as we see the twilight of our nation out here come i have no doubt that have the ability to keep on going. Now that said, when oir finally diminishes [inaudible] so within the confines you and them back together nation in iraq and thats looking at institutional [inaudible] lost you there, general. Their own key skills into the Iraqi Security apparatus to the with every capability gaps they need. So as one needs it would be gently replaced in others as one leaves [inaudible] sorry, general. Probably best to discontinue the video. Did you miss that . Just a little bit, yeah. Okay. How much of that did you get . A good bit but just the very last bit of it. Okay, sorry. So yeah, in help resolve we have complementary mission with Nato Mission Iraq that was just set up here and that will be focused on institutional level. So when observers believe things will go south with the demise of oir, actually the support iraqis and partners receive damages changes form into a different style by different organization. Okay. Let me ask you a topical slots operational question and then well talk about it the other significant challenge you guys have to face which is the shiite militias in baghdad. Has the december deployment of bradleys, the Armored Vehicles and equipment into North Eastern have any effect on russias brinkmanship and harassing your patrols . Okay. The deployment of the bradleys and its is an interesting reflection point for the operation. We finished the high intensity were interface for. We have reduced troop numbers because of covid. We recalibrate its operational space here what we need to do is send a very clear message to daesh was that we still have the ability to demonstrate our capability at our capacity to move around both iraq and north east erie, time and place of our choosing to enforce our partners. So deploying the bradleys to help reinforce the sdf was a demonstration of that to show that unannounced we can flex our capability around to just reinforce the point that, even though we may lack numbers, we still have the ability and the commitment to get after the defeat daesh. To hand over to the judicial apparatus and that needs to go handinhand with trying to resolve all the other security challenges that government faces. Sources of instability [inaudible] is deal with the symptoms and thats the key thing we not to get need to get off, not the military. Okay. 1 to 10, 10 being highest rate the ability of the iraqi guard to sustain some of the advice that we give them. Should we draw down . I think im an optimist. I think its between seven and eight and the reason i say that and what would get them higher is if that institution makes up for losses. So if the cop economy could be morerobust than it is now. The ability to do Career Planning or soldiers across the board, the ability to properly man and trade and do Capabilities Development to run a peacetime army, to manage readiness. Thats what we need, thats the thing that will help sustain it and any threat to National Security and unfortunately in oa are we went to deliver it but they there are other organizations. That instituting policies, instituting the ability to sustain and maintain a plethora of vehicles and platforms starts at the top and circulates down, then we will obviously have that sustained. I dont have a problem delivering any of those services but isnt the United States helping out also on the institutional front . Yes, as are many others nations as well. Youve got the economic Contact Group that some of the scandinavian nations in the judicial process helping to reinforce that, the korean nations that have signed up to support the un request for electoral support as well next year. So everybody who is a part of this Global Coalition are still showing that commitment to institutional reform needs to help including the us playing a big part in that but its been equally matched by other nations as well. How long do you think were keeping a seat . This is the reason im asking you because the moment we transition out of that and start developing more normal quote unquote relations with the iraqis is when were going to be able to use other funds to engage in an official capacity so as long as theres a seat i dont think really were in a strong position at least these are the congress to request other funds to do these capacity abilities. So stac has been passed by congress albeit a slightly less rate but that being said if the one fund that gets to our freedom of actioand helps change behaviors as well in a way its administered so its really important letter that we have with the iraqis as well and its one that is managed quite judiciously bus by us and how its implemented. So there are things that we do in our advising mission at the moment that seatac helps enable to stay around, sort of in the immediate term. Lets talk about the other challenges youre facing and youd probably agree with me that you are more worried about it than isis, at least at this stage which is the shiamilitias of baghdad. I dont see isis trying to institutionalize its influence but those militias are and you know how iran is reallygood at. To some extent, so for lack of a better strategy for that other kettle of fish. I find it a real shame that the iraqis have gone through so much in the last six years and have showed extraordinary commitment and capacity into defeating daesh but were faced with a threat that could rip the country apart and these militia groups, they say that they target the coalition and that they target our convoys. They only targeted 1. 6 percent of our convoys. That does not hurt how we rebalance of course, they fired rockets in union three but it stays a sense of the oir. We are in the minority here, surrounded by marketplaces and their the impact sites and as youve seen recently everything that the militia groups to the iraqi civilians become the victims. In losing their work because they targeted people, destroying the infrastructure and what they rely on for their businesses. Its almost heartbreaking to see the selfinterested, self interest saying it for the iraqi people when what its doing is its targeting them. Excuse me. Are you finished with the intervention, general . I think so. What i think is there was a time that there was more and more an impetus by the Iraqi Government to adjust militia groups. Its not within our mandate, but what we are stting to see from militia groups fracture even more and more because of self interest and as a fracture may get their narrative undermined and as we will see recently, there was the last missile attack that we endured a few weeks ago here is that in the media it was all about targeting the International Zone, it wasnt the embassy. And its becausethey tried to undermine the government to bring stability to the population. Let me ask you a broader question as i mentioned to you before general. Youve been in this role for some time. You had a front row seat to oir and were able to observe a lot of evolution of the campaign. How are you i guess as a scholar, as a practitioner as well, how are you looking at the next wave of International Terrorism or how is the United Kingdom perhaps because u in the United States government, are youlooking at the next wave of International Terrorism . What is the next isis going to be like . Have you observed any thing in the oir that gives you concern about groups like isis . Id be interested in your view. I think that like all terrorist groups they continue to metastatic eyes into something new and unique. Their ability to exploit novel thods to get the coin and other similar apparatus, their ability to transcend zones, having International Borders will become more commonplace so International Terrorism in my view being constrained to one area can percolate very quickly and transmit as well through a narrative any of the nations that idont think we have a commendation and that happens over time. So were cognizant of when terrorism is being bred or at least the sources instability that could breed that terrorism is that we do what we can with our engagement to make sure that those countries if left unchecked that they would end up perhaps accidentally reading that terrorism is that we can then deal with those together. And in doing so youre going to st the symptoms from being created and thats when youre becoming. As far as how we deal wit terrorist now weve seen or more different approach to how that military leader of National Power is used. If used too thin the land from the narrative and its a nationstate, it sees and financed far more discreetly. And so i think what i would say is that i think a lot of people have known, and therefore its not surprising that the Global Coalition remains committed is just in iraq, its also instability reading across the board and how it can be addressed across time zones and continents. And also a better way to gain access to control, to control kidnapping networks, kidnapping roots, to work out at the moment where a stronger economy would also breed security. How to give you the courage that they do have a future. So it does not become too overinflated, that they have an opportunity for education and a job at the end of it. And more importantly to have more compromise in the religious tensions that play out from which the seeds of terrorism connect. So theres a lot to try and digest their. I think that the International Coalition i think militaries are looking at exactly how you would progress toward the sources of instability. The symptoms would take time. In terms of capability, kinetic lies so for a while we struggled with the idea of our biggest challenge. Your now ems to be anticipation. Is that access to Unmanned Systems . Absolutely. You could argue that there needed to harm and then deliver them to any particular target, also putting cameraon there for surveillance but yes, on one since you have extremists that can develop their source of capabilities but of course the counter to that is we in the military have the capability to deny them so i feel fairly confident as we go forward and that just isnt the military. This is he civilian National Infrastructure as well which faces challengesisis. I know that Security Apparatus is wrestling with how to deal with Unmanned Aerial Systems in whatever shape or form they may be. Policy level as well as the legality as well, absolutely. What are some of the parameters that were developing here. Ideally want to deny them access i guess is the best way todeal with that but if you cant , its extremely difficult to do so given that you have to mobilize markets and all that stuff is just easily pick off the shelves. What are some of the countermeasures that were developing . Are we talking about short range missile defenses or what . Its probably more liberal than that. A lot of companies now certainly an element of the british army was that we were looking at defending civilian airfields or other bits of National Infrastructure and the first thing is to directly have iraqis that can detect, their small as they are now but how theyre being controlled by the ground station or have they had reached within it so it can be set off and there isnt someone with a sort of transmitting device using a remotecontrolled car. A laptop so often within sight of the system anyway and once you have decided if its going to be whats known as a hard or soft tribute you take over the radio frequencies yourself, hopefully safety or in extremes you could reprogram it so it goes back to a central field. [inaudible] or laser frequencies were you would almost scramble electromagnetics to cause their satellites to fall out of the sky and Many Companies will be developing their own with more enforcement but also the military as well. As you describe these i cant help think about the latest incident where Automated Systems were used and they may not have access to the same stuff but who knows, down the road if any become more available. Lets talk about the general because that the key component of the success of oir moving forward. Ambassador kim jeffrey as as you know left the state department. Describe to us the level of coordination thats been going on between you guys and soggy bottom and talk about whats the future of that effort. Thats an incentive so i have to turn it to my own experience. The real challenge is that once youve got a conflict and a unique success that we have of the last six years, the trick is to put that into the the barriers of National Power and weve already done that but within the eight Nation Coalition it speaks of those nations either as part of a formal Alliance Like the eu for example or a bilateral informal groups such as the European Economic contact lee recently when the Prime Minister visitedlondon. Also providing diplomatic support to the us. Expressly to make sure that there is a unity asset between them and secondly is to ensure that all those operational things that have been fought so hard to realize are handed over extremely well and this is part of the campaign i was many people, its not how to end the campaign. Only give a talk at the start about how to manage them so intellectually we are in a different space at the moment. Which goes back to that recalibration points. We do have policy advisers based in the us and the uk also in other countries as well just help us navigate where they need to have that unity and make sure the attack ascendancy and primacy of the civil action days in the right place, that need to stay in that support letter to continue till were no longer needed. Lets take it even further , more broadly talk about this campaign and look at it from a geopolitical point of view. And get to the core priority of the mbs which is a great power competition. Obviously we know china is not involved in iran, but russia is. In syria, how would you assess the role and influence of russia today and how is oir leadership looking at other acts or turkish policy moving forward . Is that going to complicate matters or do we have more confidence they could be managed . I think irrespective of russia and their interest in the region it is a hugely complex area that we operate within. Not just in that Military Area that i was talking about, making sure its stunning in the right around the its also how you manage other nations as well and i would i would say is to go back to the earlier point that we dont collaborate or cooperate with the russians or indeed even the turks and what theyre doing but we do conflict with the russians all the time to make sure we not having a calculation about the lower level in quite close proximity to each other just to make sure that no one has a misstep. What we do try to do is acknowledge that there are other nations that handled their interests as well but to our partners, they look at all these different nations that they still look favorably at the coalition and indeed from our perspective the us as well as being the partner of choice because were the ones that have shared that pain. Where the ones that were alongside them, were the ones that sacrifice our own lives of and Coalition Members to make sure we can have organizations today talk about the successes of the oir. And its not lost on them commitment, that previous commitment. We do see ourselves as being their partner of choice and that they wouldnt have a need to look elsewhere from the support were getting from ourselves. Copy that. I think i had that right from the start but how does covid19 affect your operation, you cant see people as equally as an engaged with leadership but briefly, talk about how this affected your operation. So surprisingly, the iraqis have not missed a beat with covid. Humbling. I get up every night and i see them doing operational planning and theyre looking forward to a sustained deployment and its really agnostic and yet they still adhere to the right principles but i suppose when they get into the ground its all about administering security and making sure that thats implemented in a appropriate way thats sustainable. But as far as oir goes, yes. We do have these amongst each other and that said we still do these contracts, the Iraqi Government and also the representativesof the customer got. Just to give the commitment and assurance but also where having useful conversations. [inaudible] and its the body language and you need to build that people system in a relationship. Its done from the other side of a bullet at times but at least in some ways its not slow down. We need to provide the opportunity as i mentioned four forces to recalibrate and ultimately the operational template is just not how it needs to be. Im glad youre saying that they are adhering to all the necessary safety protocols. Let me just apologize one more time to the audience that we dont seem to have as the quality of video as far as sound and im sorry to ask you to keep turning off your video but maybe the next three or four minutes as we wrapping up we can turn that on and then after final question for you is in the next few weeks, its going to be quite critical as we have a major transition here in leadership inwashington. What are you guytracking the most, what are you most worried about . I dont think we share any different Contingency Planning but you definitely will be on a higher alert i guess in terms of kinetic activities coming from whether its isis or the shiite militias but how are you tracking this transition, what are you most worried about . I think theres going to be a number of things that we will be focusing on in the next four or five weeks. I think we are in a period of potential miscalculation and it goes back to my earlier comments on the militia groups as they continue to fracture, some becoming more selfinterested. I think that they could incite a violent act. [inaudible] and also i think its a other reflection as well as we have a lot of soldiers that are awaiting their families over the year and i think over our shoulder we will be looking back at that and realize they are separated from each other again but what were doing here is the only one i mentioned is i see the proficiency and commitment to the us forces. And if you were around the International Zone you would see many different flavors of that Security Apparatus and they are here because they are the commitment to our security. So we can enable what they do to provide Great Security to the iraqi civilians. So if you were to take the militia groups out of the equation then i think we would be there. [inaudible] but the biggest spoilers inwhere that task is concerned at the moment. I want to give you the final moments to share any thoughts before we close. This has been extremely rich and insightful and were so appreciative of your time as well. You handled every single one effectively but let me give you the opportunity to say any finalwords and maybe some advice for us , researchers here whether its some of the things you think we should be more focused on writing about, researching on that could be of help to you guys. Thats really kind. We are cooperating with researchers, one of the things that i would really be keen to do is to allow the military to engage for whats actually taking place on the ground. [inaudible] is that okay . Sorry about that, go ahead. From an academic perspective i think what we want from you is youetting more from us. I think its fascinating to engage with academic institutions both for two reasons. One is success in the campaign but also its from an academic perspective, the changing nature of how military is deployed and employed in a period of constant competition and the wain which you calibrate the use of Armed Conflict so thats a useful thing to explore in the future. I think as you look out here in iraq and academics its to explore the ambitions to get off those sources of instability so we dot see ourselves there in years to come and how theyre being addressed in principle, for our decisionmakers and on how we can best help refocus those efforts in starting up and addressing some of those sources. Also being able to have a robust view from what the iraqis want versus what they need our because sometimes there can be a difference betweenthe two. And ill leave it up to the academics to understand that difference. And as a final summit for me, you mentioned here the decline in sort of career that we all go through in the military and its sort of prepares you throughout your time. To be right here, right at this moment and bring in all that experience together and hopefully wish them that can help find alongside our partners which is souch you get from above to make sure that we are repurchasing that final defeat of daesh that i describe that we have to have a weary eye on how that focuses, and how terrorism cod also morph and threaten our freedoms wherever they may be so its a privilege to be part of this and it is a institution by many nations. You very much. We appreciate you general, thank you for your Service Everything youve done. I know your wife, hopefully you get to see them very soon. Stacy, we will reconnect with you and good luck on whatever youre doing up there. You very much general. Its been a pleasure, take care. Yore watching cspan2, your unfiltered view of government. Crted by americas Cable Television comompanies as a Public Service and brought to you today by your television provider. And iconic indicators, netflix founder and ceo Ruth Hastings and business professor erin meyer discussed the unorthodox Workplace Culture behind one of the Largest Companies in the world in their book no rules netflix and the culture of reinvention. You have to do what you think is right to help the customers and the company. You cant be trying to please your boss. Youre not allowed to let me drive the bus off the cliff. You have to fight for that company and in general we say dont seek to please your boss. Seek to please the customer and to grow the company. We want people to actively be independent like not just to implement that wishes. Whats the communicator tonight at eight on cspan2. Today treasury secretary steve managing and Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell teified before the Senate Banking committee. Theyll provide an update emergency measures to provide relief from the economic downturn created by the pandemic read watch live coverage of the hearing tuesday on cspan2, online or listen live wherever you are on the view. Next a look at what us Foreign Policy will look like in a wide net ministration. This Brookings Institution panel talk about afghanistan peace talks, americas role in the middle east and the impact of the current troop withdrawals in iraq and afghanistan ordered by president trump. This month an hour and 10 minutes. P. Good afternoon everyone and welcome to this brookings and charles focus event, im Michael Abbott with brookings and were going to be talking today about our socalled rubber more in the broader middle east region and what a biden presidency along with the 117th congress should do about them. Im joined by a distinguished grouof