Thank you. Im kathleen hicks. I direct the National Security program here. Our ceo wanted to be here this morning to welcome the commandant, but hes been under the weather, so i get to both moderate the conversation and also do that. Before i begin, i just want to remind everyone that this is the fourth of our Maritime Security dialogue series of 2019. Our Maritime Security dialogue is cohosted between csis and our partners at the u. S. Naval institute. And our goal is to highlight Current Issues and future challenges facing the navy, marine corps and coast guard. I want to thank our sponsor, Huntington Ingalls industries who has made this possible. Today were talking with admiral karl schultz, a commandant of the marine corps. And i want to get right into it. We were lucky enough to have you join us in august of 2018. Pete daily was the moderator for that session and here we are a yearplus beyond that, a few months beyond that when you began which was roughly may 2018. I would love to
Invite our to distant risk an moderator to take a seat. While they assembled, the tenant general christopher the commanding general of the u. S. Army europe. The Deputy Director for the Transatlantic Security Initiative at the atlantic ,ouncil center for strategic strategy and security and Lieutenant General thompson landnder of nato allied command. Our panel will be moderated by defense ones technology editor. Thank you all. [applause] all right. All so much for joining us today and im pact talker. To discuss the future of the United States army an incredible important european theater and i have been covering Different Army activity in europe for some time. And there is one question that it is usually sort of a perfunctory question, rarely is there an opportunity for news in it. This year that is not the case. I will go to you, j. P. As well as you, chris. I wonder if you can talk a little bit about the current status and your feelings about the military to military relationship with