Transcripts For CSPAN National Security Adviser Robert OBrie

Good morning. Welcome to the hudson institute. We are honored and privileged to be hosting this great event, a conversation with robert obrien, the assistant to the president on National Security affairs, otherwise known as National Security adviser. I want to welcome all of you here who were able to join us, and the audience watching live stream from the hudson website. But also a very special welcome , to our cspan audience who will be following this event on cspan2 today, and were delighted to have you here, if only virtually, and delighted to have everyone who was been able to participate in this discussion. This i think is going to be one of the most interesting and significant events that weve done here at hudson, particularly given the fact that we are less than a week away from the election when so many of these issues that were going to be talking about today, the question of what america is going to do, where americas going to go from here, those issues are going to be decided very, very soon. And so what happens in our discussion here i think will help us to understand as a guide to what takes place, regardless of who it is who will be sitting in the oval office come january 21. I want to say a few words about our distinguished guest. Robert obrien was born in los angeles and graduated from the university of california berkeley with a law degree. From there he founded a law firm , of Larson Obrien llp. And 1998 obrien was a legal officer with the , United Nations Security Council Compensation Commission in geneva, switzerland. He served in a number of political positions for the bush and the obama and Trump Administrations, and was civilian observer for the Pacific Council on International Policy at the pretrial hearings for Khalid Sheikh mohammed. That mustve been interesting work. President george w. Bush named him as the u. S. Alternate representative to the 60th session United Nations general assembly, and he was cochairman of united the u. S. Department of states Publicprivate Partnership for Justice Reform in afghanistan, which is where he also served in the same position during obamas, term. Ent obamas first then on may 10, 2019, President Trump appointed ambassador president ialecial envoy for Hostage Affairs 2018, not 2019. And one year later he was given the title of ambassador. Ambassador obrien took the office of 28 United States National Security adviser on september 18, 2019. So he has been in that position for just a little bit more than a year. Today, then he serves as senior , advisor to the president on international affairs, chairs the National Security council, and oversees the National Security staff. Ambassador obrien has also done his share of writing. I do want to recommend to you his book published in 2016. The book, while america slept, is in many ways a prescient collection of essays about many of the challenges that america in 2016 and during that period of time were ignoring which have now i think very much come home to roost in the discussion. Its really good book. I particularly Section Three which has the title of to rule the ways. Im not quite sure i got the he got the title for that book. Anyway, its well worth reading and a good reminder of our guest today someone with a real vision about National Security, about where americas place in the world is and where it should be, and thats why were delighted and as they say also privileged , to have him here today. Ambassador obrien. [applause] so its aobrien pleasure to be with you, socially distance. Im not sure sometimes i think a cough because the mask is on but i was one of the early adopters of wearing a mask. Unfortunately i still came down , with covid this summer and was fortunate to get through it. What an honor to be introduced by arthur herman. I have got his books sitting waves. To rule the i didnt realize i was the title of your book when that chapter was named by the editor so i hope i dont want to get a letter from your counsel on that one, but hes a great writer, a great historian and Great American and thank you for the generous introduction. Its wonderful to be here at hudson, and thank you to john walters for hosting today. Its a privilege. I bring you greetings from the 47th president of the United States, donald trump. Trumpears ago, president had a very different view of a a a peaceful prosperity in the world could be achieved 45th resident how the American People could be served in Foreign Policy. President trump at no higher priority than putting the needs, the rights, the safety and the value of the American People americanhere people first and thats where the term american first comes from. The president also believes as did Ronald Reagan that National Security is best obtained on a piece for strength philosophy and the world, we deal with dictators and authority machines as they are. As we hope them to be in we hope them to be and we dont turn a blind eye to the conduct expecting somehow they will change if we ignore the conduct. Hes done the hard work of strengthening our alliances and in doing so, has put substance over style and is been has been criticized for that but we think his actions have demonstrated that the u. S. Will no longer be a party to arrangements, organizations, international conventions, treaties where our sovereignty is not respected, but we also think thats better for of the country and world as well. As he said to the United Nations, he said he put America First but he also believes that other countries put their own interests first and thats how it should be. In such a world of approach we , think is led to demonstrable results that make the American People safer. So, for example, early on in the administration we took over the white house there was a caliphate the size of Great Britain and stretching across come spanning across iraq in syria, the isis caliphate, and that caliphate is now destroyed. The lead of isis, albaghdadi, the men who kept Kayla Mueller as a slave, the man who ultimately killed her, who cared killed foley and others, was removed from the battlefield and Justice Abroad to almost a year ago today, i think a year ago this week. The leaders of al qaeda in north africa have been removed from the battlefield. Over 50 american hostages and detainees from 22 countries around the world have been brought home. Nafta, on the trade front, has been replaced by much improved usmca benefiting American Workers and farmers, and it created and strengthen the most profitable for the nicest but also for foreign partners trade zone in the world. Since march of this or not with any pandemic, the coast guard and the navy have run it at the drug operation in the caribbean and in eastern pacific, the californiamexico border. They have seized over 4 billion in cocaine and marijuana and denied those revenues to the traffickers. 4. 7 billion. Working together with leaders of el salvador on mexico president reduced trump has illegal immigration by 85 . We strengthened the same time our relationship in the southern hemisphere. Were working closely with the hemispheres largest democracy, brazil. In fact, i was just there last week and we signed we deals, to make an investments deal and one trade deal and those will be great for brazil, great for the United States and for our Manufacturing Base here. President trump also confirmed major nonnato ally status on brazil in 2019. With unlike billions of dollars alone to small and midsize enterprise and of Research Projects in the western hemisphere. We call the growth in the americas strengthening our , neighbors and increasing our , prosperity here at home but also in our neighborhood. Maximum Pressure Campaign has brought irans economy to its knees and he has cut off hundreds come well over well over 150 billion that we they were using to help their own people but to spread discord across and warp across the middle of with it was with hezbollah or hamas for the assad regime for the houthis. On the burden sharing for the president the president encourager nato our system up to 400 billion in additional defense spending through 2024. That makes not only our european allies safer but it makes the entire west safer, makes the world safer. That pledge of increased defenseman also accompanied by burden sharing in other places. Today were down to 4502 in afghanistan. There are 6100 Coalition Troops most of them from afghanistan, so the first time in afghan conflict with more of our partners bearing the burden of the work in afghanistan than the United States and the same things happening in iraq. After years of defense sequestration that was decimating our armed forces under the Obamabiden Administration we had gotten to , the point where we had the army since military since 1940. We have munition shortages, an urgent need to rebuild our nuclear deterrent. After 2. 5 trillion being spent over the past three years that , is being addressed. The progress is impressive. Munitions are being restarted restocked and readiness of increased with elevated u. S. Cyber command completed the joint Artificial Intelligence center and the saps the u. S. Space command and the space force. The space force is a first new branch of the u. S. Armed forces since 1947, and the service captured the imagination of our young men and women to serve and their signing up and lining up in droves to join the new space force. We accelerate and signed the 2019 missiledefense review and or ensuring a strong Missile Defense will protect our homeland against rogue actors and adversarial states seeking to threat is. When modernizing the Nations Nuclear deterrent which makes foundational element of our countries National Security. In 2018 we converted and appoint a low yield summary of launch warhead and conduct numerous Life Extension Program that Extension Programs offer existing nuclear stockpile. We ventured our test readiness capability remains viable if needed and funded the nnsa appropriate to meet the necessary infrastructure upgrades with billions and billions of dollars in additional funding from the department of energy to make sure we have safe, secure and , ultimately Deadly Nuclear weapons, and that is what ensures the fact we will never have to use them. We find it longerrange standoff missiles, the columbia class of me, but the 21 which is being built in florida and other places, the groundbased strategic concerns. Every aspect of our Nuclear Enterprise is under modernization to meet the mans feet and i will environment. Mans face and our environment. I would fill the new capabilities in space of land and on sea and in the air with hypersonic weapons, direct energy Artificial Intelligence, autonomous platforms that will ensure American Military superiority against any foe. Under President Trumps leadership, we have spent on defense and research that we have in 70 years and thats whats required to stay ahead of our competitors today and are our adversaries in this, in these critical emerging technologies at lead the way when it comes to new developments of quantum, manufacturing applications for ai machine learning. As we build these nextgeneration capabilities its essential to protect our Critical Technology from adversary theft. We cannot spend billions on new weapon systems only have them compromised by the time they are in field. The wars of the future are likely to be radically different than the short conventional wars that we have fought since the collapse of the soviet union. That we wage not just in the air , on land, and the sea but also in space and cyberspace. Dramatically increasing the complexity as well as the speed and velocity of warfare. Under President Trumps leadership, we are building a military capable of dominating this era of great power competition. One that will deter adversaries by being prepared to fight and win today and in the future. President trump knows the world needs a strong respect for america in order to achieve these we believe President Trump leave weakness is provocative. Believes weakness is the cooperation of american treaty allies has never been better for were working with a stroke and is, philippines and thailand. Our relations with the populous democracy india has never been better. Were working together issues you counter mary town to Rare Earth Minerals supply chains to freedom of navigation of South China Sea to the East China Sea in the taiwan strait. And afghanistan we signed a Peace Agreement in february with the taliban after 19 years of war and with the start of interest in negotiations last month we hope and expect the Afghan People on a path towards lasting peace. This will not be an easy walk for the afghans but its a necessary one and we will be there to support them both in negotiations and afterwards. President trump is committed to american troops that he would like them to come home as soon as conditions permit. He tweeted recently like many of the past president s sometimes a like to be home by christmas, and whether we get them on by christmas or shortly thereafter american troops are coming home. , the good is i have the Peace Agreement with the taliban was signed in we have not lost february, american to combat death in afghanistan during this year, since february. Last month, President Trump achieved a truly has toward Peace Agreement between the United Arab Emirates and israel. Miracle and significant step peace and no peace in 25 years. I was fortunate to be on the first flight from the airport in tel aviv to the Abu Dhabi International airport and it was an Emotional Experience as we passed into saudi airspace and the captain announced this was the first time an israeli plane had been invited over saudi arabia. It was on its way and we got to abu dhabi the emiratis literally laid out the red carpet for us it was in some is almost like being at a Family Reunion that cousins had not been sticking together, hadnt seen each other for many, many years came together. Most recently sudan and israel agreed to make peace and, in fact, into the hot work. There was still a a war between sudan and israel. We now had in just over a month or month and a half weve had three countries normalize their relations and make peace with israel. This is a great many of us in Foreign Policy world thought might never happen and as the president stated there are more countries to come. Nations in the middle east embrace a Better Future based on shared interest and shared values, and this development was from President Trumps leadership. He did something that was unusual for politicians. The president created Political Capital in israel by moving our capital our embassy from tel , aviv to jerusalem, the capital of the state of israel. That is something many president s and president ial candidates promised to do in the past but never had. He recognized the golan heights. He pulled us out of the us atrous jcpoa and gave lot of credibility with our allies. Rather than sitting around and look at his capital and maintaining it, protecting it he used it in negotiations and it was through that process is able to bring these parties together and achieve the historic peace. But its not just those conflict in the middle east yerkes also approached republicans with a similar determination. Last month summit chaired by , Ambassador Grenell Serbia Kosovo took a huge step forward in normalizing their economic relations. This is something they have been working on for over 20 years but , to President Trumps dedication and insistence on tough negotiations wit