Shakespeare theatre company. Thank you for joining us. [applause] thank you for joining us for tonights Barn Association discussion. Tonights discussion is shakespeare and the rules of war from athens to aleppo. Now, at this point i would like to remind everyone to silence their Electronic Devices and video and photography of this to start. At this point it is my honor to introduce tonight moderate steven and ryan. Hes a member of our board of trustees as well as the Bar Association and has led our annual fundraiser for many years. Hes the head of Government Strategy at mcdermitt and previously served as the general counsel to the u. S. Senate committee on Governmental Affairs alongside the honorable. In addition, he has served as Deputy Council of the president s commission on organized crime, and directing investigations and other criminals during the reagan administration. As part of his deep commitment to pro bono work, he he has representative operation hope, a Financial Literacy group for the past decade. It is my honor to welcome steve. [applause] thank you, very on trent very much. Its a pleasure and honor tonight to bring this group of speakers to you. Youre going to have a great evening. Its part of our classical theater that we try and unite current events, like thinking about the rules of war with the ideas that shakespeare expressed in his place, thank you again, everybody for being a part of our group. So, tonight the first panelist that id like to introduce is my favorite author bernard cornwall. [applause] so, what you you say about a guy whos written 60 bucks, sold 30 million copies and he is your favorite author. You tell people that if you havent read about richard and the napoleonic wars and if you havent seen this play by sean bean then you havent lived yet. Bernard began in the tv business at the bbc and his books had been turned in the some of the most notable productions. He was originally denied a green card for entry into United States. [laughter] but since then he has spent a good deal of time with us and has become one of the most successful and loved authors. His stories are really primarily about english history and his current is the last king and in our family we fight over the book when it comes in, about who gets read it first. Hopefully, youll see that on the bbc television. Importantly, to our work here at the theater, mr. Cornwall is continuing to write and currently writing his book about the first production of shakespeares midsummers night dream. Im sure well work that into night notwithstanding that its not about war. So, bernard, thank you for being here. [applause] our next guest is doctor gail miros who really we should call general miros because he was a general for decades before he became a phd. Thank you. [applause] so, general is the president s first Senate Confirmed associate director of National Intelligence to the Intelligence Community chief of Information Officer and internation executive for the director of National Intelligence. Thats actually what his title is. [laughter] he actually had to leave his uniform behind to become part of the white house staff. Hes also internationally respected as an expert on leadership, strategy, cyber security, telemedicine, intelligence and military matters. While on active duty on 911, general was in command of the airspace over north america. So, hes the first of two actual warriors that we will put on here, in a minute. He also served as the chief of Information Officer for three Major Air Force commands, that unified military commits. At one point he controlled all the satellites that orbit. Some which we can talk about. [laughter] he became the first chief informational officer you get the pattern of this. In desert storm, and in other wars with United States that bought hes had Actual Experience with the decisions about who to target, what the package looks like, how to justify it, and how to think about it. Were really uniquely pleased to have general with us tonight. [applause] so, now, on the artistic side of this group we have the real pleasure to introduce to you one of the hottest young directors in america, the full thomas. Now, one of the great things about theater is because joe pat gave michael kahn the gig of running a classical play in new york at a very young age. He took the same thing of picking out the hottest young directors and bringing them to work on classical place so, lisa will be directing on may 1. I asked her and she said no you dont sound the theater person. [laughter] lisle was born and raised in south africa during the apartheid era. That experience, obviously, is something to reflect on today. Her family moved to massachusetts when she was 15 and she received her from the smaller known collagen of Brown University and the trinity repertoire. Shes directed theater all over the United States and shes known not just for classic plays but for bringing out the personal experience and stories of people to light. She believes theater should be mean fall. Dont we all . She believes she can change the audience. One of her ladies productions, eclipse, written by dan tell the story of five liberian women who try to survive toward the end of the second liberian war. This production actually became the first ever, all female cast play written and directed by a female premier on broadway. I will pause for applause on that. [applause] last summer, she made history as the first woman of color to have a tony award nomination for best director for production of the eclipse. Shes now in rehearsal for the play and her conception of Shakespeares Macbeth will talk about that a little bit tonight. You have got to come and see it. Anyway, thank you very much for taking time for rehearsals to come tonight. [applause] this is a starstudded panel but here comes the big stud. [laughter] and that the honorable ryan zinke of the secretary of the interior. [applause] so, heres Teddy Roosevelts roosevelts successor as the owner of public grants. This man controls one fifth of the landmass of the United States and he has a property that he is a controller of thats 12 times up. He used to serve as a member of house of representatives and immediately became a star in the hill. We still have the pictures of that. He went to a very famous literary school, buds, basic underwater demolition and became a seal seal. There are many books coming out of that and he has a terrific book that im going to recommend to you any moment. He was a navy seal for over 20 years. He deployed and carried out. [applause] the mission of our country and he directed the training of the seals and he trained the men who killed Osama Bin Laden and carried out all of the things that were necessary to protect us. So, ryan zinke, not only is a warrior for training warriors who still protect us today. At football. [applause] at football, he was the center of the oregon ducks before the docs were really. They were really close. [laughter] i have to Say Something that was improper. Many women fans thought he had the best but. [laughter] with that you have a warrior was is now a member of the cabinet of United States and hes taken time to be with us tonight to talk about this. I want to say i want all of you to read all 60 of bernards books. Now, because hes one of my favorite authors, thats a conflict of interest by the way i used to but my favorite author will ask him to leave off this discussion about shakespeare and the rules of war at this time and bring them forward tw to ou. I had the same i know he will Say Something utterly entertaining and you will love it. Thank you. I dont have a lot to say that shakespeare and will store. Soar. Have a great evening. [laughing] spirit he does mention come he doesnt call the rules of war. He calls it the laws of arms. At the end of henry the fifth county talking about something thats happened on the battlefield. He said its express against the lord of arms. What was it that shakespeare saw was if you look at the prospects of what you said it, it seems obvious. Henry the fifth was just killed. An incredibly brutal passage of the battle. The french attack in two ways. Both ways had been repelled. Many prisoners have been taken. Prisoners were kept for ransom. They were sold behind the english lines. Suddenly a third line seems to go out to advance. What henry says to prisoners who havent had the hands tied, will join the battle again by attacking his been from the back. He ordered them killed. That isnt what he is complaining about. Thats a good thing. What he is complaining about is [inaudible] right around the back and they invaded the english camp. Imagine to steal all the crown jewels and they killed the pages. That is against the law of art. I think something will probably keep coming up this evening because how do you impose law on warfare . What by the very nature is lawless. We educate our children and say thou shalt not kill. And then we train them to be killers. Western civilization im sure come others too. Way back in the 12th century tried to draw a distinction between what he called homicide. Homicide is illegal. Its murder. Mala side was killing somebody who is evil. That runs all the way through law. You can a soldier killed, who can they not . What shakespeare is saying is you can kill someone who [inaudible] is that a law of war . Youre a lawyer. This is the only panel that has one lawyer. I brought reinforcement. [laughing] its still pretty remarkable not one, money, you have more degrees than anybody ive ever met but not one with a law degree. The very first attempt to codify the laws of war and ensure, it was drawn up in the United States 185253. He taught at columbia, south carolina, then moved to columbia. When he fought at waterloo he was a 21yearold boy from prussia and his Sergeant Major was a woman. And she had three decoration of bravery. Everybody in the army knew she was a woman. This is terrific and ship all the way through waterloo. Lever two up a coat of war which is very much the ancestor of the geneva code today. You cannot kill noncombatants. You mustnt use poison. You mustnt kill the wounded. Im not condoning the story by the something in it which it has relevance to shakespeare. The British Marine royal marine sergeant found guilty of murder because he had shot a taliban prisoner that conviction turned into manslaughter and think is being released from jail. Im not condoning what the man dead. I dont know details of it, but im sort of proud to tell you that his last words to the doomed man were hey, mate, its time you shuttled off with mortal coil. [laughing] well [laughing] its true. I told you would be entertaining. Hello. So, for all kinds of reasons this is probably my seventh production that dealt with war on stage. And possibly because of the way i grew up, possibly because the way i came from an actress family during the struggle, its something i spent a lot of time in my childhood thinking about and approving. I have directed a play which took place and what had to be staged was government soldiers and two different kinds of soldiers as well as civilians and miners all in one space. That it clips, was only five women, but the skills with which it was written really got a sense of the larger civil war all around you. Ive also done a play in europe which is about Doctors Without Borders and the experiences that they had. It just seems be something that a keep coming back to. So when michael asked me to direct macbeth, my job as an artist and as a director is to do test analysis, get into the mind of the writer, the playwright and try to understand what he or she is trying to talk about. And then think for me, think about who my audience is and think about especially with classics how can i get this story into their life so theyre not sitting back and watching a historical experience, like wash over them. It has to feel immediate for me. I dont see any purpose in going to sit and watch a piece. So after i excavated macbeth, the fact that i was doing in washington d. C. , and i thought that what macbeth is about that ive never seen when i seen a production is actually about greece, and grieving for ones country. And that is certainly something i can relate to. There were books written about my country, books called cry, beloved country. And the grief had the same field, having a dictator, tyrant in power, and the question of what has to happen to leaders, to citizens, to make them take up arms in their own country and fight civil war. That to me is the center of this play. And every scene that sort of come every scene of violence is about a father losing a son or a mother losing a daughter, or a child. The message that since to me from shakespeare is that he is trying to show the personal cost of war. We come from a country that loves to glamorize violence, that was to glamorize war. So i took that challenge from shakespeare and i took it very personally. So there are strands of this production of macbeth that are really about what it feels like to be inside of a civil war and what the personal cost of war is and what grief for your country is. [applause] cell in washington by the way you are not allowed to have a member of the cabinet lot lead off, but ryan zinke is actually quite a humble man and said he would go third tonight. So mr. Secretary. Its truly an honor to be with you. My background, as commander. Upfront i was never the best jumper or diver, explosive expert but i know who was. I was also a commander of special forces in iraq. So my experience is a little different. I dont think we glamorize war, at least not those who have fought. I think the decision to go to war for those who have fought is a solemn one. I like many of you are a father and i dont want my kid ever to go into war and less they can win. And the rules of engagement are part of it. But i think we owe it to our kids as we send them in the interest of our country, want to make the decision if we have to go to war, but you knew the right equipment, the right training, the right rules of engagement. And i would say you would add one more industries and conflict we have been in battle for longer period of our nations history by almost twice with the right pause. I will explain that. But the rules of engagement today are much different. Seals look at threat, nonthreat. A threat is clear, and cagey. Eliminate the threat. But what is a threat and asymmetrical warfare works is that a person with a gun . Is at the person with a cell phone in the corner . Is it a person that is supplying the ammunition, the intelligence . Its a difficult process to sort, select as an example in this room. If you were to walk in to an iraqi location where theres a group of people, how do you sort of select who is who . How do you sort of select in this room if you have 20 noncombatants, five combatants. Are the combatants hardened or not . How do you do it . And ultimately that task comes to judgment. Thats why we rely on our nations best. It is a judgment call. Example, if our rules of engagement dont allow us to fight, and in the case of afghanistan theres been plenty of cases where individuals go out, they are engaged in combat. There is in a c130 overhead which is a gunship. As for direct support and they are engaged with combat and they dont get the support. The reason is because someone is making a judgment call on whether engaging that a c130 will lead over casualties. In fact, if the enemy is firing from a building within the building, are they in fact, in the combatants . But when you are there and you are being fired upon and your teammates are getting hit, to not have the equipment available to you, i can tell you, if they cant depend on going out, and all these operations are wellplanned and they have their Quick Reaction force when you go out. They will timely. They get in trouble, how fast can the calvary get there. Do they have artillery . But if they go out and get engaged with the enemy and they cannot get aid, they are smart, they will not go out. Or they will turtle up. When th they do question mark wt heavy. They cant rely on any other force to render aid. So ill go back to the most important part is you got to trust your people. And thats where training comes in. Nobody that i know of thats fighting wants war. Is it because weve been engaged in combat the longest. In our nations history . And my daughter, i told her to think. Dont join the navy and dont marry a navy seal. [laughing] she did both. Shes a navy diver. She married a navy seal. Hes a fine young man. Hes a senior chief. He has gone to war at least 12 deployment. 12 times. Normal to him is not here. Normal to him is over there. Because he has spent more time over there than he has here. So how does that affect him . I need to go to the Grocery Store with them because hes aggressive behind the wheel. But the pause, because when these troops are coming back and where fighting so much for so long, they forget about normalcy in our society. They become hardened. Their judgment between threat and nonthreat. Thats why we fight over there so it doesnt come to hear. So im glad to be with you, but i can tell you this. In my experience you should never ever engage in warfare and unless you get the troops what they need to win. Your sons and daughters deserve it. Unfortunately, we find we face an enemy that is determined, that plays by no rules of humanity when you burn pilots in a cage alive, and you behead children this is what we face. Its ugly. So with that, steve. [laughing] thank you. That was uplifting. [applause] and now if you really wanted to see what it looks like from outer space, you could ask dale. Dale, could you reflect as an air commander your counterparts . Someone who shakespeare couldnt contemplate, talk to us about the air commander and the decisions that a professional soldier like you as that are different. Just think of me as he saved the least for last, and im the pause before we have q a. [laughing] it is,