Evolution of the International Security Environment

Evolution of the International Security Environment

I have to start with a confession, distinguished Commandant, Generals, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.  This is my first speech for a long time. So I am a little bit rusty. The reason is that I retired from public speaking last year. I was in London, giving a talk next to the Houses of Parliament. When I finished, a man in the audience, who looked like the American detective Colombo, you remember with the hand woven hat and dirty raincoat, came up on to the stage and said ‘—Dr.Shea, Thank you very much for coming this evening, take this envelope, this is a small token of our appreciation.’ I looked inside the envelope, and I saw a bundle of money. But I immediately thought:  We live in the age of Facebook, Instagram, the social media, nothing can be secret any longer, right? So I decided to hand the envelope back. And when I did so, a tear went down his face. And he said ‘—Ooh, Dr.Shea, thank you so much for giving this money back. Next time we will use it to get a really good speaker!’.  So I decided immediately to retire.  But then the Commandant approached me, and Turkish hospitality is legendary, which I’ve just verified again.  So thank you very much, Commandant, for the kind hospitality, I’ve made an exception for you.  Here I am, as they say in the music business, ‘one night only’, to talk to you today. 
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