With the arrival of the Trump administration, we have turned a new page in our ongoing effort to protect the nation against threats to its security. The 2017 Aspen Security Forum gathered present and former top-level government officials from national security agencies as well as a host of industry leaders, experts, journalists, and concerned citizens. Below, watch key excerpts from some of this year’s esteemed panelists.
Ahn Ho-Young
Ambassador Ahn is the South Korean ambassador to the United States. He remarked on the number of top-level officials he was able to see speak in just five hours at the Forum.
Dan Coats
Dan Coats is the current Director of National Intelligence. In this clip, he makes a case for renewing FISA section 702, which allows the intelligence community to target the communications of non-US persons located outside our borders.
Evelyn Farkas
Evelyn Farkas served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia/Ukraine/Eurasia under President Obama. She explained why Vladimir Putin took the risk of interfering in our elections and how we can deter him next time.
John Kelly
Then-Secretary of Homeland Security and current White House Chief of Staff John Kelly joined the Forum to discuss the administration’s fight against terrorism. In this clip, he explains why the laptop ban was initially put in place.
Husam Zomlot
Husam Zomlot is the head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s delegation to the US. He remarked on how the Forum allowed him to make connections in two days that would normally take two years.
John Brennan
Former CIA Director John Brennan joined James Clapper and Wolf Blitzer to assess the top threats to national security. In this clip, he explains why Congress should resist the potential dismissal of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Mike Pompeo
Mike Pompeo is the current director of the CIA. During a conversation on the unique challenges he faces in his role, he described our options to counter the North Korean nuclear threat.
Mike Rogers
Admiral Mike Rogers serves as Director of the National Security Agency. In this clip, he speaks on the independence of the NSA from the executive branch and why integrity is paramount to his job.
You can watch other clips from the Forum, including videos of every session, on the Aspen Institute YouTube page.
