[inaudible conversations] good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to the Washington Institute for near east policy. I have the pleasure of directing the institutes reinhardt program on counterterrorism and intelligence and im very, very please to be joined here today by the acting director of the National Counterterrorism center, Russell Travers. Todays conversation is part of the institutes ongoing counterterrorism lecture series. Russell took office at nctc as acting director in august, but its not his first, second or third time in the building. He felt many other leadership positions within nctc including Deputy Director counsel to the director, acting director to the office of datacomm strategy and innovation, chief data officer, among others picky suppositions at the office of the director of national intelligence, the Defense Intelligence agency, the nationals could counsel, the u. S. Army, joint chiefs of staff so were really very thrilled that he has been able to carve time out of