Good morning and welcome to this Commonwealth Club online program. I am Gloria Duffey president and ceo of the Commonwealth Fund and was honored to serve as the Deputy Assistant secretary of defense in the 1990s. Peer are many issues today surrounding National Defense in our military and to the military be used to quell domestic unrest such as the recent protests and should the u. S. Be terminating many of our arms control treaties and contemplating resuming nuclear testing. Should the names of Confederate Military leaders be removed from u. S. Military bases and their statues be removed from our public places. To address these questions and many more today we will have a unique conversation between two recent secretary of defense, doctor robert gates and general james mattis. The bipartisan secretary of defense secretary robert gates served under president george w. Bush and barack obama. He is the author of a new book exercise of power american failures, successes and a new path forw
Fact bans, you know, youre going to get good questions and not someone getting up and making a speech theres a system and ask the questions and the questions are not high their exploring more doping what youre talking about so . A process of education its a process open to people that come to listen and learn to be a better citizen so i think in this sense as ive said this is an important moment in the history of democracy because it provides for the Commonwealth Club a new home its going to be a wonderful place and going to, conducive to see people sitting around talking and lincoln to prepared speeches and, of course, at the Commonwealth Club its not just the audience we have a great Radio Network to we reach millions of people. I think this is a great moment and im proud to be here involved in that and now i have a great pleasure we have in San Francisco many blessing. But one really important one is we have a terrific mayor. So we have the privilege of having him here and my privil
Schults. You know, informed debate respectful and informed discussion has been the hallmark of our Commonwealth Club over 11 decades and more so i. Actually very honored to join secretary schultz on this temporary stage to let you know now excited to do the groundbreaking for the new haurldz of our Commonwealth Club under any circumstances its better than q and a sections at the board of supervisors but i agree wholeheartedly with what the secretary has described this is a very challenging time on the world global stage and we do need more informed discussion will what was going on in the rest of the world and for the Innovation Capital of the world in San Francisco we want this information because we are a global haurldz for a lot of companies but were also the home of so many people who want to be better informed of what is the going on in the rest of the world not only for Investment Purposes but to understand our roll in in entire world were a global city we have to be better infor
Going to get good questions and not someone getting up and making a speech theres a system and ask the questions and the questions are not high their exploring more doping what youre talking about so . A process of education its a process open to people that come to listen and learn to be a better citizen so i think in this sense as ive said this is an important moment in the history of democracy because it provides for the Commonwealth Club a new home its going to be a wonderful place and going to, conducive to see people sitting around talking and lincoln to prepared speeches and, of course, at the Commonwealth Club its not just the audience we have a great Radio Network to we reach millions of people. I think this is a great moment and im proud to be here involved in that and now i have a great pleasure we have in San Francisco many blessing. But one really important one is we have a terrific mayor. So we have the privilege of having him here and my privilege to introduce mayor ed l
Another great accomplishment i want to say thank you to the Commonwealth Club and to our partners i want to say thank you to todd and all the people that are heading the fundraising they need our help and make sure they get the highest revenue and we want a showcase for the best possible dialog and the best along the wasting this is what being in San Francisco a all about. Being part of a Great Community of people that want to be here and to suggest to you, we want the highest standards this is the blessings i have for the Commonwealth Club and look forward to being here at the opening of this and hopefully, a short year well do everything from the permit side to make it a fast track it deserves to be and clapping to honor all the fundraising that the fined i know what private money does please if i put up the money will you fast track this well honor that congratulations and thank you secretary for initiating this and its my honor to join you for another 12 decades of Commonwealth Clu