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The third installment of the symposia series, Dealing with Today's Asymmetric Threat to U.S. and Global Security, Employing Smart Power, was held on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at the Ft. Myer Officers Club in Arlington, VA. Presented here are CACI Chairman of the Board Jack London's opening remarks.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Welcome distinguished guests and colleagues to the third symposium in our asymmetric threat series. Thank you for being here today.

I want to say up front that my views here are mine alone and do not necessarily represent those of anyone else. In fact, all of the dialogue here today is "privileged," "off-the-record," and "not for attribution."

In our first two meetings, in May and October 2008, we discussed the need for an integrated national asymmetric threat strategy and the implementation of soft power as part of that strategy. We have released reports from both sessions that present the highlights and recommendations. These reports are available online at www.asymmetricthreat.net. And our symposia have already become part of the national security dialogue.

Our goal today is to further that dialogue. Today's focus is "Employing Smart Power." Many Americans may not have heard of "smart power." Some may have heard about it when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton referred to it in her confirmation hearing this past January. But this blend of traditional "hard power" and the renewed focus on soft power is something our series has been talking about since May of last year.

So, where did smart power come from? In 2004 Suzanne Nossel, a foreign affairs specialist and media executive at the time, published an article called "Smart Power" in Foreign Affairs magazine. There, she advocated "focusing on the 'smart use of power' to promote U.S. interests through a stable grid of allies, institutions and norms." Furthermore, Ms. Nossel stated that we must "define an agenda that marshals all available sources of power and then apply it in bold yet practical ways to counter threats and capture opportunities."

And we must be bold, because the purveyors of terror are increasingly audacious and daring. Just look at the November 2008 attacks on Mumbai which killed 173 people and wounded another 308. A group of ten men – only ten men – who arrived in the city by boat, carried out ten coordinated attacks, holding Mumbai hostage for over three days. By the way, my wife and I were in Mumbai in early 2007 and stayed three days at the beautiful old Taj Mahal hotel that was shown burning on TV day after day that November.

And the threats are no longer just physical. As we will hear later today, cyber security is an increasingly important part of our national security strategy in response to the numerous asymmetric threats we face. In fact, a new Comprehensive National Cyber Security Initiative is in the works. And why is this? Last year, former Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell pointed out that, "Our information infrastructure – including the Internet, telecommunications networks, computer systems and embedded processors and controllers in critical industries – increasingly is being targeted for exploitation and potentially for disruption or destruction, by a growing array of state and non-state adversaries."

Terror groups also use information technology to maintain their networks, recruit new members and promote their causes to a worldwide audience. In the UK last year three men were sentenced to 24 years in prison for using stolen identities and credit cards to create websites for publishing recruiting materials produced by Al-Qaeda in Iraq. The material on these sites was meant to recruit suicide bombers.

And just last week yet another purported message from Osama bin Laden – calling for upheaval in Somalia – was posted on the Internet.

We cannot underestimate the effectiveness of the extremists' efforts. Ideologies from which extremist Islam is driven have taken hold around the world. From the early writings of Sayyid Qutb, to the Iranian Revolution and to sleeper cells in Western nations, we can see that fanaticism has only gotten stronger.

As threats to national and global security become more innovative we cannot forget about longstanding threats, like bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. The Madrid and London bombings both had Al-Qaeda roots. Both Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are resurging in a tumultuous Afghanistan. And let's not forget ongoing concerns arising from countries like Somalia, Sudan, China, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela.

National and regional conflicts continue to be at the forefront of security interests. Most recently, the "mini-war" between Israel and Gaza highlighted long standing hostilities with far reaching implications. Pakistan is marred by instability and led by a regime increasingly giving in to extremists. Iran's growing influence in the region, along with its nuclear weapons potential, makes it a continuing concern. Many challenges also remain in Iraq.

Hezbollah gains strength and reach. British authorities recently confirmed the existence of some Hezbollah sleeper cells in the UK, threatening to strike in case of attacks against Iran. Hezbollah also has an established presence in both Africa and Latin America, where it operates significant drug smuggling operations.

And we cannot forget about the drug trade. Hezbollah is not alone here. It is suspected that up to 60% of terror organizations are connected in some fashion to the illegal narcotics trade. The UN estimates the international drug trade at $322B.

Illegal narcotics fund not only terror groups; they provide livelihoods for regular people. Take Afghanistan, which supplies more than 90% of the world's opium. The opium trade is about one-third of Afghanistan's entire gross domestic product. It is estimated that at least 35% of Afghanistan's population is directly or indirectly involved in the opium trade. And as one observer recently put it, for many it is "the difference between modest prosperity (by Afghan standards) and destitution."

We see this link between terrorism and prosperity elsewhere. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, Hamas spends most of its estimated $70M annual budget on social services, like schools, orphanages, mosques, healthcare clinics, soup kitchens and sports leagues.

The reasons are why our last symposium, and a good part of today's agenda, was focused on soft power. As stated in the second symposium's report, "To proactively promote abroad the values of democracy, and to revitalize America's international image and prestige, the U.S. government must engage in a variety of soft power initiatives. These initiatives must focus on improving individual welfare and civil society, enhancing the rule of law and order, and developing economic opportunities around the world."

The goal of today's symposium is to consider how to best integrate these kinds of soft power initiatives with the more conventional defense measures.

It has been well known for years that the old threat response paradigm of the Cold War era no longer fits today's ongoing socio-economic, political and military security challenges. Add religious, ethnic and ideological conflicts that cross national boundaries to that mix and there is no doubt that a new response strategy is needed.

Harvard professor, Joseph Nye, the man behind the term "soft power," along with former deputy Secretary of State – and former CACI board member – Richard Armitage, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last year: "Smart Power is a framework for guiding the development of an integrated strategy, resource base and tool kit to achieve U.S. objectives, drawing on both hard and soft power."

I have no doubt that our asymmetric threat symposium series has had a role in advancing a legitimate, effective and sustainable national and global security strategy. Today's discussions will contribute significantly to developing that bold agenda to counter the many threats we face today and capture opportunities for a safer tomorrow.

I'm quite pleased that we've been able to bring together today so many distinguished speakers, panelists and moderators so we might consider their various perspectives. Thank you all for your participation.

The tragedy of 9/11 woke up most of America, but time has clouded some of our memories. So today's effort is to awaken everyone to the need for a new and more effective strategic response to these asymmetric threats.

I want to thank Ft. Myer and the Officers Club for hosting this event. Specifically, we wish to thank Garrison Commander Col. Laura J. Richardson as the host leadership. I'd also like to extend my appreciation to Maj. Gen. Tom Wilkerson and his staff at the U.S. Naval Institute for joining us in co-sponsoring this symposium, as well as the October 2008 program. Finally, I want to thank everyone at CACI who made our symposium today a reality. Your efforts are a valuable public service.

Again, welcome, and please have a most productive symposium! Our goal is to stimulate serious and meaningful dialogue on these issues of vital national concern.

Thank you!