On December 1, NDU hosted British Chief of the Defense Staff, General Sir Nick Houghton in Lincoln Hall Auditorium as part of the Distinguished Leader Program series. Houghton’s visit to NDU comes as part his of several days of meeting with high level U.S. officials in the Pentagon and White House. The purpose of Houghton’s trip to Washington centered on the British government’s desire to inform U.S. officials on the nature of their newly published 2015 National Security Strategy and Strategic Defense Review.
Houghton’s discussion focused on British weapons procurement, the current national security environment, collective security, cyber warfare, and religious extremism. He went on to emphasize his government’s efforts to reassume a more influential role in the maintenance of international order and security. Houghton concluded with remarks about the need to reorientate NATO towards combating the rising threat of hybrid warfare.