Press Calls

Crimea in Crisis with Ambassador Michael McFaul Friday, March 7, 2014 12:00 PM Eastern As the crisis in the Crimean Peninsula continues and America and Europe wrestle with the proper response to Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, the National Security Network is hosting a press call with former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul on Friday, March 7th at 12:00 PM. Please join us as we assess the situation in Ukraine and examine what the appropriate next steps are in diffusing the volatile situation. Speaker Ambassador Michael McFaul Ambassador McFaul was nominated by President Barack Obama on September 14, 2011, and confirmed by the Senate on December 17, 2011. He was sworn in as the United States Ambassador to the Russian Federation on January 10, 2012.… Read More ›

State of Play on Iran Talks: Implementation Agreement/Senate Legislation   Thursday, January 16, 2014 10:00AM ET President Obama recently announced an agreement with Iran for implementing the Joint Plan of Action, marking the first time in a decade that Iran has agreed to halt progress on its nuclear program. This is a significant step toward advancing our goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. At the same time, however, there is continued effort in the Senate toward passing Bill S.1881 – Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2013, which experienced negotiators and analysts say could derail the negotiations for a final comprehensive agreement. The National Security Network invites reporters to join us for a press call on Thursday, January 16 at 10:00 AM… Read More ›

Tuesday, November 19, 2013 10:00 AM ET The upcoming round of talks between the P5+1 and Iran negotiators may lead to a first phase agreement on Iran’s nuclear program. This press call previews potential outcomes from the talks, lay out the key elements of a first phase and final deal, and discuss the U.S. debate on sanctions. Moderator(s): John Bradshaw, Executive Director, National Security Network Speaker(s):  Kelsey Davenport, Nonproliferation Analyst, Arms Control Association Alireza Nader, Senior International Policy Analyst, RAND Corporation Joel Rubin, Director of Policy and Government Affairs, Ploughshares Fund   TRANSCRIPT: THIS IS A PRELIMINARY TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.  JOHN BRADSHAW, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL SECURITY NETWORK: Good morning everyone, this is John Bradshaw, I’m the… Read More ›

CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO OF THE CALL (PART 1 AND PART 2) On a conference call this morning, Steven Pifer, Director of the Arms Control Initiative at Brookings Institution and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs; Jon Wolfsthal, Deputy Director of the Monterey Institute for International Studies Center for Nonproliferation and former Special Advisor to Vice President Biden for nuclear security and nonproliferation; and Dr. Robert Gallucci, President of MacArthur Foundation, former U.S. Ambassador at Large and Dean of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service; discussed their views on potential cooperation on nuclear and arms control issues between the U.S. and Russia during sideline meetings at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland. “I think the Russians have left the… Read More ›

Tonight in Florida, the presidential debate on foreign policy will be the last big chance for the candidates to prove to the American people theirs is the right path for U.S. foreign policy. On a press call with the National Security Network, Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), Maj. Gen. (ret) Paul D. Eaton, Dr. Lawrence Korb and Jon Soltz explored the contrasts between President Obama’s steady leadership on terrorism, Iran, Libya, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Pentagon spending, and China with Romney’s rhetoric and repackaging of Bush-Cheneyisms. In drawing the contrast, the speakers emphasized a lesser noticed trend in support of progressive foreign policy principles that better balance the three elements of American power: diplomacy, economy and military. LISTEN to the call here. READ call transcriptions… Read More ›

On an Oct. 22 conference call with reporters, Senate Armed Services Committee member Jack Reed, D-R.I., defended Obama’s [...] Read More ›

***Call-in information: 866-952-1907 ***Conference ID: BUDGET This afternoon, Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) are holding a town hall in Dayton to launch political attacks instead of leading with responsible problem-solving. The Senators’ event is billed as a town hall on the impact of potential automatic Pentagon cuts slated for early next year if Congress fails to meet deficit reduction goals. However, Senator McCain and his bipartisan colleagues voted these very cuts into law last year. In a series of stops across the country, Senators McCain, Graham and Ayotte are dedicating more energy fearmongering than working to find a responsible alternative budget that takes our national security into consideration. Today at 11:00am EST, Congressman Tim Ryan will join State Sen.… Read More ›

This week, the UN General Assembly annual meeting in New York is shining a national and global spotlight on international diplomacy. On a press call with the National Security Network on September 24, Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA), House Armed Services Committee ranking member, Ambassador Thomas Pickering, former U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations and co-chair and signatory to The Iran Project report on “Weighing the Benefits and Costs of Military Action in Iran,” and Heather Hurlburt, National Security Network executive director, previewed the UN summit and laid out top benchmarks and opportunities for U.S. leadership and multilateral efforts in Iran, Syria, Africa and Asia. Listen to the call HERE. Ambassador Thomas Pickering emphasized non-military options for confronting challenges in the Middle East, Africa and… Read More ›

On September 12, the National Security Network held a press call with senior diplomatic, military and security experts to offer perspective on yesterday’s tragic violence in Libya, which resulted in the deaths of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other members of the diplomatic staff. Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin, Major General Paul Eaton, Tom Malinowski and Brian Katulis emphasized the importance of measured responses from U.S. policymakers and politicians. Listen to the call HERE. Major General (ret) Paul Eaton, National Security Network senior adviser and thirty-year U.S. Army veteran including service in conflict- and post-conflict Somalia, Bosnia and Iraq, urged a measured response from American leaders: “Soldiers look to their chain of command, look to their leadership to be cool, calm, and collected, steady in the… Read More ›