A PS---as you know SecGen did not meet with Prez, VP or NSA. Am told that the meeting with Ash was  at the last minute.  This is obviously not in your wheel house but how do we let this happen?  NATO is in a tizwhiz or even crisis over Ukraine and Putin and SecGen gets the mushroom treatment.  I can imagine the mutterings in the NAC and at NATO HQ.  Even Rasmussen got better treatment.

I understand why you are looking forward to becoming Mr Breedlove!

Best H

On Fri, Mar 27, 2015 at 12:07 PM, Harlan Ullman <harlankullman@gmail.com> wrote:

Phil--this is betwixt us.  SecGen met with Colin Powell over lunch two days ago.  A few others were present.  SecGen said he wanted to define a NATO strategy to coordinate with ours.  CP said what strategy!

My suggestion is this. We need to do a Bob Komer in reverse.  Bob was Harold Brown's special advisor to NATO and he was a dynamo who singlehandedly got the 3% real growth approved by NATO.

That will not happen again.  But you and the SecGen might be able to fashion a NATO strategy to leverage, cajole, convince or coerce the US to react.  Given Obama's instruction to you not to start a war, this may be a tough sell.  In this regard I think Doug Lute could be instrumental too.  And I think Ash Carter would be very supportive along with John McCain with whom Ash has for the moment an excellent relationship.

Something to think about and I have more specific ideas if you are interested.

Great show by the way at the GMF Brussels forum.

Best H