On February 26, the Atlantic Council hosted James J. Townsend, Jr., deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO Policy, for a roundtable discussion on the outcomes of the NATO Defense Ministerial Meetings which took place February 21-22, 2013 in Brussels.

Jim Townsend briefed the Council on the meeting’s major deliverables and shared his perspectives and insights on the Alliance’s current and future challenges. The discussion touched upon NATO’s post-2014 mission in Afghanistan, the growing concerns over the war in Syria, and the administration’s views on the continuing importance of its strategic partnership with NATO’s European allies.

Before taking up his current position as deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO Policy, Jim was a vice president and director of the International Security Program at the Atlantic Council. Jim joined the Atlantic Council after a distinguished career at the Pentagon and at NATO.