On August 13, the Atlantic Council hosted an off-the-record transition seminar for Ambassador Douglas E. Lute, the newly appointed US permanent representative to NATO.

The event touched upon the challenges NATO is likely to face during Ambassador’s tenure as US permanent representative, including maintaining a stable government in Afghanistan after the 2014 drawdown of NATO forces, the ongoing conflict in Syria, NATO’s role in cyber security, and the critical linkage between the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and transatlantic security.

This event is part of a series of transition strategy sessions hosted by the Atlantic Council for prominent officials transitioning to important new positions. The Atlantic Council has previously hosted similar sessions for NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Derek Chollet, and Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Philip Breedlove, among others.

Prior to his appointment as US Permanent Representative to NATO, Ambassador Lute served as deputy assistant to the President and coordinator for South Asia on the White House National Security Staff. From 2007 to 2009, he was assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan. He retired from active duty as Lieutenant General in 2010 after a distinguished thirty-five years of service in the US Army.