MR EDGAR: All right. Welcome, everyone. Please, if you haven't already, take your seats, and we'll begin the program shortly. My name is Paul Edgar, and I am the interim executive director of the Clements Center for National Security. On behalf of the Clements Center and the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, welcome to a conversation on the state of foreign affairs with Secretary Antony Blinken.
I have two important notes, and then I have three very short but important thank yous, and then I'll welcome and thank our university president, who will formally introduce our distinguished guests. But let me open with one sentence, a quote from Governor Bill Clements, while he was still deputy secretary of defense in 1973. He said, "Let us never send the President of the United States to the conference table as the head of the second strongest nation in the world." And in many respects, that single sentence summarizes what we are doing here today.
Okay, so two notes. First, you may be familiar with the nationwide emergency alert test, which is scheduled for about 19 and a half minutes from right now. So that we don't interrupt the conversation, please put your phones on airplane mode. I have been told that's the way to go about this. I also recommend that you keep your phone close at hand, not so you can text your friends but so that when you suddenly realize that you didn't actually put it on airplane mode, you can quickly silence it when it squawks in about 19 minutes.
Second, this is for our students. Our new Texas diplomat in residence, Mr. Daniel Stewart, has a recruiting booth set up right next door on the first floor of Flawn Academic Center. So immediately after this event, all of you who are students, get five friends, go over to FAC, and tell Mr. Stewart that you want to be a State Department Foreign Service officer or a civil servant. (Laughter.).
The 2030 plan, the 2030 State Department plan - and I think the Secretary is going to mention this during his remarks - we want every single Foreign Service officer and civil servant to be from the University of Texas. (Laughter.) That's the master plan. But seriously, go visit Daniel and learn about opportunities in the Department of State, and then go upstairs to the fourth floor and learn how the Clements Center can help you get there.
And now three brief thank yous. First, thanks to Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Soncia Reagins-Lilly and her absolutely amazing staff for the tremendous effort required to prepare this venue. Thank you to UTPD for their herculean and absolutely professional security effort. Welcome to our University of Texas System Chancellor J.B. Milliken. Thanks for joining us today. And I want to thank you and the system regents especially for your gracious and generous support of our national security and foreign policy journal, the Texas National Security Review.
Last, I'd like to welcome our University of Texas President Jay Hartzell and, while doing so, thank him for all he has done for the study of foreign affairs and national security on this campus. Jay, thanks for supporting the centers, schools, and departments that educate and train our students who are pursuing careers in this field and thank you for supporting our scholars who contribute to the improvement of policymaking. I could not think of a more appropriate person to introduce our distinguished guests. Ladies and gentlemen, President Jay Hartzell. (Applause.)
MR HARTZELL: Thanks a lot, Paul, and I have - in remarks, I want to say thanks to Paul for what he's doing, for everything he's doing except wearing a maroon blazer this week. (Laughter.) As I told him before, this is not the difficult part of your job. (Laughter.)
Good afternoon to all of you. And to Secretary Blinken, Senator Hutchison, all of our esteemed guests, welcome. And I want to say a special welcome and a shout-out to our students in the audience today. Seeing today's conversation is the type of opportunity made possible by attending a world-class university such as ours, and the place that hosts centers like the Clements Center and the Strauss Center, which make all this possible. I want to say thanks to Paul Edgar, to Adam Klein, who is running the Strauss Center. I'll say also thanks to Dean JR DeShazo from the LBJ School and Professor Sheena Greitens for all the work that went into this, so thank you for all you're doing to lead us along the way. How about a round of applause for them? (Applause.)
This is a truly special occasion, and not only because of the nature of our guests here today, but also because it's the first event here in this gorgeous auditorium since this remodel was finished. This was the very first theater built on the campus. And in the 90 years since its completion, it's seen a lot of history. We've produced some amazing alumni in that time, including Secretary of Education William Bennett, Secretary of Commerce Don Evans, and two Secretaries of State, Rex Tillerson and James Baker. We've got a third Secretary of State with us today, Secretary Antony Blinken.
Secretary Blinken was confirmed in 2021, but his distinguished service record began long before that. His expertise in the public sector over the last 30 years and for three presidential administrations has been shaping U.S. foreign policy to ensure the protection of this country's best interests and upholding the values that define us. After translating his background as a successful attorney in the private sector, Secretary Blinken founded WestExec Advisors, an international strategic consulting firm focusing on geopolitics and national security.
Also joining us here today is an amazing alumna of UT, the first woman from Texas to serve in the U.S. Senate, Kay Bailey Hutchison. Senator Hutchison served in the U.S. Senate from 1993 to 2013. After her service as a senator, she was named the U.S. permanent representative to NATO in 2017, a position she held until 2021. Senator Hutchison has protected our interests on the global stage, and we could think of no better person to represent both UT and to host this conversation with Secretary Blinken on our behalf. Senator, thank you for being here today and for your service to our university, our state, and our country.
Mr. Secretary, thank you for coming to The University of Texas, and thank you for your service to our country. This is an important occasion for our university, and it fits our role. Former UT President Harry Ransom described the UT campus as a field of ideas, and that is certainly true today, as we welcome our esteemed guests.
We also have another field on our minds this week, Mr. Secretary, one that's about 200 miles north of here. (Laughter.) Amidst our anticipation and preparation for Saturday, it is great for you to be here and help us focus on these important and weighty issues facing our country and the broader world. That said, in addition to saying thank you, we want to applaud the wisdom of your choice to visit this university during this week - (laughter) - on the preferred side of the Red River. (Laughter.)
