Thank you, Chair. Congratulations on your appointment.
Gentlemen, it's very interesting to hear from you both today.
I've got a number of questions. I think you emphasized the study and focus on the defence of North America. As for the situation around the world, as Mr. Harris was saying, we would be very interested to discuss your views on that another time. We'll try to focus on the task at hand.
Mr. Petrolekas, in a recent article in The Globe and Mail, you wrote that “Afghanistan is far better off than what it was in 2001 by almost every possible metric” and “there is no longer ethnic repression on the scale there once was, health care has improved and there remains a sense of hope.”
That's all well and good, but I'm curious to get your thoughts on how the improved situation in Afghanistan affects the defence of North America. Can you discuss this in regard to the threat we face from terrorism?