Yes, it would be a pleasure.
Again, the Department of Defense was in support of the Department of Homeland Security, which had primary responsibility for the Deepwater Horizon response, and the Department of Energy, and other federal departments. But only the Department of the Navy had the large-scale assets for the skimmer boats, for example, to suck up the water off the surface of the ocean. Only the Department of Defense had those assets. The coast guard was also very important. The Department of Defense provided helicopters, transportation, all of these assets that were readily available in the Gulf of Mexico.
Now imagine what it would be like trying to conduct those operations in the Beaufort, how much more difficult it would be to support those assets and to get them where they were needed in a timely fashion. I believe that this is a challenge going forward, where partnering with industry, understanding which ships of potential concern are going to be transiting, now that more and more transits are occurring, especially carrying petroleum products.... This is an opportunity for dialogue in the Arctic Council, led now by Canada—the United States is soon to follow in a chair role—to discuss with all of the Arctic Council members how we can have a better understanding of ships that are transiting that may require special attention.