I'm not sure what you are referring to with that particular comment. I've never heard that it put the program in a precarious position. It just put the program where I think it should be. He has to understand what is happening within NATO territory, but we also need to understand what is happening at the periphery of NATO territory. This is certainly what did happen with regard to providing support in that context.
On February 6th, 2018. See this statement in context.