 No one nation can go it alone in today's environment. 82 representatives from 25 nations in the African Union were Newport Road Island August 25 through 27 for the U.S. Naval War Colleges 12th Regional Alumni Symposium. The opportunity and importance of this gathering to impact international safety and security challenges in African waters was not lost on those in attendance. Clearly, there's a win here when we've got a relationship between a partner that had come here to study in the United States based on a greater understanding and a real sense of trust. But one of the things I've come to understand more deeply here is that it's not just the bilateral relationships that we're helping develop here, but it's the relationships in and amongst the class going through here. This is our 12th Regional Symposia, but this is actually the first time that we've actually brought alumni back here to our campus, which has been a really great opportunity. We've been able to have more of our faculty engaged, which not only is of the benefit to alumni, but it also really facilitates our faculty's ability to update our curriculum. It's a network of relationships that are built here that could not be built elsewhere across the globe, and yet these future military and government leaders are going to be decision makers in their countries. And in many cases, they're going to be able to effectively address issues long before they become a security issue for the United States. Well, as you know, most of the world trade is done by the sea, and being an island nation like my country, we depend a lot on trade coming into my country, and even the economy is based on maritime tourism and fishing. So if the sea is not safe, then the whole country cannot go on with its economic development. My hope is that the African continent will be able to emulate such forums, because actually these are open, shut-down house rule discussions, discussions where you can speak frankly without the constraints of the political fields, if you will, that are imposed on us as military leaders. Yeah, it's an international issue because all the countries that are seafarers, they depend on the sea for their livelihood and for their future also. These world leaders are out in the fleets. They are at literally the tip of the spear with their navies, with their services, for their countries. And the fact that they're coming together here to have off-the-record conversations and real dialogue, real debate, and real educational exchange for me makes me sleep way better at night knowing that we have such dedicated, thoughtful, and contemplative leaders willing to engage in this lifelong pursuit of learning. Reporting from the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, I'm Dan Marciniac.