At the invitation of Austrian Defense Attaché Major General Jürgen Ortner, David H. Petraeus spoke to a group of Defense Attachés from several European countries about U.S. national security, military and foreign policy and their implications for its transatlantic partners. While discussing various global issues, the retired U.S. Army General and former CIA Director stressed the importance of coalitions and alliances.

Austrian Ambassador Martin Weiss together with high-ranking military officers and diplomats representing Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, as well as the EU Delegation to the U.S. attended the breakfast meeting, which was held in an open dialogue format on February 10, 2020, at Major General Ortner’s residence in Washington, D.C.