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We& #39;re now starting coverage of today& #39;s conversation on the future of defense policy with former U.S. SecDef Chuck Hagel and @trudyrubin, following an introduction from @PennBiden& #39;s @mikercarpenter. Follow this thread for updates 
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"To frame todayâs subject, youâve first got to understand that there is no such thing as status quo in the world," says Secretary Hagel. "The challenges, threats, and opportunities we face donât stay the same. A nation is not the same as it was yesterday."
"At the same time, we& #39;re living in a world undergoing a renewal, a reevaluation, a rethinking. The world we helped create and lead after WW2, the new liberal world order with international institutions based on the common interests of all people, thatâs all in question now."
"Weâre currently in the midst of a global pandemic, which has affected everything in our country and the world â economies, security, intelligence gathering and sharing, our culture, our society. And thatâs just one dynamic at play."
"China is exploding economically and investing in more military hardware and new technologies. Itâs a challenge we didnât have 10 years ago. Russia & Iran are resurgent, the Middle East in chaos. Weâre trying to deal with all this at the same time as rebuilding our own economy."
"No country can be secure if their economy, their society are not secure. Politically, weâre seeing a huge divide and paralysis resulting from it. 1968 was the last time we saw anything like this, but this is far beyond that. Can we rebuild this country in the interest of all?"
"Are major threats to the U.S. now geopolitical â the rise of China and a revanchist Russia? And if so, how do you define the China threat?" asks @trudyrubin.
"Certainly China is part of the equation, but itâs bigger than just China. One of the factors in dealing with China is the strength of our alliances. President Biden has moved on that since taking office. Cyber is also a major threat - it& #39;s an insidious and deadly weapon."
"Cyber makes non-state actors major players, but China, North Korea, Russia are advanced in this. Itâs a dynamic weâre facing as the world leader. The world is looking at us and asking if weâre still the world leader - thatâs not the message weâve sent in the last 4 years."
"Are the U.S. and Pentagon ready for tech competition from China?" asks @trudyrubin.
"The US is very much up to this challenge, the resources will be available. Free enterprise and its inventiveness are key â people are the ones who develop new resources, and our people are free and have choices, so I will always have confidence in our kind of system."
"Iâm not discounting their power and what theyâve been able to do, but China has been a free economy while not being free politically. At the same time, theyâre creating a lot of wealthy people with expectations. Its authoritarian policies will conflict at some point with that."
"Chinaâs strength, resourcefulness, patience are all very strong points, but theyâve got major internal problems as well. The world also does not trust them â you canât name real friends, partners and allies for China. We need to have confidence in our people, our system."
"Thereâs much renewed discussion about the âThucydides Trap& #39;: when a rising power collides with a declining power, almost inevitably war results. Are we destined for war with China or is it possible to cooperate without military conflict?" asks @trudyrubin.
"I donât think war with China is inevitable. Itâs possible, we need to be prepared for war, thatâs always the case. We have areas of common interest, like climate change. There are ways we can cooperate with China."
"Iâve met Xi and other Chinese leaders in pretty direct conversations where theyâve hinted the US is a declining power, but they know thatâs not true. Weâve had our setbacks, but weâre not in decline. So I wouldnât see that as the current case between China and the US."
"Thereâs a new book co-authored called & #39;2034: A Novel of the Next World War& #39;, which is about the US and China sliding into a war neither wants in the South China Sea through cyber attack. Is there a danger of cyber war, and is the Pentagon prepared for that kind of war?"
"There& #39;s always a danger of conflict happening like that, and I do think weâre stuck on a 20-year antiterrorism mentality. I say that in full recognition that there are still terrorists out there who want to damage us and our allies."
"We have been consumed with terrorism for the last 20 years - I was the first SecDef who had visited nuclear bases in years - so we have neglected some areas, but we are coming out of that mentality. Cyber is a far bigger threat to this country than ISIS or Al Qaeda."
"Do you see our allies in Europe and Asia being willing to take a strong position in countering an aggressive China?" asks @trudyrubin.
"China has a long arm into Europe â trade, economy, raw materials. While these countries won& #39;t abandon their relationship with the US, theyâre looking at it differently than 10 years ago. Part of it is, "can we trust the US? Biden says this now, but who will come after him?""
"So we have to look out for our own future. We need to convince our allies, not just by words but by deeds, and show them we recognize why they have these interests. Biden is qualified to do that, he has a solid, experienced team around him."
"I also think Trump was right on this â he took the wrong approach â but heâs right that we need to ask more of our partners, especially NATO. It is more complicated with our allies in Asia, because theyâre right there and have to deal with China in reality."
"Russia is floating the Behring Strait as an alternative trade route to the Suez Canal. Is this a threat?" asks @trudyrubin, turning to audience questions.
"Itâs more about the Arctic. I was the first SecDef to implement an Arctic defense strategy, back in 2013 â weâre way behind in that area. China has sophisticated activities there, Russia is reactivating its Soviet era bases. Thatâs going to be a central area of interest."
Is Chinese-Russian cooperation a problem? "Itâs not new. Their common interests are as much driven by damaging the US as much as they can as anything else. I donât think either side trusts the other, but theyâll accommodate each otherâs interests if itâs in their interest too."
Has the US neglected the Med as Russia and China expand investments and military exercises there? "All the time we were consumed with terrorism, locked into unwinnable wars, that gave the Russians and the Chinese free time and space to act. I do think we& #39;ve missed a lot of it."
What demographic changes, like growth rates in African nations, do you see having an impact on the balance of power? "Africa is a very important continent, its resources, its location, its people. We have not paid a lot of attention to it outside of having bases there."
"Weâve done some good things, but we need a whole new strategy for Africa. We have to find a new approach so our African friends can have trust and confidence in us. Our help has been transactional in the past or we& #39;ve led with our military - we have to strengthen diplomacy too."
