Page 4 July 27, 2017 TORRANCE TRIBUNE TerriAnn in Torrance The Manfred Wörner Seminar Fellowship: A Visit With Jonathan Beutler By TerriAnn Ferren Most people would probably agree our lives changed on September 11, 2001. The security of the world, our nation, our state, our community, and our town became a topic of conversation everywhere, and for me Rockwell’s song “Somebody’s Watching Me” took on a whole new meaning after that fateful day. The subject of security bubbled up again when I discovered South Bay resident Jonathan Beutler had been chosen from 400 applicants for participation in a fellowship under The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), which strengthens transatlantic cooperation between Germany and the United States. GMF is a Washington, D.C.-based, non-profit organization. Jonathan explained that the organization strengthens transatlantic cooperation on regional, national and global challenges, and provides opportunities in the spirit of the Marshall Plan (an economic support recovery plan to help rebuild Western Europe after WWII). Jonathan was chosen to participate in the Manfred Wörner Seminar Fellowship. Manfred Wörner was Chancellor of Germany, and later Secretary General of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). “The program was named after him because of his vision of strengthening German/American relations after the war [WWII] and into the future and he saw that as the crux of transatlantic relationships…I should also note that this particular fellowship is organized on the US side by the German Marshall Fund, and it is also partially organized by the German Ministry of Defense,” said Jonathan. Jonathan has always been focused on public affairs and the political aspect of diplomacy- -not necessarily national security--but was extremely pleased when he was selected from hundreds of applicants for this prestigious fellowship. Jonathan is currently Director of Public Affairs for Sunrider International. Selections were announced in March, and at the time, Jonathan was acting as Chairman of the Board of the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce. Speaking with Hans Jorg Newmann, (German Counsul General here in Los Angeles), and with former participants helped prepare Jonathan for the June trip to Germany. The chosen 15 Americans gathered together in Washington, D.C. at the German Marshall Fund Headquarters prior to departing the United States for Frankfort, Germany. It was there the group met their 15 German counterparts. The majority of the United States group was from the Pentagon, those had served in the military, those who had worked on security alliance policy, and military contract people. Jonathan was the only one selected from the West and also the only one from our own backyard. “There was a lot of touring around and getting briefed by different officials and different agencies, and organizations, and members of Parliament. There were a lot of opportunities for us as a group to sit down and hash out our ideas about lots of different things,” said Jonathan. Conversations ranged from politics and differing opinions to security issues. Core discussions centered on the national security partnership between the United States and Germany and how it plays out through NATO and the European Union. At this point, I asked Jonathan about cyber-security issues and how they differ, if they do, in Germany. “I think Germans prioritize personal privacy maybe a little bit more than Americans do in general. This is not the case for all Germans… but you will see Germans are more careful as to what they are sharing online via social media. There is more of a preference for platforms such as Whatsapp, which is an encrypted, more secure, direct, peer-to-peer contact as opposed to Facebook, where you are sort of pouring it out to a more public space,” said Jonathan. That is interesting to me. Do any of you have Facebook? What do you share and if so, how much? Jonathan shared that most of his personal information had been hacked by the Chinese Military when he was in the State Department. All of his personal files were taken when he was in the Diplomatic Service of the United States Foreign Service assigned in Washington, D.C., and then in Tokyo, Japan. His time in Tokyo was memorable on many levels. Jonathan told me, “There was a sense of mission within the State Department of strengthening the United States’ position in Asia and our relationship with our partners in East Asia. Being in Tokyo was wonderful for me. I worked very closely with the Ambassador…we had constantly interesting visitors and I was in charge of the visits.” As far as defense, Jonathan told me that the Germans, generally, have a much harder time recruiting for their military than we do and he thinks that might reflect leftover feelings from WWII. As a matter of fact, Germany is just developing a Veteran’s Program because currently, one barely exists. Security in Germany is focused more on national security, according to Jonathan. The fellowship visited the NATO AWACS (Airborne and Early Warning Control System), popularly known as eye in the sky. “They are the fleet of NATO aircraft. There are 16 planes equipped with a very specialized AWACS radar system…so it is a huge surveillance system NATO employs to ensure security,” said Jonathan. On one visit, while having lunch in the mess on a base, Jonathan told me he saw every nation represented with soldiers wearing their national uniforms. However, they are all in cooperation with the NATO flag and all under Major General Dawn M. Dunlop. Then I asked Jonathan what he learned on this trip and how as citizens we can apply his experience in our personal lives. First, he told me that he saw how valuable and important it is for the United States to continue moving forward hand-in-hand with other countries by strengthening alliances. “I asked one of the senior advisors in Brussels about Article 5 of NATO – which in essence says any attack on one country is an attack on all--which has only been activated once--and that was on September 11, 2001, after the attacks in New York and Washington…President Trump had visited the memorial two weeks before we were there, because the site was under construction--there is a memorial to 9/11. It is very important to the alliance because it is the only time it was activated,” shared Jonathan. On that note, one of the most moving moments for Jonathan happened at NATO Headquarters in a briefing room, with the Acting Representative from the United States (a permanent one hadn’t been appointed as yet), who was sitting next to the German Representative from NATO. The Acting Representative shared his experiences about being able to count on NATO partners and friends in the aftermath of 9/11. “Then the German Representative recounted her experience. She talked about how this all came about-- and the foundation of all of this is because there was a generation of young Americans willing to put their lives on the line [they still had acne] for Europeans they did not know because they believed in freedom. They wanted to deliver freedom…and this is a high-ranking German diplomat… Wasn’t it Condalezza Rice who said, ‘It is nice to know we have friends,’” said Jonathan. It was a highlight of the trip and a moving moment for Jonathan, impressing upon him the importance of countries working together. So, how does that help us here in Torrance? To begin with, Jonathan told me we first need to be proud of our heritage as Americans, and what the “greatest generation” has been able to achieve in the post-WWII, 20th Century in creating a strong, peaceful international system where the United States has taken a lead and been proactive in creating a security framework. “I think it [security] is important to all of us here in California. I remember asking someone at NATO [he was a British attorney--legal counsel at NATO], ‘Would Article 5 be activated if North Korea struck Guam or Hawaii with a missile?’ It was interesting to me, as we are in the Pacific theatre and he said, ‘That is a contingency. I don’t know how Article 5 would be interpreted legally.’” Jonathan also shared, “Surveillance is happening everywhere. Cameras are everywhere…I see us in a very strong position in terms of security, but you can never rest on your laurels.” “Torrance came up a few times. I consider it to be my hometown now in a lot of ways. It’s a place I care a lot about and I would love to see Torrance engage more in terms of trade and foreign investment with Europe. If we can get more Europeans to pay attention to Torrance, that would be good. We are perfectly located between the most important, busiest ports in the Western Hemisphere, and the busiest airport when you talk about destination origin passengers in the world. We are in this amazing location. We are in this bubble in the South Bay. We have this beautiful climate, so many amenities, with such an interesting, diverse community,” said Jonathan. Well said, Jonathan. You have inspired me in many ways--not the least of which is gently using social media and taking precautions on the computer in this age of technology. 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