Upon visiting some of our wounded troops, I recall entering a rehab area full of men and women who had wounds of varying severity. The room was a place of tough love. Men and women struggling with pain and debility, trying to walk again, recover, and learn new skills. What struck me most amidst the suffering was the commitment to keep working, get well, and maintain an attitude of strength in the face of great adversity.

I spoke with one officer. He had lost one eye and an arm. He was throwing a ball back and forth with his attendant. Normally a simple task, this activity was necessary to retrain his brain for a new type of coordination. In spite of his scars and tough road to recovery, he had a great attitude. No bitterness, no anger, no resentments. He believed in his mission and was willing to sacrifice.

Keeping you safe depends upon the men and women who are willing to put themselves on the front line for our security. We remain the strongest country, militarily and economically, in the world. Unfortunately, I cannot report that the world is growing calmer, more stable, and more secure. Ideological extremism is spreading across the globe, most alarmingly manifested in ISIL's twisted Islamic ideology. In the face of the barbaric onslaught in the Middle East, compounded by the Syrian dictator's war of attrition, Europe is contending with its worst refugee crisis since World War II. The continent’s leadership seems ill-equipped to understand their own plight.

As the world has focused on ISIL’s death cult, our focus has drifted away from another equally grave threat: the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Although the Iran agreement has understandably dominated headlines on this issue, North Korea’s dynastic and despotic leadership continues its provocations. The country’s young, insecure, ego-driven ruler seeks to consolidate his power and standing through bravado, backed up by nuclear weapons development. In a region already roiled by increased Chinese military posturing, particularly in the South China Sea, North Korea’s ongoing threats linger as one of the most complicated international dilemmas.

The possibility of nuclear weapon devastation is one of the most serious threats to civilization itself. Unfortunately, the gravity of this challenge has not received ongoing critical attention as a first order priority. New intellectual rigor, strategic projection, and next generation ownership are necessary for nuclear security in the 21st century. In my capacity as a founder and co-chair of the Nuclear Security Working Group, an important discussion of nuclear security took place this week in Washington regarding the range of options necessary to prevent nuclear catastrophe.

Given the collapse of nation state order in the Middle East, technological advances, and the potential for highly destructive weaponry to evolve, what will challenges to our national security look like in twenty to thirty years? The answer is as much a values proposition as a military proposition. On a fundamental level, the question is whether the world can embrace, inculturate, and institutionalize the belief in human dignity—and from there, build out the governing and economic systems consistent with protecting persons.

We owe it to the young men and women who are willing risk everything for us to take an integrated approach to security. I believe in a “3-D” structure: strong defense, smart diplomacy, and sustainable development. All are necessary components for international stability and thereby our national security.