Over many decades of public service, Robert Gates has served as secretary of defense for two presidents and the director of the CIA.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Gates sits down with host David Gura and shares his perspective on what makes this moment one of “the most perilous” in history.

It’s the first of several interviews David did with some of the biggest names in foreign policy and national security at the Aspen Security Forum. We’ll publish those conversations on The Big Take over the next couple of weeks.