Any international actions in Syria would need a UN Security Council resolution similar to the one on Libya, the Canadian defence minister added. He also expressed his hope that Russia and China would agree on economic sanctions towards Syria. Speaking in Halifax, Senator John McCain expressed his conviction that the "Arab Spring is a virus that will attack Moscow and Beijing". At the 2010 Halifax International Security Forum the US Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham asked for Canadian troops staying in Afghanistan after 2011, the date of withdrawal, changing from a combat to a training role. Canadian Minister of National Defence, Peter MacKay, declared at the forum, that Canada was considering staying in Afghanistan with a training mission. At a forum panel on the Iranian nuclear conflict US Senator Graham called for a military strike on Iran to "neuter" the regime. Michèle Flournoy, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, confirmed a new approach of the US Administration towards Iran, from an attempt to engage the Iranian government "toward a pressure track with the imposition of sanctions". Canadian Minister MacKay favored collective international sanctions against Iran and its nuclear program. Speaking at Halifax that same year, Janet Napolitano, United States Secretary of Homeland Security, emphasized the prominent role of regular citizens in thwarting terrorist attacks. The situation in Afghanistan was a key issue of the inaugural Halifax Forum 2009. In his opening speech United States Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, acknowledged the military engagement of Canada in Afghanistan, with over 2,800 deployed troops and more than 130 soldiers killed. Gates emphasized the key role of the Canadian military for the success in Afghanistan. The secretary warned the Afghan government of a reduction of financial assistance because of corruption. Gates urged the nations of the western hemisphere to increase their cooperation and collaboration to bolster security in the country. For the NATO troops in Afghanistan, US Senator John McCain opposed fixed exit dates before a military success. "The exit strategy is success", McCain declared, "It’s when you succeed and start to draw down." On the conflict about the nuclear program of Iran, Ellen Tauscher, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, urged the country to "engage" with the West and warned, "If persuasion doesn’t work, pressure is going to have to be the next line of action." The future of the Arctic was also an issue of the 2009 forum. The annual Forum is held in Halifax, capital of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Halifax is the largest population center in Atlantic Canada and serves as business hub of the region.