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The state of the force—2005
Air Force Speeches, Sept 12, 2005 by Pete Geren
Remarks delivered for the opening keynote address to the Air Force Association's Air and Space Conference, Washington, Sept. 12, 2005
Thank you, Don (retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Donald L. Peterson, AFA executive director) for that warm introduction.
As partly a Longhorn I could make an Aggie joke, but I won't. I'm afraid General Moseley might get even with me if I do. But I was raised in an Aggie household so my blood runs burnt orange and a little maroon, so it's a little bit of both. But after this weekend it's hard not to cling to that Longhorn heritage with that big win over Ohio State, but I'm not going to mention anything else about that.
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I appreciate that introduction. It's good to see such a great crowd here supporting the Air Force Association and supporting our Airmen all around the world.
There are several of our leaders who were not recognized this morning. I'm told they're in the audience, and literally with the brightness I cannot see all the faces but I wanted to recognize them because they weren't recognized this morning. I'd ask them to stand up and introduce all of them, and then we can hold your applause until I reach the end.
General Bruce Carlson (Commander, Air Force Materiel Command) is here. General Doc Foglesong (Commander, U.S. Forces in Europe). General Paul Hester (Commander, U.S. Pacific Air Forces). General Ron Keys (Commander, Air Combat Command). General Bill Looney (Commander, Air Education and Training Command). General Lance Lord (Commander, Air Force Space Command). General Norton Schwartz (Commander, U.S. Transportation Command). I'd ask them to stand so that we can show our appreciation for the great job they do.
I am very pleased to be with you today and talk to you about the great things your Air Force is doing, to talk to you about the state of the U. S. Air Force, and ! have a lot cover. My goal is to quit talking before you quit listening, but I do have a lot to cover.
I want to talk to you about our commitment to doing even better in the future. I'm particularly glad that AFA has dedicated this conference to the professional development of our Total Force--active, Guard, Reserve and our civilians. It covers a broad range of topics from updates on the latest air and space systems and the Law of Armed Conflict to our Air Force history and the parenting challenges posed by frequent duty transfers. We need that sort of broad-based approach to professional development, both within the Air Force and in the industry that supports us.
Our mission is broad and our responsibilities to our Air Force family run deep. Our Airmen are doing outstanding work across the globe and deserve everything we can do to help them prepare themselves and we're far from done.
As General Moseley and I see it, we have three priorities we need to work on: accomplishing today's missions, from hurricane relief to our on-going war on terrorism; developing our Airmen and maintaining our culture of excellence; and recapitalizing and modernizing our aging air and space fleet--the oldest fleet in Air Force history. We've got a lot on our plate. We are fortunate to have an Airman of Buzz Moseley's experience and ability as Chief during this time.
Today, I would like to tell you a little about how today's missions are going--about the three "wars" we are fighting: One against a very determined enemy, against Mother Nature, and a third, against ourselves. They are the global war on terror, disaster relief operations and our efforts to reform our acquisition processes. I want to give you a glimpse at what we have planned for the future--a subject General Moseley will talk about at greater length later in the week, when he takes you from our Air Force heritage to our future as an air and space force.
We face a continuing commitment to the Global War on Terrorism, not just in Iraq and Afghanistan, but around the globe. That comes as no surprise to America's Airmen. Our Airmen has been in combat for the past 15 years--first in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and, continuing over Iraq with Northern and Southern Watch and, then in the skies over Bosnia and Kosovo. Then Sept. 11 came and the skies over our own lands and now, Afghanistan and Iraq. Those 15 years have helped us adapt our force to meet the threats of the 21st century--not just those of terrorism and insurgencies, but also the risk of a more conventional adversary. We must also retain a hedge against the unexpected.
Those years have shaped us into the expeditionary force we are today, giving us the opportunity to practice, refine, and try again until we got the AEF process right--a process that will continue to evolve as we gain more experience. And helping us learn to better integrate our Total Force, merging active-duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve Airmen into a single, seamless and transparent whole.
In fact, our entire approach to the Guard and Reserve has evolved. After World War II and throughout the Cold War, we viewed the Guard and Reserve as a strategic reserve for a total war. But that's not how we've been using them in recent years.
