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[The speaker may individualize this speech by noting local events or by calling attention to honored guests, dignitaries, etc. Otherwise, the text may be presented as is.]
We in the Air Force are a proud group of people. We take pride in what we do, and how we do it. We take pride in the uniform we wear, and the aircraft we fly. We take pride in our heritage, and the peace we have helped to achieve. In the Air Force, however, there is another kind of "PRIDE." We use the word PRIDE to represent five major themes -- people, resources, integrity, dominance and execution. Today I will talk about each of these themes and what they mean to the Air Force. The P in PRIDE is for the 758,000 people who make our Air Force the world’s premier air and space force. Our total force includes 388,000 people on active duty, 187,000 in the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, and 183,000 civilian employees. As the Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman has said, "They are the most intelligent, innovative and motivated people we’ve ever had in the Air Force." But ensuring we have quality airmen is hard work. It starts with the recruiters identify the best candidates. The task then passes to the instructors at our basic military training program, the Air Force Academy and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps detachments at universities and colleges throughout the nation. To ensure we keep quality people, senior Air Force leaders are committed to providing our members with the best quality of life, and ensuring our people have the opportunity to realize their full potential. In turn, our people ensure we maintain Air Force readiness at the highest possible level. We continue to build on the excellent performance of the Guard and the Reserve by expanding their roles. In today's challenging environment, Guard and Reserve members play a crucial role in accomplishing the Air Force mission. They serve alongside active-duty airmen, performing the full range of missions in support of joint and multi-national operations. This makes us the Department of Defense model for integrating active and reserve component operations. Our civilian work force is another key element of the Air Force team. As our corporate memory, our civilian employees provide valuable expertise and stability. Air Force people serve proudly as part of America’s joint military team at installations throughout the United States and around the world. There are 81,000 airmen serving full time overseas. On average, some 14,500 Air Force people are deployed in support of exercises and contingencies outside the United States -- 11,000 of these people have been called to participate in major operations overseas such as Joint Endeavor in the former Republic of Yugoslavia. Despite the draw down of our military, the Air Force continues to provide new opportunities to serve this nation and the causes for which it stands. The R in PRIDE is for the resources; the weapons systems for today and tomorrow. Our current inventory of weapons systems and the people who operate them make us the most respected air and space power in the world. Our long-range bombers, intercontinental ballistic missile force and strategic reconnaissance aircraft play crucial roles in our nation’s capability to deter nuclear war. Our fighters, bombers and smart munitions provide us with a credible conventional deterrence. During a fast-breaking crisis, these forces offer the president the quickest response and the longest range. Our airlift and air refueling aircraft provide America the speed and agility necessary to respond to a full range of contingencies anywhere on the globe. Our space systems are an indispensable part of the Air Force’s versatile combat force. These systems provide critical surveillance and reconnaissance, missile warning, precise navigation and communications. Our space platforms, aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles give the Air Force an unprecedented ability to collect, store, process and disseminate military data. To ensure we have the right resources for our future the Air Force has developed a responsible, time-phased approach to modernization that synchronizes the size and timing of multiple programs. Our near-term priority is the C-17 airlifter. Our military commanders in chief have identified strategic airlift as DOD’s single greatest deficiency. To meet this requirement, the Defense Acquisition Board recommended that the Air Force plan, program and budget for 120 C-17 aircraft. Our mid-term focus is upgrading the conventional capability of our bombers and improving smart munitions. This will integrate our newest conventional aircraft, the B-1 bomber, with the B-52, and will give them multiple-target, stand-off, precision-strike capabilities and will increase their survivability. Improved smart munitions will extend the range, increase the lethality and improve the survivability of older as well as newer aircraft. In the long term, our top priority is fighter modernization -- beginning with the F-22, an aircraft that will guarantee air superiority well into the 21st century. We have sized and sequenced the F-22 program to meet crucial war fighting requirements at a cost this nation can afford. And the Air Force has already begun development of the Joint Strike Fighter -- a low-cost, versatile follow-on to the F-22, and the airborne laser that will provide U.S. military commanders in chief a boost-phase intercept capability to destroy ballistic missiles over an aggressor’s territory. This time-phased approach allows the Air Force to modernize without sacrificing our current readiness. Because shifts in technology and the security environment are inevitable in the years ahead, the Air Force has strengthened and streamlined the way it plans and programs for the future. The I in PRIDE is for integrity; our stewardship through accountability. From the top officers and civilian leaders to our newest recruits, integrity is the hallmark for all actions within the Air Force. As men and women of integrity, we are fully accountable to the citizens of the United States. Accountability is a prerequisite of effective military operations. It is essential in our ability to gain and sustain the trust of the American people. It is also paramount for the good order and discipline of our force. Our people are committed to the service’s core values, the standards we use to guide our efforts. Integrity, service above self and excellence in all we do are stressed at all levels. Senior Air Force leaders have established personal values, professionalism, demanding standards, and accountability as the foundation for our people’s vision of the future. The Air Force is unwavering in its commitment to unambiguous, high standards -- personal and institutional. Sexual harassment, substance abuse and discrimination in any form are not tolerated in the Air Force. Constant oversight of the resources placed in our care results in our being outstanding stewards of the taxpayer’s dollars. We analyze potential challenges to U.S. security interests and the capabilities available to potential adversaries, then we design and acquire the weapon systems necessary to maintain America’s dominance of air and space. In an era of downsizing throughout the U.S. military, the Air Force places a premium on the proper use and care of our installations in the United States and around the world. The Air Force has an unparalleled concern for the environment, conscientiously managing the millions of acres of federal land under our control. The D in PRIDE is for the dominance of our decisive air and space power. The Air Force is capable of protecting American resources anywhere in the world. We are an agile force, always ready to respond when our nation calls. We can project the full weight of America’s military might to any corner of the globe at any time, and our technological edge ensures efficiency in all our operations. The advantages produced by air power are crucial in the success of modern military operations. The Air Force carries the crucial, leading-edge components of our nation’s land forces to the fight and controls the air to provide our forces freedom to maneuver. Air power increases the alternatives available to all branches of the armed forces so they can fight effectively and respond quickly to changing circumstances. Additionally, air power diminishes an enemy’s options by degrading an enemy’s military capability. Our airlift sustains the nation’s military forces throughout the fight, and our space assets provide significant information to U.S. field commanders. Joint commanders call upon their Air Force components to perform a variety of diverse missions based on our five core competencies -- air superiority, space superiority, global mobility, precision employment and information dominance. The E in PRIDE is for execution; our ability to fight and win America’s wars. Our mission is to defend the United States through the control and exploitation of air and space. The strength of America’s Air Force deters hostility by would-be aggressors. When America’s power is challenged, the Air Force is the first to arrive. In the period following the Cold War, new challenges to our national security have emerged. Weapons of mass destruction have proliferated throughout the world. In various regions, warring factions have carried aggression across national borders; fragile, emerging democracies have been threatened from within and outside these nations; and U.S. economic security has been challenged. This evolving international security environment demands that we provide our nation the most capable and efficient air and space forces possible. The Air Force exists to fight and win our nation’s military battles across the spectrum of conflict. Within the Air Force, we organize, train and equip the world’s premier air and space forces, ensuring they are prepared for any contingency. When conflict arises, we provide our forces and their dominant war fighting capability to U.S. commanders in chief, and we also enhance the capabilities of the other branches of the U.S. armed forces. PRIDE in the Air Force is a combination of outstanding people, superb resources and the highest standard of integrity. This ensures we remain the dominant air and space power, and can execute our crucial role in defending the interests of the United States, maintaining the security of our nation, and ensuring peace throughout the world. We in the Air Force take pride in what we do. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished, we’re proud of where we’re going, and we’re proud to serve America. |
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