For Immediate Release
June 1, 2005
Vice President's Remarks at United States Air Force Academy Commencement
Falcon Stadium
United States Air Force Academy, Colorado
10:18 A.M. MDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much.
Thank you very much, Secretary Dominguez, General Rosa, General Jumper,
Lieutenant Governors Leman and Norton, Academy staff and faculty,
distinguished guests, officers, cadets, and members of the graduating
class of 2005. It's a high privilege to be with you this morning, and
I thank you for the warm welcome on a very special day.
It's a privilege as well to visit the Air Force Academy once
again. This fine institution, in service to the United States for a
half-century, has prepared an exceptional corps of Air Force officers.
Members of the cadet wing are drawn from every region of the country
and from two dozen foreign lands. Taken together, they represent the
future of air and space power in freedom's cause. When you see these
young men and women, and understand the rigor and the discipline of a
service academy, you can't help but feel confidence in the rising
generation of military leaders. The defense of this nation is in very
good hands. (Applause.)
This is a day of dedication for the members of the George S. Patton
Class of 2005. For these four years, all of you have marched into
Falcon Stadium as members of the cadet wing. You will leave the
stadium today as the newest officers in the United States military.
Our whole country is proud of you, and I bring greetings and
congratulations from your Commander-in-Chief, President George W.
Bush. (Applause.)
In these four years, as you have studied and drilled and prepared
to become leaders, you have seen changes in yourself. You have been
tested in mind, body, and character. You have felt the pride that
comes from striving, succeeding, and becoming the person the Air Force
knew you could be. And you have proven yourselves worthy of the honor
you receive today.
You have taken academic courses from biology to physics, from law
to computer science, from philosophy to astronautical engineering.
Your military training has included endless hours of study on military
strategy, doctrine, and heritage. I've been told that additional
lessons have been learned outside the core curriculum. For example,
members of this class displayed a superb application of stealth, using
nothing more than a bottle of Hershey's syrup in the dining hall.
(Laughter.) And although most of you understand the complexities of
jet aircraft and navigational systems, at least one of you also has
demonstrated considerable skill in operating a Bobcat tractor.
(Laughter.)
You conclude your time at the Air Force Academy rightfully proud of
your achievements, and well prepared for the duties ahead of you. You
are on a journey of success that does not end with graduation, and did
not begin on the day you arrived for BCT in-processing. Even before
you came to Colorado Springs, you stood apart as young men and women of
exceptional gifts and potential. And you had the support and
encouragement of the people who care the most about you -- the ones who
shaped your character, and set you on a path to respect the rank you
hold today. This ceremony is a wonderful moment for them, as well. So
I believe it's fitting that we give a round of applause to the parents
of the class of 2005. (Applause.)
This morning you take your place as commissioned officers in the
most powerful air and space force in the history of mankind. That
responsibility comes to you in a period of unprecedented challenge for
our country, and extraordinary change for the armed forces. Four years
ago, when you arrived at the Air Force Academy, some believed our
nation had entered a long period of relative quiet, with few real
threats to our security, little reason to expect serious danger from
abroad, and no chance of direct attack. You were here on the day that
comforting illusions gave way to immediate and critical national
priorities.
All of you remember that Tuesday morning in 2001 when alarms were
sounded, military bases were put on high alert, and the gates of this
academy were locked. Here in Colorado Springs, and at our nation's
other service academies, men and women understood immediately that a
new mission had come to America, and that some of the most vital work
would be carried out by your generation. The attacks on our country
underscored the seriousness of the profession you had entered and the
oath you had taken only a few months earlier. And many of you shared
the same wish -- that you could graduate on September 12th, and take
your place in the first war of the 21st century.
A great deal has happened since that day, but we have much yet to
do as a nation -- and you will be among those who lead us to victory
against freedom's enemies. (Applause.) Your class, which has been
defined by change, will see and be a part of many more changes in the
course of your careers. And the security of our country will always
depend not just on strength and firepower, but on our adaptability to
change, the flexibility of our forces, and our willingness to confront
dangers before they fully materialize.
Every day for nearly four years, each one of you has prepared to
become an Air Force officer in a time of war. And ladies and
gentlemen, this is a war we are winning. (Applause.)
This conflict began on the timing and the terms of 19 men aboard
civilian aircraft. We learned that day just how much violence and
suffering can be inflicted on our country in the space of a few hours.
September 11th also gave us a glimpse of the terrorists' broader
ambitions. They hate our country and oppose everything we stand for in
this world. They hold an ideology that demands complete conformity,
the crushing of dissent, and the subjugation of women -- and in service
to that ideology they are willing to inflict merciless harm upon
innocent men, women, and children. The terrorists seek to impose their
will across the broader Middle East and beyond. They have declared
their intention to strike America again, and to kill ever greater
numbers of our citizens. And they seek weapons of mass destruction, in
order to blackmail free nations and commit murder on a massive scale.
This continuing threat demands a unified, effective response -- to make
this nation better able to respond to any future attacks, to reduce our
vulnerability, and, above all, to hunt down the terrorists before they
can hit us again. (Applause.)
To protect the American people, we have made an urgent and
substantial reform in the organization of our government. We created
the Department of Homeland Security, strengthened defenses of our
borders and coastlines, and improved our preparedness against the
possible use of biological weapons. Almost three years ago, we stood
up the U.S. Northern Command, here in Colorado Springs, to protect our
airspace and provide support to civil authorities in the event of
emergency. The men and women of NORTHCOM are helping to make
absolutely certain that the United States of America never lets down
our guard in the fight against terror.
To protect the American people, we've strengthened our intelligence
capabilities -- because reliable intelligence is our first line of
defense against terror. We will continue improving our capacity to
collect and analyze information from every kind of source. The Air
Force will remain at the center of that enterprise, through networked
air and space platforms. The capabilities we have now are the result
of decades of innovative thinking and wise investment. And in the
future, as the margin for error in national security matters gets
smaller, the quality of our intelligence services will become even
better.
To protect the American people, we are confronting new dangers with
a new national security strategy. During the '80s and '90s, as terror
networks began to wage attacks against Americans, there was a tendency
to treat those attacks as isolated incidents. And those acts were
answered, if at all, on an ad hoc basis with subpoenas, criminal
indictments, and the occasional cruise missile. As time passed, the
terrorists concluded that they could hit America with very little
consequence to themselves and might even change American policy through
acts of murder, so their attacks became more ambitious and more
deadly. After 9/11 this nation made a decision: We will not sit back
and wait for future attacks. We will prevent those attacks by taking
the fight to the enemy. (Applause.)
With good allies at our side, America has also enforced a doctrine
that is understood by all: Governments that support or harbor
terrorists are complicit in the murder of the innocent, and equally
guilty of terrorist crimes. There may be some in the world who doubt
the seriousness of our commitment -- but those doubters do not include
members of the former regime in Afghanistan, or the former dictator of
Iraq. (Applause.)
At this Academy you have studied the methods and the technologies
that are transforming the U.S. military. As leaders in the Air Force
you will be participants in that transformation to make America far
better able to meet the challenges of the 21st century. A military
that was designed for the mid to late 20th century is becoming a force
that is lighter, more flexible, more agile, more lethal in action. Our
task is to continue building on America's advantages -- our
technological superiority, our ability to project force across great
distances, our precision strike capabilities, a space program second to
none. And we must continue investing in the greatest advantage of
all: Men and women like you, whose competence, creativity, and
flexibility will always keep our nation steps ahead of potential
adversaries. (Applause.)
Military transformation will be a constant theme of your career,
and every branch of the service will share in the responsibility of
getting the job done right. Yet the project is well begun, as we saw
in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq during major combat, and as we
see to this very day. For its part, the United States Air Force has
shown the kind of skill, precision, readiness, and flexibility that
will help protect this nation from harm -- and, when necessary, to
engage the enemy and dominate the battle space.
The basic reasons for your successes are already clear. The first
is the adaptive mindset of the Air Force. You are steadily building a
culture of transformation that emphasizes problem-solving, innovation,
and planning.
Another factor is your ability to integrate operations with our
joint and coalition forces. The other branches of our military depend
on the Air Force for air superiority, theater lift, close air support,
intelligence support, combat search and rescue, and GPS positioning.
In the last several years our national security needs have required the
Air Force to work with sister services in closer joint operations than
ever before. You have risen to that challenge. And because you have
transformed into an expeditionary air and space force, you are even
more flexible and our reliance on your abilities has only grown.
The application of technology has also been crucial. Our military
today operates at a higher level of accuracy over greater distances
than earlier generations could have imagined possible. We all remember
the images from Afghanistan of Air Force airmen on horseback. They
were there with laser designators and laptop computers, taking readings
on enemy coordinates, transmitting them to a cockpit more than 32,000
feet overhead, and calling in precision air strikes within minutes.
In Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, most of
our B-2 missions were flown not from bases abroad, but from right here
in the United States. The jets would take off from a base in Missouri,
fly across seven or more time zones, refuel several times en route,
deliver 15 or more tons of bombs on enemy targets, and return home.
And when the bombs were dropped, they struck within ten meters of the
target -- having been programmed for latitude, longitude, elevation,
and even wind speed. We've also seen the kind of innovative thinking
that combines new technology with older assets. The B-52 -- the
mainstay of the Cold War bomber force, which used to hit a small number
of targets with accuracy to within half a mile -- can now hit 20
separate targets on a single mission.
Today, as our coalition fights Taliban remnants in Afghanistan and
insurgents in Iraq, Air Force jets are flying 24 hours a day, on combat
air patrol and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
missions. Also overhead, a constellation of Air Force-operated
satellites provides navigation and positioning information to every
command vehicle on the ground. We continue to depend on Air Force
radar, photo, and infrared imaging, and on unmanned aircraft such as
the Predator, which gathers data, sends it back to commanders in real
time, then, if needed, fires on a target with pinpoint accuracy.
All the advantages of joint operations and leading-edge technology
add up to a military force that is constantly improving, adapting to
circumstances, and finding new ways to defeat shadowy, entrenched
enemies. Yet the greatest advantage we have as a nation is the cause
we stand for -- and the character of the individuals who serve that
cause. As President Ronald Reagan said, "No weapon in the arsenals of
the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men
and women." (Applause.)
In these years of challenge, our people in uniform have done their
duty with all the skill and the honor we expect of them. We have also
had to say farewell to some of the bravest Americans, including
graduates of this Academy. We cannot replace the loss, or take away
the sadness of the families left behind. But we will always remember
their service and be grateful, and we will honor their memory by
completing our mission. (Applause.)
For all the effort that lies ahead, we can be proud of everything
that's been achieved. America chose to lead, and had the courage to
act -- and so the murderous regimes of the Taliban and Saddam Hussein
are history, more than 50 million people have been liberated from
tyranny, and democracy is coming to the broader Middle East. We are
committed to the advance of freedom in that region not just because it
serves our ideals, but also because it serves our interests. Free
societies are hopeful societies; free societies do not feed resentments
and lash out at peaceful neighbors, or produce violence for export.
Our country is safer today because Afghanistan and Iraq have
governments that fight terrorists instead of harboring them. Future
generations of Americans will be spared from violence and fear as
democracy and hope and governments that oppose terror multiply across
the Middle East.
Because we have acted in freedom's defense, and because we are
pursuing a forward strategy of freedom, we can see a vision of a world
beyond the war on terror. And as you rise through the ranks of the Air
Force, we will be counting on you to show America's strength, our
commitment to peace, and the great idealism and justice of this
country. Many challenges are already upon us, and others will emerge
during your careers. In the years to come we will protect this nation,
our deployed forces, and our friends and allies with ballistic missile
defenses. We will work day by day -- and side by side with other
governments -- to oppose the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction. We will uphold and strengthen our traditional alliances,
and seek good relations with all countries that share our commitment to
freedom, prosperity and security. We will maintain our military
strength, repositioning our forces so that we can always move swiftly
to keep the peace.
I want each one of you to know that this nation will never take
you, or your service, for granted. (Applause.) We will provide
everything you need to carry out the missions that are given to you.
And we will always have faith in you, just as you have faith in this
great country of ours. Four years ago, you were selected to come to
this Academy, and now you have earned the right to be called Air Force
officers. For the rest of your life, the commission you receive today
will set you apart. Because of that commission, others will assume
that you are a person of integrity, that you value service before self,
and that you strive for excellence in all that you do. These are the
core values of the United States Air Force, and I am certain you will
live up to them at every stage of your career.
As Vice President of the United States -- and more importantly, as
a citizen of this land -- I respect each one of you for giving the best
years of your lives to the service of the country. (Applause.)
America has prepared you for the work ahead. America is very proud of
you. And you will play an historic role in the great victories to
come. To every man and woman in the class of 2005, I wish you good
luck, and Godspeed. (Applause.)
END 10:38 A.M. MDT
|