WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:02.730 it's a pleasure to be back here at West 00:02.730 --> 00:04.786 Point although as I often say it's a 00:04.786 --> 00:06.452 pleasure to be anywhere . But 00:06.452 --> 00:09.470 Washington D . C . One of the greatest 00:09.470 --> 00:11.581 privileges of serving as secretary of 00:11.581 --> 00:13.990 defense over the last four plus years 00:14.540 --> 00:16.373 has the opportunity to visit the 00:16.373 --> 00:19.160 service academies to speak to and hear 00:19.160 --> 00:21.270 from the future leadership of the 00:21.270 --> 00:24.460 finest military in the world . This 00:24.460 --> 00:27.210 will be the 4th and final time that I 00:27.210 --> 00:29.432 address the cadets of the United States 00:29.432 --> 00:31.266 Military Academy as Secretary of 00:31.266 --> 00:34.180 Defense . The last time I spoke to the 00:34.190 --> 00:37.480 entire corps in 2008 it was an 00:37.480 --> 00:39.970 evening's lecture on strategy and 00:39.970 --> 00:42.760 leadership That ran to nearly 50 00:42.760 --> 00:45.880 minutes rumor has it that there were a 00:45.880 --> 00:47.960 few stalwart cadets still awake 00:49.840 --> 00:51.840 knowing most have you been up since 00:51.840 --> 00:54.007 dawn and knowing that the first is get 00:54.007 --> 00:55.840 to start their 100th day weekend 00:55.840 --> 00:57.840 celebrations . When I'm done here , 00:57.940 --> 01:00.107 I've decided to make this presentation 01:00.107 --> 01:03.240 much shorter . Nonetheless , I did want 01:03.240 --> 01:05.920 to take this last opportunity to share 01:05.920 --> 01:08.860 some thoughts with you and through you 01:08.870 --> 01:11.140 to the army as a whole about the 01:11.140 --> 01:13.700 institution . You will someday lead the 01:13.700 --> 01:16.110 United States Army and how it can 01:16.110 --> 01:18.490 better prepare itself and in particular 01:18.490 --> 01:21.800 its leaders for a complex and uncertain 01:21.800 --> 01:25.310 future . No doubt the army's challenges 01:25.310 --> 01:28.060 are daunting and diverse , supporting 01:28.060 --> 01:30.590 families caring for wounded warriors , 01:31.140 --> 01:33.196 dealing with post traumatic stress . 01:33.740 --> 01:36.370 Doing right by soldiers strengthening 01:36.370 --> 01:38.640 the N . C . O . Corps , training and 01:38.640 --> 01:41.040 equipping for the future and finding a 01:41.040 --> 01:43.850 way to pay for it all today . I'd like 01:43.850 --> 01:46.390 to focus on three interrelated issues 01:46.790 --> 01:48.590 the future of conflict and the 01:48.590 --> 01:52.040 implications for the army . How best to 01:52.050 --> 01:54.120 institutionalize the diverse 01:54.120 --> 01:57.120 capabilities that will be required And 01:57.120 --> 01:59.120 the kinds of officers the army will 01:59.120 --> 02:01.400 need for the 21st century and how the 02:01.400 --> 02:03.910 service must change to retain and 02:03.910 --> 02:07.300 empower those leaders When you receive 02:07.300 --> 02:09.750 your commission and walk off the parade 02:09.750 --> 02:12.140 field . For the last time , you will 02:12.140 --> 02:14.251 join an army that more than any other 02:14.251 --> 02:16.160 part of America's military is an 02:16.160 --> 02:19.880 institution transformed by war . The 02:19.880 --> 02:22.160 change has been wrenching for a service 02:22.160 --> 02:24.160 that a decade ago was essentially a 02:24.160 --> 02:27.050 garrison army , a smaller version of 02:27.050 --> 02:29.450 the Cold War force that faced down the 02:29.450 --> 02:32.290 Soviets in europe and routed Saddam's 02:32.290 --> 02:35.100 divisions from Kuwait . The force 02:35.100 --> 02:37.750 mainly organized , trained and equipped 02:38.210 --> 02:40.450 to defeat another large modern army . 02:42.240 --> 02:44.800 The army's ability to learn and adapt 02:44.800 --> 02:47.022 in recent years allowed us to pull Iraq 02:47.022 --> 02:50.060 back from the brink of Chaos in 2007 02:50.740 --> 02:52.962 and over the past year to roll back the 02:52.962 --> 02:54.890 Taliban from their strongholds in 02:54.890 --> 02:57.870 Afghanistan . As one of your former 02:57.870 --> 03:00.092 professors from the Social department . 03:00.092 --> 03:02.148 Now , the army's vice Chief of Staff 03:02.148 --> 03:04.314 General Pete chiarelli once said it is 03:04.314 --> 03:06.481 important that the hard fought lessons 03:06.481 --> 03:09.030 of Iraq and Afghanistan are not merely 03:09.030 --> 03:11.250 observed , but truly learned , 03:12.040 --> 03:14.980 incorporated into the services DNA and 03:14.980 --> 03:18.110 institutional memory , which leads to 03:18.110 --> 03:20.277 the first major challenge I see facing 03:20.277 --> 03:23.260 the army , How will it structure itself , 03:23.410 --> 03:25.850 How will it train and equip for the 03:25.850 --> 03:27.850 extraordinarily diverse range of 03:27.850 --> 03:30.250 missions it will face in the future . 03:31.350 --> 03:33.572 There has been an overwhelming tendency 03:33.572 --> 03:35.739 of our defense bureaucracy to focus on 03:35.739 --> 03:37.517 preparing for future . High end 03:37.517 --> 03:40.020 conflicts , priorities often based 03:40.030 --> 03:42.086 ironically on what transpired in the 03:42.086 --> 03:44.520 last century as opposed to the messy 03:44.520 --> 03:47.800 fights in Iraq and Afghanistan . But 03:47.800 --> 03:49.911 without succumbing to what I consider 03:49.911 --> 03:52.540 and once called next war itis I do 03:52.540 --> 03:54.707 think it important to think about what 03:54.707 --> 03:56.707 the army will look like and must be 03:56.707 --> 03:59.050 able to do after large U . S . Combat 03:59.050 --> 04:01.161 units are substantially drawn down in 04:01.161 --> 04:03.920 Afghanistan and what that means for 04:03.920 --> 04:07.510 young leaders entering the force . We 04:07.510 --> 04:09.677 can't know with absolute certainty but 04:09.677 --> 04:12.240 the future of warfare will hold , but 04:12.240 --> 04:14.129 we do know it will be exceedingly 04:14.129 --> 04:17.020 complex , unpredictable . And as they 04:17.020 --> 04:19.860 say in the staff colleges unstructured , 04:21.240 --> 04:23.407 just think about the range of security 04:23.407 --> 04:25.407 challenges we face right now beyond 04:25.407 --> 04:28.740 Iraq and Afghanistan terrorism and 04:28.740 --> 04:30.962 terrorists in search of weapons of mass 04:30.962 --> 04:34.760 destruction . Iran north Korea military 04:34.760 --> 04:36.870 modernization programs in Russia and 04:36.870 --> 04:39.600 china failed and failing states , 04:40.440 --> 04:43.260 revolution in the Middle East , cyber 04:43.840 --> 04:47.800 piracy proliferation , natural and 04:47.800 --> 04:51.510 man made disasters and more . And I 04:51.510 --> 04:53.232 must tell you when it comes to 04:53.232 --> 04:56.050 predicting the nature and location of 04:56.050 --> 04:58.840 our next military engagements since 04:58.840 --> 05:01.650 Vietnam , our record has been perfect . 05:02.240 --> 05:05.420 We have never once gotten it right from 05:05.420 --> 05:08.860 the Mayaguez to Grenada . Panama 05:08.870 --> 05:12.090 Somalia . The Balkans Haiti 05:12.410 --> 05:15.910 kuwait Iraq and more . We had no 05:15.910 --> 05:18.500 idea a year before any of these 05:18.500 --> 05:21.160 missions that we would be so engaged . 05:22.510 --> 05:24.677 The need for heavy armor and firepower 05:24.677 --> 05:26.788 to survive close with and destroy the 05:26.788 --> 05:28.820 enemy will always be there . As the 05:28.820 --> 05:31.250 veterans of Soder City and Fallujah can 05:31.250 --> 05:34.420 no doubt a test and one of the benefits 05:34.420 --> 05:36.260 of the drawdown in Iraq is the 05:36.260 --> 05:38.870 opportunity to begin again conducting 05:38.880 --> 05:40.824 the kind of full spectrum training 05:41.340 --> 05:43.790 including mechanized come combined arms 05:43.790 --> 05:46.370 exercises that was neglected to meet 05:46.370 --> 05:48.259 the demands of the current wars . 05:49.340 --> 05:51.630 Looking ahead though , when the 05:51.630 --> 05:53.990 competition for tight defense dollars 05:54.440 --> 05:57.240 within and between the services , the 05:57.240 --> 05:59.462 army must confront the reality that the 05:59.462 --> 06:01.840 most plausible high end scenarios for 06:01.840 --> 06:04.420 the U . S . Military are primarily 06:04.420 --> 06:07.220 naval and air engagements whether in 06:07.220 --> 06:09.860 Asia , the Persian gulf or elsewhere . 06:10.940 --> 06:13.050 The strategic rationale for swift 06:13.050 --> 06:15.370 moving expeditionary forces , be they 06:15.380 --> 06:18.280 army or marines , airborne infantry or 06:18.280 --> 06:21.350 special operations is self evident 06:21.360 --> 06:22.693 given the likelihood of 06:22.693 --> 06:25.020 counterterrorism , rapid reaction , 06:25.030 --> 06:27.650 disaster response or stability or 06:27.650 --> 06:29.760 security force assistance missions . 06:30.840 --> 06:33.680 But in my opinion , any futures Defense 06:33.680 --> 06:36.730 secretary who advises the president to 06:36.730 --> 06:38.990 again send a big american land army 06:38.990 --> 06:41.740 into Asia or into the Middle Eastern 06:41.740 --> 06:45.330 africa should have his head examined as 06:45.330 --> 06:47.497 general Macarthur so delicately put it 06:49.140 --> 06:51.418 by no means am I suggesting that the U . 06:51.418 --> 06:53.418 S . Army will or should turn into a 06:53.418 --> 06:55.840 victorian nation building constabulary 06:55.850 --> 06:57.906 designed to chase guerrillas , build 06:57.906 --> 07:00.660 schools and sip tea . But as the 07:00.660 --> 07:02.850 prospects for another . Head on clash 07:02.850 --> 07:05.670 of large mechanized land armies seem 07:05.670 --> 07:08.130 less likely the army will be 07:08.130 --> 07:10.320 increasingly challenged to justify the 07:10.320 --> 07:13.040 number size and cost of its heavy 07:13.040 --> 07:15.151 formations to those in the leadership 07:15.151 --> 07:17.210 of the pentagon and on both ends of 07:17.210 --> 07:19.570 pennsylvania avenue who ultimately make 07:19.570 --> 07:23.380 policy and set budgets . What we can 07:23.380 --> 07:25.547 expect in the future is that potential 07:25.547 --> 07:27.491 adversaries , be they terrorists , 07:27.491 --> 07:29.990 insurgents , militia groups , rogue 07:29.990 --> 07:33.030 states or emerging powers will seek to 07:33.030 --> 07:34.808 frustrate America's traditional 07:34.808 --> 07:37.610 advantages in particular our ability to 07:37.610 --> 07:40.460 shoot , move and communicate with speed 07:40.560 --> 07:43.810 and precision from the look of things . 07:44.130 --> 07:46.241 The army will not repeat the mistakes 07:46.241 --> 07:48.463 of the past where irregular warfare was 07:48.463 --> 07:50.519 shuttled , shunted to the side after 07:50.519 --> 07:53.630 Vietnam . The odds of repeating another , 07:53.630 --> 07:56.180 Afghanistan or Iraq invading , 07:56.180 --> 07:58.380 pacifying and administering a large 07:58.380 --> 08:02.250 third world country may be low . But 08:02.250 --> 08:04.361 what in what general Casey has called 08:04.361 --> 08:07.210 an era of persistent conflict , those 08:07.210 --> 08:09.420 unconventional capabilities will still 08:09.420 --> 08:11.364 be needed at various levels and in 08:11.364 --> 08:14.870 various locations , most critically , 08:14.880 --> 08:16.824 to prevent festering problems from 08:16.824 --> 08:18.880 growing into full blown crises which 08:18.880 --> 08:21.770 require costly and controversial large 08:21.770 --> 08:23.937 scale american military intervention . 08:25.440 --> 08:27.662 A second challenge that I believe faces 08:27.662 --> 08:30.150 today's and tomorrow's army . Your army 08:30.940 --> 08:33.051 is whether and how the army can adapt 08:33.051 --> 08:34.996 its practices and culture to these 08:34.996 --> 08:37.280 strategic realities . From the 08:37.280 --> 08:39.169 beginning of the wars in Iraq and 08:39.169 --> 08:41.530 Afghanistan are soldiers and junior and 08:41.530 --> 08:43.750 mid level leaders down range have been 08:43.750 --> 08:46.250 adjusting and improvising to the 08:46.250 --> 08:48.417 complex and evolving challenges on the 08:48.417 --> 08:50.930 ground . In many cases , using the 08:50.930 --> 08:53.050 internet , especially tools of social 08:53.050 --> 08:55.650 media to share tactical lessons learned 08:55.650 --> 08:58.000 in real time with their colleagues at 08:58.000 --> 09:00.300 the front , are preparing to deploy 09:00.310 --> 09:03.740 back here in the United States . As one 09:03.740 --> 09:05.796 would expect , it took some time for 09:05.796 --> 09:07.796 the bureaucracies here at home . An 09:07.796 --> 09:09.462 army and a Defense Department 09:09.520 --> 09:12.140 structured primarily to prepare for war , 09:12.220 --> 09:15.030 not to wage war to respond with 09:15.030 --> 09:18.140 remotely similar agility , but with 09:18.140 --> 09:19.973 inspired leadership and creative 09:19.973 --> 09:22.196 thinking , the progress has been real . 09:23.040 --> 09:25.151 For example , the doctrine of for the 09:25.151 --> 09:27.300 new advise and assist brigades was 09:27.300 --> 09:29.411 developed and field . And in a couple 09:29.411 --> 09:31.633 of months and over the past two years , 09:31.633 --> 09:33.800 these reconfigured units have played a 09:33.800 --> 09:35.911 key role in the successful transition 09:35.911 --> 09:38.760 to full Iraqi security responsibility . 09:40.340 --> 09:42.396 But the important question then , is 09:42.396 --> 09:44.451 how can the army prepare , train and 09:44.451 --> 09:47.060 retain officers with the necessary 09:47.060 --> 09:49.480 multifaceted experience to take on a 09:49.480 --> 09:51.560 broad range of missions and rolls , 09:52.240 --> 09:54.320 where there is not one but many 09:54.320 --> 09:57.760 doctrines in play often simultaneously . 09:58.740 --> 10:00.740 For example , given the ongoing and 10:00.740 --> 10:02.962 prospective requirements to train equip 10:02.962 --> 10:05.129 and advise foreign armies and police , 10:05.129 --> 10:07.129 how do we institutionalize security 10:07.129 --> 10:08.962 force assistance into the army's 10:08.962 --> 10:11.010 regular force structure and make 10:11.010 --> 10:13.640 related experience and skill set a 10:13.640 --> 10:17.020 career enhancing pursuit . I hope you 10:17.020 --> 10:19.131 take some instruction and inspiration 10:19.131 --> 10:21.131 from the career of Russell Volkmann 10:21.131 --> 10:24.340 class of 1934 , at the outbreak of 10:24.340 --> 10:26.562 World War two , Volkmann was serving as 10:26.562 --> 10:28.618 a full time in bed in the Philippine 10:28.618 --> 10:31.330 army after the Japanese invasion . 10:31.380 --> 10:33.460 Folkman fought against , fought 10:33.460 --> 10:36.530 alongside his filipino unit And rather 10:36.530 --> 10:38.586 than surrender , he disappeared into 10:38.586 --> 10:40.752 the jungles and raised a guerilla army 10:40.752 --> 10:42.974 of more than 22,000 men that fought the 10:42.974 --> 10:44.974 Japanese for the next three years . 10:44.974 --> 10:46.974 When the Japanese commander finally 10:46.974 --> 10:49.086 decided to re surrender , he made the 10:49.086 --> 10:50.974 initial overtures not too general 10:50.974 --> 10:53.560 Macarthur , but the Volkmann who went 10:53.560 --> 10:55.560 on after the war to help create the 10:55.560 --> 10:59.450 green Berets . My point . If you chart 10:59.450 --> 11:01.561 a different path , there's no telling 11:01.561 --> 11:03.760 the impact you could have on the army 11:04.140 --> 11:07.140 and on history . Indeed , the army has 11:07.140 --> 11:09.260 always needed entrepreneurial leaders 11:09.270 --> 11:11.437 with a broad perspective and a diverse 11:11.437 --> 11:14.170 range of skills . As president Kennedy 11:14.180 --> 11:16.402 put it speaking on these grounds half a 11:16.402 --> 11:18.570 century ago , your military 11:18.570 --> 11:20.348 responsibilities will require a 11:20.348 --> 11:23.030 versatility and adaptability , never 11:23.030 --> 11:26.940 before required in war or in peace and 11:26.940 --> 11:29.107 for an era of full spectrum conflict . 11:29.107 --> 11:31.329 When we confront security dilemmas that 11:31.329 --> 11:33.430 Kennedy called new and intensity 11:33.590 --> 11:37.450 ancient in origin , America can succeed 11:37.450 --> 11:39.506 only with leaders who are themselves 11:39.506 --> 11:42.280 full spectrum in their thinking . The 11:42.280 --> 11:44.391 military will not be able to train or 11:44.391 --> 11:46.280 educate you to have all the right 11:46.280 --> 11:48.502 answers as you might find in a manual . 11:49.040 --> 11:50.707 But you should look for those 11:50.707 --> 11:52.929 experiences and pursuits in your career 11:52.929 --> 11:54.929 that will at least help you ask the 11:54.929 --> 11:58.000 right questions Maxwell taylor Class of 11:58.000 --> 12:00.950 22 was an Asia foreign area specialist 12:00.950 --> 12:03.620 in the 1930s before Becoming the fame 12:03.620 --> 12:05.460 commander of 101st airborne 12:06.020 --> 12:08.360 Superintendent of West Point and later 12:08.360 --> 12:10.582 army Chief of Staff and chairman of the 12:10.582 --> 12:12.710 Joint Chiefs of Staff . He once 12:12.710 --> 12:14.790 observed of his fellow academy grads 12:14.790 --> 12:16.910 that the goats of my acquaintance who 12:16.910 --> 12:19.430 have leapfrogged their classmates are 12:19.430 --> 12:21.430 men who continue their intellectual 12:21.430 --> 12:24.200 growth after graduation . So in 12:24.200 --> 12:26.422 addition to the essential troop command 12:26.422 --> 12:28.644 and staff assignments , you should look 12:28.644 --> 12:30.867 for opportunities that in the past were 12:30.867 --> 12:33.120 off the beaten path . If not a career 12:33.120 --> 12:35.910 dead end and the institutional army 12:35.910 --> 12:38.370 should not only tolerate but encourage 12:38.370 --> 12:41.450 you in the effort . Such opportunities 12:41.450 --> 12:43.450 might include further study at grad 12:43.450 --> 12:45.506 school teaching at this or another . 12:45.506 --> 12:47.990 First rate university spending time at 12:47.990 --> 12:50.130 a think tank , being a congressional 12:50.130 --> 12:52.050 fellow working in a different 12:52.050 --> 12:54.272 government agency or becoming a foreign 12:54.272 --> 12:56.950 area specialist . On that last note , I 12:56.950 --> 12:59.117 would encourage you to become a master 12:59.117 --> 13:01.117 of other languages and cultures . A 13:01.117 --> 13:03.172 priority of mine . Since taking this 13:03.172 --> 13:06.530 post , A pilot program begun in 2008 to 13:06.530 --> 13:08.840 incentivize ROTC cadets to learn 13:08.840 --> 13:10.890 foreign languages has grown from a 13:10.890 --> 13:13.620 couple of dozen participants to some 13:13.630 --> 13:17.300 1800 . Today it is incumbent on the 13:17.300 --> 13:19.540 army to promote in every sense of the 13:19.540 --> 13:22.710 word these choices and experiences for 13:22.710 --> 13:25.290 the next generation of leaders . The 13:25.290 --> 13:27.730 junior and mid grade officers in army 13:27.730 --> 13:29.730 ranks who represent the most battle 13:29.730 --> 13:33.260 tested group in its history . More so 13:33.260 --> 13:35.482 in fact than many of the superiors they 13:35.482 --> 13:38.360 might report to . The U . S . Military 13:38.360 --> 13:40.416 has always distinguished itself from 13:40.416 --> 13:42.582 other countries by the degree of trust 13:42.582 --> 13:44.749 and responsibility placed on its small 13:44.749 --> 13:48.420 unit leaders . But Iraq and Afghanistan 13:48.570 --> 13:51.150 called the captain's wars have taken 13:51.150 --> 13:53.450 this trend to a new level where 13:53.450 --> 13:56.480 officers of lower and lower rank were 13:56.480 --> 13:58.702 put in the position of making decisions 13:58.702 --> 14:00.480 of higher and higher degrees of 14:00.480 --> 14:03.540 consequence and complexity . Officers 14:03.540 --> 14:05.762 now poised to take what they learned to 14:05.762 --> 14:07.929 shape the institution to which they've 14:07.929 --> 14:10.096 given so much as some are now doing as 14:10.096 --> 14:12.207 your instructors here at West Point . 14:12.940 --> 14:15.260 The diversity of experiences and 14:15.260 --> 14:16.982 essential adaptability of this 14:16.982 --> 14:19.910 generation are crucial to dealing with 14:19.910 --> 14:21.854 the complexity of conflict in this 14:21.854 --> 14:24.770 century , Which brings me to the 3rd 14:24.770 --> 14:27.350 and Greatest Challenge Facing Your Army . 14:28.140 --> 14:31.560 And frankly my main worry , how can the 14:31.560 --> 14:33.480 army break up the institutional 14:33.480 --> 14:37.100 concrete it's bureaucratic rigidity in 14:37.100 --> 14:39.460 its assignments and promotion processes 14:39.940 --> 14:42.710 in order to retain challenge and 14:42.710 --> 14:45.900 inspire . It's best brightest and most 14:45.900 --> 14:47.956 battle tested young officers to lead 14:47.956 --> 14:50.670 the service in the future . After the 14:50.670 --> 14:53.150 major Afghan troop deployments end in 14:53.150 --> 14:56.920 2014 , How do we keep you and 14:56.920 --> 14:59.060 those five or 10 years older than you 14:59.640 --> 15:02.640 in our army ? This is something I've 15:02.640 --> 15:04.751 discussed many times with the current 15:04.751 --> 15:06.751 service leadership and with general 15:06.751 --> 15:08.973 Dempsey , the tradeoff commander before 15:08.973 --> 15:11.029 recommending him to the president is 15:11.029 --> 15:13.550 the next army Chief of Staff . The 15:13.550 --> 15:15.772 context for this discussion is that the 15:15.772 --> 15:18.210 institutional army for the best part of 15:18.210 --> 15:20.670 the past decade as understandably and 15:20.670 --> 15:23.720 appropriately been consumed by force 15:23.720 --> 15:26.590 generation manning units for deployment 15:26.590 --> 15:29.420 to Iraq and Afghanistan in response to 15:29.420 --> 15:31.253 the orders of America's civilian 15:31.253 --> 15:33.910 leadership , I will never forget one of 15:33.910 --> 15:35.854 my first decisions as Secretary of 15:35.854 --> 15:39.580 Defense In early 2007 , Which was to 15:39.580 --> 15:42.610 extend army combat tours from 12 to 15 15:42.610 --> 15:45.100 months , including for units that had 15:45.100 --> 15:48.100 spent less than a year at home . This 15:48.100 --> 15:50.267 was perhaps my most difficult decision 15:50.267 --> 15:53.020 over the past four years because I knew 15:53.020 --> 15:55.187 the hardship this would place on those 15:55.187 --> 15:57.353 who had already borne so much for this 15:57.353 --> 15:59.670 country . But the alternative was a 15:59.670 --> 16:02.260 disaster for our country and for Iraq 16:03.240 --> 16:05.330 and the army did as ordered and much 16:05.330 --> 16:08.320 more . One result is that you will be 16:08.320 --> 16:10.376 joining a force that has been at war 16:10.376 --> 16:13.090 for nearly 10 years and while it is 16:13.090 --> 16:16.090 resilient , it is also stressed and 16:16.090 --> 16:19.190 tired the effect of the army's 16:19.190 --> 16:21.150 necessary focus on preparing and 16:21.150 --> 16:23.750 manning units for Iraq or Afghanistan 16:24.240 --> 16:26.018 has provided younger officers , 16:26.018 --> 16:28.184 especially those in high demand combat 16:28.184 --> 16:30.890 and support specialties , little 16:30.890 --> 16:33.112 opportunity to do more than catch their 16:33.112 --> 16:35.279 breath and then get ready for the next 16:35.279 --> 16:37.370 deployment and on top of the repeat 16:37.370 --> 16:39.480 deployments there is the garrison 16:39.480 --> 16:41.230 mindset and set and personnel 16:41.230 --> 16:43.508 bureaucracy that awaits them back home , 16:44.140 --> 16:46.600 often cited as primary factors causing 16:46.600 --> 16:48.740 promising officers to leave the army 16:48.980 --> 16:50.980 just as they are best positioned to 16:50.980 --> 16:52.647 have a positive impact on the 16:52.647 --> 16:56.170 institution . Consider that in theater , 16:56.180 --> 16:58.347 junior leaders are given extraordinary 16:58.347 --> 17:00.670 opportunities to be innovative , take 17:00.670 --> 17:03.380 risks and be responsible and recognized 17:03.380 --> 17:06.220 for the consequences . The opposite is 17:06.220 --> 17:08.510 too often true in the rear echelon 17:08.510 --> 17:10.880 headquarters in stateside bureaucracies , 17:11.340 --> 17:13.229 in which so many of our mid level 17:13.229 --> 17:16.070 officers or warehouse men and women in 17:16.070 --> 17:18.292 the prime of their professional lives , 17:18.292 --> 17:20.403 who may have been responsible for the 17:20.403 --> 17:22.514 lives of scores or hundreds of troops 17:22.514 --> 17:24.737 or millions of dollars in assistance or 17:24.737 --> 17:27.460 engaging in reconciling warring tribes . 17:28.540 --> 17:30.707 They may find themselves in a cube all 17:30.707 --> 17:32.970 day reformatting power point slides , 17:33.440 --> 17:36.170 preparing quarterly training breeze and 17:36.170 --> 17:38.114 ever or an ever expanding array of 17:38.114 --> 17:41.100 clerical duties . The consequences of 17:41.100 --> 17:44.720 this terrify me furthermore , the 17:44.720 --> 17:46.680 creation and increasing number of 17:46.680 --> 17:49.240 autonomous brigade combat teams . The 17:49.240 --> 17:51.296 substantive growth of other agencies 17:51.296 --> 17:53.518 headquarters than support bureaucracies 17:53.580 --> 17:55.469 and simply meeting the needs of a 17:55.469 --> 17:57.640 bigger army at war have created a 17:57.640 --> 17:59.900 voracious demand for mid level staff 17:59.900 --> 18:02.460 officers . The result of meeting these 18:02.460 --> 18:04.238 shortfalls has been essentially 18:04.238 --> 18:06.450 automatic promotion for elevation to 18:06.450 --> 18:09.770 major and lieutenant colonel . A few 18:09.770 --> 18:11.714 years ago , a brigade commander in 18:11.714 --> 18:13.937 Baghdad Colonel , now Brigadier General 18:13.937 --> 18:16.710 J . B . Burton wrote a memo reflecting 18:16.710 --> 18:18.710 on the feedback he was getting from 18:18.710 --> 18:20.877 some of his officers about the factors 18:20.877 --> 18:22.932 that influence them to stay in or to 18:22.932 --> 18:25.570 leave . They talked about finding 18:25.570 --> 18:27.792 respite from the deployment treadmill , 18:27.792 --> 18:29.903 getting an opportunity to start or re 18:29.903 --> 18:32.126 acquaint themselves with their families 18:32.126 --> 18:34.181 to develop themselves intellectually 18:34.181 --> 18:36.403 through graduate education or other non 18:36.403 --> 18:38.580 conventional assignments . One of the 18:38.580 --> 18:40.802 chief complaints was that the personnel 18:40.802 --> 18:43.470 system was numb to individual 18:43.470 --> 18:45.920 performance and had begun to see every 18:45.920 --> 18:49.190 officer as equal . One thing I have 18:49.190 --> 18:51.301 learned from decades of leading large 18:51.301 --> 18:53.490 public organizations Is that it is 18:53.490 --> 18:55.546 really important to focus on the top 18:55.546 --> 18:58.180 20% of your people and though it may be 18:58.180 --> 19:00.690 politically incorrect to say so The 19:00.690 --> 19:03.800 bottom 20% as well , the former to 19:03.810 --> 19:06.030 elevate and give more responsibility 19:06.030 --> 19:08.300 and opportunity . The latter to 19:08.300 --> 19:10.010 transition out , albeit with 19:10.010 --> 19:11.899 consideration and respect for the 19:11.899 --> 19:14.860 service . They have rendered failure to 19:14.860 --> 19:16.850 do this risks frustrating , 19:16.860 --> 19:19.480 demoralizing and ultimately losing the 19:19.480 --> 19:21.860 leaders we will most need in the future . 19:23.140 --> 19:25.140 The promotion rates have started to 19:25.140 --> 19:27.362 decrease and as a matter of course will 19:27.362 --> 19:28.973 decrease further as overseas 19:28.973 --> 19:31.240 deployments wind down , I've tried to 19:31.240 --> 19:33.184 do my small part to alleviate this 19:33.184 --> 19:35.296 situation by ordering the military to 19:35.296 --> 19:37.351 pare down the size and number of its 19:37.351 --> 19:39.600 headquarters Along with reducing the 19:39.600 --> 19:41.544 number of generals and admirals by 19:41.544 --> 19:44.240 nearly 100 and twice as many civilian 19:44.250 --> 19:47.730 executives . One hoped for . Effect of 19:47.790 --> 19:49.901 these reforms is to reduce the number 19:49.901 --> 19:52.123 of personal staff and support positions 19:52.740 --> 19:54.740 and in turn alleviate some What the 19:54.740 --> 19:57.420 demand on the military services to 19:57.420 --> 19:59.476 produce field grade officers to fill 19:59.476 --> 20:01.750 those billets . This is an effort I've 20:01.750 --> 20:03.820 encouraged the services to continue 20:04.030 --> 20:06.360 including the army in the years ahead . 20:07.440 --> 20:09.010 A more merit based , more 20:09.010 --> 20:10.960 individualized approach to officer 20:10.960 --> 20:13.330 evaluations could also do much to 20:13.330 --> 20:16.480 combat the risk averse , zero defect 20:16.490 --> 20:19.100 culture that can take over any large 20:19.110 --> 20:22.420 hierarchical organization , one that 20:22.420 --> 20:24.730 too often incentivizes officers to keep 20:24.730 --> 20:27.870 their head down , avoid making waves or 20:27.870 --> 20:30.920 disagree with superiors . The army has 20:30.920 --> 20:33.031 been fortunate throughout its history 20:33.031 --> 20:35.253 to have officers who had critical times 20:35.253 --> 20:37.960 exercise respectful principal dissent , 20:38.840 --> 20:40.896 men like general George marshall who 20:40.896 --> 20:43.118 rose to high rank and greatness even as 20:43.118 --> 20:45.007 he told blunt truths to superiors 20:45.007 --> 20:47.062 ranging from blackjack , Pershing to 20:47.062 --> 20:50.050 franklin . D Roosevelt , but no doubt 20:50.050 --> 20:52.610 that takes courage and entails real 20:52.610 --> 20:54.840 risk , especially given the current 20:54.840 --> 20:57.840 system . In an article for Military 20:57.840 --> 21:00.007 review following his tenure as a corps 21:00.007 --> 21:02.118 commander in Iraq , General chiarelli 21:02.118 --> 21:04.340 suggested that while the opinions of an 21:04.340 --> 21:06.980 officer's superiors uh should hold the 21:06.980 --> 21:09.740 most sway , it's time that the army 21:09.740 --> 21:12.630 officer evaluations also consider input 21:12.630 --> 21:15.720 from peers and yes subordinates . 21:16.640 --> 21:18.862 In my view , the people hardest to fool 21:18.862 --> 21:22.160 by posturing Bs and flattery 21:23.340 --> 21:25.062 and as to Iraq veterans , then 21:25.062 --> 21:27.118 lieutenant colonels , john Nagle and 21:27.118 --> 21:29.284 paul Youngling wrote in a professional 21:29.284 --> 21:31.396 journal some years ago . The best way 21:31.396 --> 21:33.618 to change the organizational culture of 21:33.618 --> 21:36.130 the army is to change the pathways for 21:36.130 --> 21:38.130 professional advancement within the 21:38.130 --> 21:40.450 officer corps . The army will become 21:40.450 --> 21:43.000 more adaptive only when being adaptive 21:43.040 --> 21:45.350 offers the surest path to promotion . 21:47.140 --> 21:49.362 Several years ago , it caused something 21:49.362 --> 21:51.251 of a stir when we brought General 21:51.251 --> 21:53.196 Petraeus back from Iraq to chair a 21:53.196 --> 21:55.418 promotion board to make sure that those 21:55.418 --> 21:57.140 kernels who have distinguished 21:57.140 --> 21:59.362 themselves in war , including those who 21:59.362 --> 22:01.584 had advised Iraqi and afghan forces got 22:01.584 --> 22:03.529 due consideration for elevation to 22:03.529 --> 22:06.490 brigadier general and since then due to 22:06.490 --> 22:08.760 statutory changes and cultural shifts . 22:08.760 --> 22:11.000 Officers who don't have cookie cutter 22:11.000 --> 22:13.340 backgrounds , who may not have punched 22:13.340 --> 22:15.650 all the traditional tickets have more 22:15.650 --> 22:17.928 of an opportunity to reach higher rank . 22:19.040 --> 22:21.430 But the tendency of any big bureaucracy 22:21.440 --> 22:23.910 is to revert to business as you as 22:23.910 --> 22:26.810 usual at the first opportunity . And 22:26.810 --> 22:29.270 for the military , that opportunity is 22:29.270 --> 22:31.990 if not peacetime than the unwinding of 22:31.990 --> 22:35.300 sustained combat . There have been a 22:35.300 --> 22:37.522 variety of suggestions and ideas put on 22:37.522 --> 22:39.300 the table in various venues and 22:39.300 --> 22:41.530 publications to give officers after 22:41.530 --> 22:43.690 their initial platoon company or 22:43.690 --> 22:45.857 battalion level tours greater voice in 22:45.857 --> 22:47.960 their assignments and flexibility to 22:47.960 --> 22:49.849 develop themselves personally and 22:49.849 --> 22:52.580 professionally in way that enhances 22:52.580 --> 22:55.260 their career and promotion prospects . 22:56.040 --> 22:58.262 For example , instead of being assigned 22:58.262 --> 23:00.262 to new positions every two or three 23:00.262 --> 23:02.484 years , officers would be able to apply 23:02.484 --> 23:04.707 for a job job openings in a competitive 23:04.707 --> 23:06.707 system more akin to what happens in 23:06.707 --> 23:08.651 large organizations in the private 23:08.651 --> 23:11.190 sector . The former Commander of US 23:11.190 --> 23:13.134 forces in Afghanistan , Lieutenant 23:13.134 --> 23:16.050 General David Barno class of 76 has 23:16.050 --> 23:18.217 written that in a smaller professional 23:18.217 --> 23:20.217 force competing for talent with the 23:20.217 --> 23:22.383 googles of this world reforming . This 23:22.383 --> 23:24.383 system is a must do for the army to 23:24.383 --> 23:26.494 keep its best and brightest leaders . 23:27.940 --> 23:30.051 Having said that when all is said and 23:30.051 --> 23:32.273 done , this is the United States Army . 23:33.040 --> 23:35.320 It's not apple . It's not General 23:35.320 --> 23:37.520 Electric . It's not the red cross , 23:38.440 --> 23:40.550 taking that oath and accepting that 23:40.550 --> 23:42.772 commission means doing what you're told 23:42.772 --> 23:45.480 and going where you're needed . And as 23:45.480 --> 23:47.647 a practical matter , one cannot manage 23:47.647 --> 23:49.813 tens of thousands of officers based on 23:49.813 --> 23:52.780 what color is your parachute . But just 23:52.780 --> 23:54.730 as the army has reset and reformed 23:54.730 --> 23:57.320 itself when it comes to doctrine , 23:57.570 --> 24:00.780 equipment and training , it must use 24:00.780 --> 24:02.780 the eventual slackening of overseas 24:02.780 --> 24:05.170 deployments as an opportunity to attack 24:05.170 --> 24:07.540 the institutional and bureaucratic 24:07.550 --> 24:11.220 constipation of big army and rethink 24:11.220 --> 24:13.442 the way it deals with outstanding young 24:13.442 --> 24:15.664 leaders in its lower and middle ranks . 24:17.240 --> 24:19.018 I've spent the last few minutes 24:19.018 --> 24:21.184 addressing some of the real challenges 24:21.184 --> 24:23.407 facing the army and discuss some of the 24:23.407 --> 24:25.351 frustrations experienced by bright 24:25.351 --> 24:27.296 young leaders working in any large 24:27.296 --> 24:30.130 bureaucracy . But I would like to close 24:30.130 --> 24:32.241 by telling you why I believe you have 24:32.241 --> 24:34.241 made the right decision , the right 24:34.241 --> 24:36.463 choice and are indeed fortunate to have 24:36.463 --> 24:38.790 chosen this path because beyond the 24:38.790 --> 24:40.800 hardship , the heartbreak and the 24:40.800 --> 24:43.050 sacrifice and they are very real . 24:43.750 --> 24:45.639 There is another side to military 24:45.639 --> 24:48.030 service . You have an extraordinary 24:48.030 --> 24:50.030 opportunity not just to protect the 24:50.030 --> 24:52.420 lives of your fellow soldiers , but to 24:52.420 --> 24:54.850 accomplish missions and make decisions 24:54.850 --> 24:57.072 that may change the course of history . 24:57.640 --> 24:59.696 You will be challenged to go outside 24:59.696 --> 25:01.751 your comfort zone and take a risk in 25:01.751 --> 25:03.840 every sense of the word . To expand 25:03.840 --> 25:05.896 what you thought you were capable of 25:05.896 --> 25:08.007 doing . When it comes to leadership , 25:08.007 --> 25:10.370 friendship , responsibility , agility , 25:10.510 --> 25:14.360 selflessness and above all courage and 25:14.360 --> 25:16.582 you will be doing all of this at an age 25:16.582 --> 25:18.582 when many of your peers are reading 25:18.582 --> 25:20.693 spreadsheets and making photocopies . 25:21.740 --> 25:23.684 One of my favorite quotes from the 25:23.684 --> 25:25.629 revolutionary era is from a letter 25:25.629 --> 25:27.740 Abigail Adams wrote to her son , john 25:27.740 --> 25:30.980 Quincy Adams . She wrote him . These 25:30.980 --> 25:33.147 are times in which a genius would wish 25:33.147 --> 25:36.090 to live . It is not in the still calm 25:36.090 --> 25:38.620 of life or in the repose of a pacific 25:38.620 --> 25:40.970 station . The great characters are 25:40.970 --> 25:44.510 formed . Great necessities call out 25:44.510 --> 25:47.920 great virtues . I typically use that 25:47.920 --> 25:49.809 quote in commencement addresses , 25:49.809 --> 25:51.976 encouraging public service at civilian 25:51.976 --> 25:54.230 universities , but those words apply 25:54.230 --> 25:57.170 most of all to you on who's brave and 25:57.180 --> 25:59.460 broad young shoulders . This era's 25:59.460 --> 26:02.760 great necessities will be born , each 26:02.760 --> 26:04.538 of you with your talents , your 26:04.538 --> 26:06.204 intelligence , your record of 26:06.204 --> 26:08.038 accomplishment could have chosen 26:08.038 --> 26:10.330 something easier or safer and of course 26:10.330 --> 26:12.730 better paid . But you took on the 26:12.730 --> 26:15.210 mantle of duty , honor and country . 26:15.640 --> 26:17.920 You pass down the long gray line of men 26:17.920 --> 26:20.031 and women who have walked these halls 26:20.031 --> 26:22.142 and strode these grounds before you , 26:22.540 --> 26:24.540 More than 80 of whom have fallen in 26:24.540 --> 26:27.120 battle since 911 . For that you have 26:27.120 --> 26:29.250 the profound gratitude and eternal 26:29.250 --> 26:32.360 admiration of the american people . As 26:32.360 --> 26:34.527 some of you have heard me say before , 26:34.527 --> 26:36.749 you need to know that I feel personally 26:36.749 --> 26:38.860 responsible for each and every one of 26:38.860 --> 26:40.804 you as if you were my own sons and 26:40.804 --> 26:43.220 daughters for as long as I am secretary 26:43.220 --> 26:45.950 of Defense . That will remain true . My 26:45.950 --> 26:47.894 only prayer is that you serve with 26:47.894 --> 26:50.940 honor and return home safely . I 26:50.940 --> 26:53.162 personally thank you for your service . 26:53.162 --> 26:55.400 From the bottom of my heart . I bid you 26:55.400 --> 26:57.910 farewell and ask God to bless every one 26:57.910 --> 26:59.170 of you . Thank you .