WEBVTT 00:00.270 --> 00:02.326 Graduates at this time , I'd like to 00:02.326 --> 00:04.381 introduce our second keynote speaker 00:04.381 --> 00:06.548 for the celebration tonight . The 21st 00:06.548 --> 00:08.714 chairman of the joint chief of staff , 00:08.714 --> 00:10.659 the 22nd chief of staff of the Air 00:10.659 --> 00:10.390 Force , previous commandant of the 00:10.399 --> 00:12.810 weapons school and graduate of the F-16 00:12.819 --> 00:14.652 division of the weapons school . 00:14.652 --> 00:16.097 General CQ Brown Junior . 00:42.150 --> 00:43.799 Success is never final 00:45.810 --> 00:49.650 failure is never a final is the 00:49.659 --> 00:53.029 courage to continue the councils . And 00:53.040 --> 00:55.207 when I was a weapon school comrade , I 00:55.207 --> 00:57.429 would usually end my presentations with 00:57.429 --> 00:59.207 this particular quote . Winston 00:59.207 --> 01:01.709 Churchill . Success is never final . 01:02.770 --> 01:06.458 Fire is never fatal . It is the courage 01:06.469 --> 01:10.019 to continue that counts . We're all 01:10.029 --> 01:11.973 here tonight because of the weapon 01:11.973 --> 01:15.489 schools demonstrating success . But the 01:15.500 --> 01:17.722 weapon school graduates have never been 01:17.722 --> 01:21.389 satisfied with our victories . 01:23.019 --> 01:25.186 We've never allowed our failures to be 01:25.186 --> 01:28.069 fatal . That was thanks to hours of 01:28.080 --> 01:31.269 debriefs root cause analysis 01:32.050 --> 01:35.339 and debrief focus points . First . I 01:35.349 --> 01:38.080 want to thank uh Vice Fallon for the 01:38.089 --> 01:41.010 introduction . Uh Face Goodman for the 01:41.019 --> 01:43.130 invitation . Uh Face did an excellent 01:43.130 --> 01:45.352 job of asking me about eight months ago 01:45.352 --> 01:47.408 to come out here and do this while I 01:47.408 --> 01:49.575 was in transition , my staff as I came 01:49.575 --> 01:51.797 to the joint staff said , do you really 01:51.797 --> 01:51.690 want to do this because of all the 01:51.699 --> 01:53.755 stuff you had going on ? I just came 01:53.755 --> 01:56.088 back from Europe last night . I go , no , 01:56.088 --> 01:58.199 I'm gonna be here and so I appreciate 01:58.199 --> 01:57.389 it . 02:05.220 --> 02:07.220 I also want to thank , uh , Bassett 02:07.220 --> 02:09.498 Cunningham . We exchanged emails today . 02:09.498 --> 02:11.609 Uh , I first met Basket , uh , when I 02:11.609 --> 02:11.410 was a lieutenant colonel , he was a 02:11.419 --> 02:14.639 captain , uh , at , uh , Northern Watch 02:15.389 --> 02:17.770 and , uh he's at his high , his son's 02:17.779 --> 02:19.979 high school graduation , right ? Which 02:19.990 --> 02:22.046 is probably the most important thing 02:22.046 --> 02:23.934 you can do tonight . And so I , I 02:23.934 --> 02:26.046 really appreciate the fact to be able 02:26.046 --> 02:28.179 to uh exchanging most of them just 02:28.190 --> 02:30.357 because I've worked really hard to get 02:30.357 --> 02:32.357 him here to be the workforce center 02:32.357 --> 02:34.523 commander to be here with his family . 02:34.523 --> 02:37.910 And uh because family is important , I 02:37.919 --> 02:39.808 also want to congratulate uh John 02:39.808 --> 02:41.863 Jumper . We had a building dedicated 02:41.863 --> 02:43.308 today . Congratulations . 02:49.320 --> 02:51.209 I also want to thank you for your 02:51.209 --> 02:53.431 remark tonight and the stories you told 02:53.431 --> 02:55.598 and uh just for everything you've done 02:55.598 --> 02:57.764 for Air Force . Um not just as a uh as 02:57.764 --> 02:59.876 a chief , but just uh throughout your 02:59.876 --> 03:01.987 career and to Eleanor as well . Thank 03:01.987 --> 03:01.940 you both 03:09.080 --> 03:12.100 and to all the passwords , spouses , 03:12.110 --> 03:14.221 leaders . Uh Thanks for being here to 03:14.221 --> 03:16.979 celebrate this important milestone , 03:16.990 --> 03:18.990 the 75th anniversary of the weapons 03:18.990 --> 03:20.768 school . Now , I , you know , I 03:20.768 --> 03:22.823 appreciate having the opportunity to 03:22.823 --> 03:24.990 serve in uh in joint uh positions that 03:24.990 --> 03:27.440 are focused on , we're fighting , but 03:27.449 --> 03:29.671 it's great to come back and be rebooted 03:29.671 --> 03:32.110 every once in a while and there is no 03:32.119 --> 03:35.330 better place . They do a backyard in N 03:37.039 --> 03:39.820 as Nellis goes . So goes our Air Force 03:47.240 --> 03:49.407 now I've had three opportunities to be 03:49.407 --> 03:51.462 here at Ellis . You know , once as a 03:51.462 --> 03:53.629 student there is an instructor than as 03:53.629 --> 03:56.270 a command . I've been here for Web and , 03:56.279 --> 03:59.759 uh , various flags . So whenever I'm , 03:59.770 --> 04:01.770 haven't been back for a while I get 04:01.770 --> 04:03.992 this , uh , you know , nervous twitch . 04:05.830 --> 04:08.139 No , I have to come back , come back to 04:08.149 --> 04:10.250 Nellis , to the Air Power Center of 04:10.259 --> 04:13.050 Excellence . Now , there are a lot of 04:13.059 --> 04:15.281 great organizations here at Ellis , but 04:15.281 --> 04:17.337 none are more influential in our Air 04:17.337 --> 04:19.503 force than the weapons school . Matter 04:19.503 --> 04:21.837 of fact , uh , when I was a captain , I , 04:21.837 --> 04:24.115 uh I rushed the weapon school into 422 . 04:24.115 --> 04:26.337 I got offers from both of them . At the 04:26.337 --> 04:28.226 same time . The same week I had a 04:28.226 --> 04:30.392 choice to make . I'd like to come be a 04:30.392 --> 04:32.392 weapon school instructor to build , 04:32.392 --> 04:35.730 teach lead and serve . It's probably 04:35.739 --> 04:37.572 one of the best decisions I made 04:40.869 --> 04:43.091 for almost as long as the air force has 04:43.091 --> 04:45.036 existed . Tacticians have made the 04:45.036 --> 04:47.570 privilege to the weapons school to test 04:47.579 --> 04:51.010 and improve their metal . It's where 04:51.290 --> 04:54.089 you see advanced threats on those 04:54.100 --> 04:56.750 expensive ranges . It's where we 04:56.760 --> 04:59.910 validate you tactics and capabilities . 05:01.399 --> 05:03.566 It's what we project our power against 05:03.566 --> 05:06.649 some of our very best , you know , the 05:06.660 --> 05:08.882 weapon school dates its legacy back for 05:08.882 --> 05:11.940 75 years . 15 May , 1949 was 05:11.950 --> 05:14.489 established as the aircraft gunnery 05:14.500 --> 05:17.140 school . The school brought back a 05:17.149 --> 05:20.119 world War two combat veterans to pass 05:20.130 --> 05:22.186 on their nods and experiences to the 05:22.186 --> 05:24.970 next generation is about building the 05:24.980 --> 05:28.000 warfighter mindset and improving air , 05:28.109 --> 05:30.089 air and ground gunnery skills . 05:31.779 --> 05:33.723 Soon the school became the fighter 05:33.723 --> 05:35.779 weapons school and then morphed into 05:35.779 --> 05:38.001 the weapons school as the mission c and 05:38.001 --> 05:41.309 the bread of air power expanded from 05:41.320 --> 05:45.320 Korea , the Vietnam to combat in the 05:45.329 --> 05:47.619 Middle East . The woman's call has met 05:47.630 --> 05:51.480 the needs of an evolving air force . A 05:51.489 --> 05:53.950 lot has changed over the years . But 05:53.959 --> 05:56.130 over the past 75 years , the standard 05:56.140 --> 05:59.579 of excellence has stayed the same . The 05:59.589 --> 06:02.049 school's history is generational in 06:02.059 --> 06:05.519 nature . Weapons officers pass on their 06:05.529 --> 06:09.309 knowledge to those that follow and the 06:09.320 --> 06:13.130 history is personal . We all 06:13.140 --> 06:15.196 remember our first squad and patch . 06:15.750 --> 06:17.917 Remember our weapon school instructors 06:19.790 --> 06:22.290 for 75 years . The Air Force has taken 06:22.299 --> 06:25.010 out , taken our very best tactical 06:25.019 --> 06:27.739 instructors , put them in a crucible 06:28.450 --> 06:30.829 and force them into weapons officers . 06:33.720 --> 06:36.600 This legacy is exactly what I wanted to 06:36.609 --> 06:39.940 become a patch . I remember my first 06:39.950 --> 06:43.140 visit to the weapon school back in 1989 . 06:44.600 --> 06:46.600 My scanner came here to fly every , 06:46.600 --> 06:49.220 every year . You never forget walking 06:49.230 --> 06:53.049 in the front door , waxman hall , smell 06:53.059 --> 06:56.649 in the air , air of Jalapeno popcorn , 06:59.369 --> 07:01.313 seeing that large statue of Robbie 07:01.313 --> 07:05.000 Reisner in dreaming that one day I'd be 07:05.010 --> 07:08.320 a weapon school graduate . I got to 07:08.329 --> 07:12.079 have that dream . Not once , not twice , 07:12.149 --> 07:14.316 but three times . I played three times 07:14.316 --> 07:17.709 to get to the weapon school . But I was 07:17.720 --> 07:19.887 selected for and graduated from uh the 07:19.887 --> 07:22.109 F weapons uh class 91 B the first class 07:22.109 --> 07:24.170 after Desert Storm . And in my class 07:24.179 --> 07:26.660 F-16 class , we had about four of my 07:26.670 --> 07:28.726 classmates that actually had flown a 07:28.726 --> 07:30.892 Desert Storm and showed up in April of 07:30.892 --> 07:34.390 1991 to start uh weapon school . 07:37.339 --> 07:39.506 We all know that the weapon school can 07:39.506 --> 07:41.617 be a significant emotional experience 07:41.899 --> 07:43.955 experience that includes some fire , 07:43.955 --> 07:46.010 fire that has stayed with each of us 07:46.010 --> 07:48.579 throughout our career . Even after 07:48.589 --> 07:51.059 graduating after uh 34 years ago , 07:52.549 --> 07:54.549 I distinctly remember the rides . I 07:54.549 --> 07:58.149 busted why I busted in the names of the 07:58.160 --> 08:01.839 instructors that busted me . What's 08:01.890 --> 08:02.890 that 08:08.709 --> 08:12.480 BFM four BFM 08:12.489 --> 08:15.940 five BFM five X 08:17.359 --> 08:20.079 S to and weapons for 08:21.589 --> 08:24.859 PJ best who 08:24.869 --> 08:28.570 Thomas Robocop and Frenchy French 08:31.350 --> 08:33.406 many times the most powerful lessons 08:33.406 --> 08:36.080 that are learned through failure . It's 08:36.090 --> 08:38.201 what teaches us that even when we are 08:38.201 --> 08:41.049 at the pinnacle of our abilities , we 08:41.059 --> 08:42.837 have still have more to learn . 08:44.099 --> 08:45.932 Demonstrates the hard work and a 08:45.932 --> 08:48.059 positive attitude are often more 08:48.070 --> 08:51.179 important , the raw natural abilities 08:52.890 --> 08:54.890 but shows us no matter how good you 08:54.890 --> 08:57.700 think you are , you cannot accomplish 08:57.710 --> 09:01.070 the mission alone . Success takes help 09:01.900 --> 09:03.719 failure . You can do alone . 09:05.849 --> 09:07.849 Most importantly , failure . Bill's 09:07.849 --> 09:10.016 character and teaches us how important 09:10.016 --> 09:12.780 it is to be humble , to be approachable 09:13.760 --> 09:17.210 and to be credible . The values of 09:17.219 --> 09:19.386 humble approachable , credible were an 09:19.386 --> 09:21.497 evolution of ideas that came together 09:21.497 --> 09:24.309 in the early two thousands . Matter of 09:24.320 --> 09:26.559 fact , when I spoke at the graduation 09:26.570 --> 09:29.140 in 2019 and I started doing some 09:29.150 --> 09:31.039 research on humble approachable , 09:31.039 --> 09:33.039 credible . I finally forgot when it 09:33.039 --> 09:35.150 started . So I talked to the previous 09:35.150 --> 09:38.479 comrades uh JC Carter Baller Rand Burt 09:38.489 --> 09:41.530 Field and all three of them could never 09:41.539 --> 09:44.450 tell me who really started hop puncture 09:44.530 --> 09:46.641 with credible . Matter of fact , they 09:46.641 --> 09:48.530 were too humble to figure out who 09:48.530 --> 09:51.960 actually said it first . When you think 09:51.969 --> 09:54.609 about it , it's fully ingrained by the 09:54.619 --> 09:57.010 time I became the coin in 2005 . 09:58.830 --> 10:01.030 Even before it's uh was the official 10:01.039 --> 10:02.983 mantra . These were the values and 10:02.983 --> 10:05.206 principles that we all sought to uphold 10:06.119 --> 10:09.309 to be the very best to be the standard 10:09.419 --> 10:11.586 bearer for others to measure against , 10:12.659 --> 10:14.826 to be the one called upon , to address 10:14.826 --> 10:17.609 our toughest challenges . From the day 10:17.619 --> 10:19.619 you graduate the patch on your left 10:19.619 --> 10:23.049 shoulder instantly makes you credible . 10:25.150 --> 10:28.299 Must also be approachable face it . 10:29.250 --> 10:32.380 Who wants to be instructed , buy or 10:32.390 --> 10:34.612 seek advice from someone that is in the 10:34.612 --> 10:37.070 pain in the backside or the call sign 10:37.080 --> 10:39.136 should begin with an A and with an E 10:41.960 --> 10:45.130 finally , you need to be humble being 10:45.140 --> 10:47.140 in a weapon school graduate doesn't 10:47.140 --> 10:49.251 mean , you know , it all just means , 10:49.251 --> 10:51.909 you know , a lot and you're willing to 10:51.919 --> 10:54.409 say , I don't know . And you're also 10:54.419 --> 10:56.641 willing to take the extra steps to find 10:56.641 --> 10:59.460 out . Although wild fighting is a 10:59.469 --> 11:01.469 serious business , we don't have to 11:01.469 --> 11:03.691 take ourselves too seriously and commit 11:03.691 --> 11:05.913 the mistakes . We make the shortcomings 11:05.913 --> 11:08.659 that we have . Like when I returned 11:08.669 --> 11:10.836 back to the weapons school . So when I 11:10.836 --> 11:12.836 went to weapons school in 91 uh the 11:12.836 --> 11:15.130 F-16 didn't . Uh we , we had a nines 11:15.280 --> 11:17.849 and the gun . So we turn sideways every 11:17.859 --> 11:20.520 merge . By the time I came back , we 11:20.530 --> 11:23.299 later we had air ramps . And so I was 11:23.309 --> 11:25.440 flying with uh my first story back to 11:25.450 --> 11:27.672 the women's school with Nick Anderson . 11:27.672 --> 11:29.894 He gave me some , you know , real quick 11:29.894 --> 11:32.061 academics on how the ana should work , 11:32.061 --> 11:34.117 how to interpret the symbology . And 11:34.117 --> 11:36.228 what I was supposed to say once I hit 11:36.228 --> 11:38.390 the pickle button um while we're 11:38.400 --> 11:41.760 airborne . So the ST the uh start taxi 11:41.770 --> 11:44.960 takeoff was all standard . We got 11:44.969 --> 11:48.320 airborne in Elgin and we executed his 11:48.330 --> 11:51.900 brief and we shot our first Amram . I 11:51.909 --> 11:55.349 shot my first Dam Ram and uh Nick uh 11:55.359 --> 11:57.359 you know , did what he , you know , 11:57.359 --> 11:59.429 good flight . He does . Yes , two 11:59.440 --> 12:03.340 status . And so after looking in 12:03.349 --> 12:05.460 the hood trying to figure out what uh 12:05.900 --> 12:08.233 what all the , the symba was telling me , 12:08.719 --> 12:10.775 I told him the only thing I knew for 12:10.775 --> 12:12.090 sure who's blind . 12:19.390 --> 12:21.446 Of course , when I came back , I was 12:21.446 --> 12:23.390 completely signed off as a full up 12:23.390 --> 12:24.723 instructor on the MRM . 12:30.780 --> 12:32.891 Now , you know , attending the weapon 12:32.891 --> 12:34.947 school is probably , uh I would just 12:34.947 --> 12:34.340 tell you is probably the most 12:34.349 --> 12:36.349 challenging I did in my 39 years of 12:36.349 --> 12:39.270 wearing a uniform . But also tell you 12:39.280 --> 12:41.613 the most rewarding thing I've ever done . 12:43.359 --> 12:45.415 It's a continent . I'm probably most 12:45.415 --> 12:48.400 proud of . You know , I heard an 12:48.409 --> 12:50.789 instructor once say that once you 12:50.799 --> 12:53.020 graduate when weapons school , every 12:53.030 --> 12:55.820 day is a check ride , that could be 12:55.830 --> 12:59.140 more right ? You always got to bring 12:59.150 --> 13:01.330 your a game . You cannot bring it weak 13:02.719 --> 13:04.608 with the patch on your shoulder . 13:04.608 --> 13:06.663 People look to you , they watch what 13:06.669 --> 13:10.539 you say , what you do . They emulate 13:10.549 --> 13:13.919 your techniques , the way to hear you 13:13.929 --> 13:16.096 speak to hear what the weapons officer 13:16.096 --> 13:18.919 thinks . They want to know if you're 13:18.929 --> 13:20.985 humbled , approachable or credible . 13:23.400 --> 13:25.400 But the weapons school also has the 13:25.400 --> 13:29.090 mission to build , teach lead and 13:29.099 --> 13:32.590 serve . Now , during my time as a work , 13:32.599 --> 13:34.770 I learned uh tons about employing the 13:34.780 --> 13:37.340 F-16 and we're finding integration . 13:40.000 --> 13:42.056 But I learned even more about myself 13:42.270 --> 13:45.750 and about leadership . So 13:45.760 --> 13:48.580 building and teaching are important , 13:50.750 --> 13:53.039 but it was highlighted by uh vice . 13:54.400 --> 13:56.622 I've often thought of the weapon school 13:56.622 --> 13:58.789 as the ultimate course in leadership . 13:59.820 --> 14:03.570 Here's why is a highly selective course . 14:05.299 --> 14:07.440 Only the most talented women get in . 14:10.270 --> 14:12.048 You're put through the toughest 14:12.048 --> 14:14.679 operational and tactical problems where 14:14.690 --> 14:16.801 the only correct answer is the weapon 14:16.801 --> 14:18.412 school answer . It depends , 14:21.099 --> 14:24.039 you lead under intense pressure , being 14:24.049 --> 14:26.049 decisive and directed to a group of 14:26.049 --> 14:28.400 type a personalities who all think 14:28.409 --> 14:31.359 they're better than you finding you 14:31.369 --> 14:34.599 self assess your performance and you 14:34.609 --> 14:36.776 assess the performance of those type a 14:36.776 --> 14:39.659 personalities , the world cause 14:39.669 --> 14:42.789 analysis all to be better next time . 14:45.539 --> 14:48.109 If that's not a course in leadership , 14:48.570 --> 14:51.210 I don't know what it is . It's the 14:51.219 --> 14:53.219 reason why leaders seek out weapons 14:53.219 --> 14:55.108 officers for the most challenging 14:55.108 --> 14:58.400 assignments and why so many of our air 14:58.409 --> 15:01.409 force seen leaders have a patch on her 15:01.419 --> 15:05.099 left shoulder in the spirit of 15:05.109 --> 15:07.840 Bill teach leaner 15:11.299 --> 15:13.132 in my personal accomplishment of 15:13.132 --> 15:15.289 graduating from the urban school . I 15:15.299 --> 15:17.609 can tell you , I felt confident but 15:17.619 --> 15:21.400 also apologetic , confident 15:22.409 --> 15:24.631 because I was more sure of my skills as 15:24.631 --> 15:28.020 a fighter pilot , as an instructor and 15:28.030 --> 15:31.349 as a leader after graduation . At the 15:31.359 --> 15:34.119 same time , I want to go back and 15:34.130 --> 15:36.297 apologize to everybody I taught before 15:36.297 --> 15:38.297 I became a weapon school graduate . 15:39.659 --> 15:41.826 There's a lot of things I did not know 15:42.890 --> 15:45.057 weapon school helped me understand how 15:45.057 --> 15:47.380 much I didn't know and how much I fell 15:47.390 --> 15:49.929 short as an instructor prior to 15:49.940 --> 15:53.510 attending weapon school , set the 15:53.520 --> 15:57.159 stage than the rest of my career for my 15:57.169 --> 15:59.447 continued service to our nation . Well , 15:59.447 --> 16:03.190 outside the cockpit in the 16 , I 16:03.200 --> 16:05.311 learned about Michigan man and how to 16:05.311 --> 16:07.609 employ with and give commanders intent . 16:09.049 --> 16:12.190 It taught me how to think critically to 16:12.200 --> 16:14.256 analyze large amounts of information 16:14.256 --> 16:17.690 quickly , to assess a course of action 16:18.760 --> 16:20.816 and to make decisions under pressure 16:21.700 --> 16:24.489 without asking for permission to 16:24.500 --> 16:26.333 appreciate . There's a fine line 16:26.333 --> 16:28.333 between leaning forward and falling 16:28.333 --> 16:31.179 over , learned that tactical and 16:31.190 --> 16:34.289 operational actions led by a weapons 16:34.299 --> 16:37.229 officer can have a strategic impact . 16:39.309 --> 16:41.476 You need to be able to both zoom in to 16:41.476 --> 16:44.210 see the granular details while 16:44.219 --> 16:46.510 simultaneously stepping back to see the 16:46.520 --> 16:48.631 challenges they haven't emerged yet . 16:50.489 --> 16:52.378 It's where I learn to give advice 16:53.469 --> 16:55.691 according as you understand the context 16:55.691 --> 16:57.913 of your personal abilities , as well as 16:57.913 --> 16:59.913 the capability of your squadron and 16:59.913 --> 17:02.025 those you're privileged to lead . And 17:02.025 --> 17:04.191 after I graduated from school , I went 17:04.191 --> 17:06.358 back to Homestead and I remember going 17:06.358 --> 17:08.469 back to the 307 fighter squadron , my 17:08.469 --> 17:10.691 commander would turn to me and seek and 17:10.691 --> 17:12.979 say CKI , what do you recommend that 17:12.989 --> 17:15.339 still happens today ? Except now it's 17:15.349 --> 17:17.182 the Secretary of Defense and the 17:17.182 --> 17:19.016 president of the United States . 17:29.680 --> 17:31.569 The nurse saying CQ , what do you 17:31.569 --> 17:33.890 recommend ? No pressure ? 17:36.979 --> 17:39.201 I would say it's important to be humble 17:39.201 --> 17:41.479 approach credible where they're sitting 17:41.489 --> 17:44.689 in your squadron briefing room or 17:44.699 --> 17:46.699 you're sitting in the oval office . 17:48.709 --> 17:51.739 These values apply no matter where you 17:51.750 --> 17:55.390 called to serve . I've been a chairman 17:55.400 --> 17:59.160 for just over seven months and 17:59.170 --> 18:03.150 sometimes I wonder how I got here , but 18:03.160 --> 18:05.327 I know having not been a weapon school 18:05.327 --> 18:07.438 grad there probably would have been a 18:07.438 --> 18:11.380 long shot for me to be here . I'll tell 18:11.390 --> 18:13.334 you you've been busy in these past 18:13.334 --> 18:16.430 seven months . You know , my first end 18:16.439 --> 18:18.495 of my first week was a phone call at 18:18.495 --> 18:20.328 four o'clock in the morning from 18:20.328 --> 18:22.217 General Ko , the commander of the 18:22.217 --> 18:21.900 United States for command to tell me 18:21.910 --> 18:25.300 that Hamas had gone in to Israel . We 18:25.310 --> 18:27.254 already had the events going on in 18:27.254 --> 18:30.489 Ukraine . And when I think about all 18:30.500 --> 18:32.969 the activity since 1 October , 18:34.430 --> 18:37.790 the Wall Street extremely complex and 18:37.800 --> 18:39.856 the threats that are outlined in our 18:39.856 --> 18:41.910 national defense strategy . He was 18:41.920 --> 18:45.680 Republic of China , Russia , Iran , 18:46.400 --> 18:50.109 North Korea and v extremists . In many 18:50.119 --> 18:52.349 cases , are working together and 18:52.359 --> 18:55.979 becoming more interconnected . We must 18:55.989 --> 18:58.250 balance between responding to today's 18:58.260 --> 19:01.810 crisis while also modernizing to ensure 19:01.819 --> 19:03.819 we have the capability and capacity 19:03.819 --> 19:07.489 needed for the future . This 19:07.500 --> 19:10.270 requires our joint force along with our 19:10.280 --> 19:13.310 allies and partners to take a strategic 19:13.319 --> 19:16.189 approach and it requires leadership . 19:18.319 --> 19:21.229 That's how we need warriors where you 19:21.239 --> 19:24.170 can think critically and you can 19:24.180 --> 19:27.089 integrate effects . It's about looking 19:27.099 --> 19:30.680 beyond your specific airframe , your 19:30.689 --> 19:33.849 specific mission set and be on our own 19:33.859 --> 19:37.410 service . It's about how we collaborate 19:37.890 --> 19:40.849 across the emergency with their allies 19:40.859 --> 19:44.589 and partners to solve truly wicked 19:44.599 --> 19:48.550 problems . Whether it's PFM four , 19:49.989 --> 19:52.959 organizing support for Ukraine , the 19:52.969 --> 19:55.136 foundation of leadership is the same , 19:55.839 --> 19:58.117 they can be found in a weapons officer . 20:00.189 --> 20:02.356 And that's why the weapon school is so 20:02.356 --> 20:04.356 important . It's about creating the 20:04.356 --> 20:06.910 next generation of leaders . We were 20:06.920 --> 20:09.140 prepared for what lies ahead 20:10.989 --> 20:13.211 when I was a weapon school commandant , 20:13.319 --> 20:15.400 we dedicated bow to Hall in honor of 20:15.410 --> 20:18.479 Colonel John Boyd . Many of you know , 20:18.489 --> 20:20.822 John Boy flew in , uh Korea and Vietnam . 20:22.290 --> 20:24.589 He's a fire weapons school graduate and 20:24.599 --> 20:27.630 instructor . He is best known for his 20:27.640 --> 20:30.329 analog work of decision cycles and 20:30.339 --> 20:33.050 advanced fighters leading into the loop , 20:34.119 --> 20:38.089 the F-16 and the fa 18 . It was 20:38.099 --> 20:40.043 during my time as a coma that I uh 20:40.043 --> 20:42.155 actually read Robert Corn's biography 20:42.155 --> 20:45.400 on John Boyd . Within that biograph , 20:45.469 --> 20:47.540 there was a quote from Boyd on how 20:47.550 --> 20:49.439 fighter pilots get to the fighter 20:49.439 --> 20:51.709 weapons school . You know , weve 20:51.719 --> 20:54.680 evolves to become the weapon school 20:56.410 --> 20:58.466 and I took the liberty to modify the 20:58.466 --> 21:01.719 quote without changing the thrust . Now 21:01.729 --> 21:04.270 use the quote in the final wat that I 21:04.280 --> 21:07.479 would give to the students just before 21:07.489 --> 21:09.660 graduation and it states 21:12.790 --> 21:14.901 the weapon school has always been the 21:14.901 --> 21:17.123 most difficult and demanding school . A 21:17.123 --> 21:19.346 combat warrior can attend , technically 21:20.219 --> 21:23.359 young warriors can apply . In reality , 21:23.849 --> 21:26.729 they are invited , they come out of 21:26.739 --> 21:29.150 their basic schools or signed to a 21:29.160 --> 21:32.189 squadron and are watched for 4 to 5 21:32.199 --> 21:35.640 years by their superiors and weapon 21:35.650 --> 21:38.680 school graduates . If they are the best 21:38.689 --> 21:42.500 warriors in their squadrons , if they 21:42.510 --> 21:46.410 are bold and aggressive , if 21:46.420 --> 21:48.642 they preached the gospel of air power , 21:49.170 --> 21:51.430 they might be invited to the weapon 21:51.439 --> 21:55.329 school . I appreciate the invitation , 21:57.640 --> 21:59.529 the invitation to address you all 21:59.529 --> 22:02.369 tonight . But more importantly , the 22:02.380 --> 22:05.689 invitation of me in invitation all of 22:05.699 --> 22:08.739 you to be part of the weapon school . 22:10.890 --> 22:13.001 When we up in schools , early classes 22:13.001 --> 22:14.779 for our most recent graduates . 22:15.819 --> 22:18.041 Congratulations to our weapons school , 22:18.160 --> 22:21.180 producing humble approachable credible 22:21.189 --> 22:24.760 leaders for the past 25 years . But 22:24.770 --> 22:27.579 it's not about the pass . It's about 22:27.589 --> 22:31.079 what Liza had as Winston Churchill said , 22:32.439 --> 22:35.530 success is never final and that's why 22:35.540 --> 22:37.979 I'm confident the weapons school will 22:37.989 --> 22:40.989 continue to build leaders for our joint 22:41.000 --> 22:43.510 force and for our nation for the next 22:43.520 --> 22:45.719 75 years . Thank you for the 22:45.729 --> 22:47.562 opportunity to be here tonight . 22:58.670 --> 23:02.560 Ok . Thank you chairman . 23:02.569 --> 23:04.680 If you could , please remain on stage 23:04.680 --> 23:06.513 and general jumper , please come 23:06.513 --> 23:08.236 forward and join us on stage . 23:38.290 --> 23:40.401 We thank you both for your attendance 23:40.401 --> 23:42.623 to this event this evening , as well as 23:42.623 --> 23:44.623 your keynote addresses tonight . On 23:44.623 --> 23:46.623 behalf of the weapons school , we'd 23:46.623 --> 23:48.734 like to present you both with a token 23:48.734 --> 23:52.420 of our appreciation . It 24:19.410 --> 24:20.410 sauce . 24:25.520 --> 24:26.520 You know what , 24:32.300 --> 24:33.300 check 24:37.380 --> 24:39.547 one more round of applause for both of 24:39.547 --> 24:39.800 our guest speakers tonight .