 Cocktails or something else. It makes for a lot better session. Welcome everybody, we're delighted you're here. And this is, I've been looking forward to this very much. I've had the privilege of knowing General Schwartz for a number of years and watching him as he's been soaring to higher and higher heights. He got up there and, God, what a furball firefight he got himself into. But it's the depth of his character and his imagination and his intellect that has made it so important for all of us right now. We're very, very lucky to have him here. I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for coming. I'm glad you're here. I don't know how wine is going to go with breakfast cereal, but we'll try that for the morning sessions. I'm taking my page of Rudy. Rudy said that he's going to take this over at CAP. He said a lot better turnout if you liquor people up. I do want to say special thanks to our friends at Rolls-Royce that make this possible. Steve, thank you. We're delighted to have this opportunity. Make this forum available for everybody. As a nation, we've got to decide what we're going to do here. I mean, we've got, this is a pivot point, and we've got to decide with the limited resources we've got, what are the challenges that we face. Nobody faces this like a chief. A chief is the, these guys are the ones that have to integrate all of the various demands, and not only make sure that we can fight today, but that we're going to be prepared for the next 20, 30 years. I mean, this is a, the Air Force probably even more. I mean, I used to say they had to span 70 years of technology, and it's now probably 90 years of technology. We've got old B-52s that we're having to keep viable at the same time that we're planning on a joint strike fighter and it'll be operational for the next 40 years. I mean, this is an unbelievable span that we have to make support and that it has to go to war. So it's a remarkable thing. We're very, very fortunate to have people of this quality who are willing to lead us at this time. Steve, let me turn to you to formally get us off here and introduce the general, and then we will get to on hearing from General Schwartz. Thank you. Good afternoon and welcome, everyone. I'm Steve Flanagan, Senior Vice President here at CSIS, and it's a pleasure to welcome you this evening and to introduce General Schwartz, who as many of you know, you have his detailed biography in the program, but he has been serving as Chief of Staff of the Air Force since August of 2008. Prior to that, he had served as Commander of Transcom for almost three years. He started his career. He's a graduate of the class of 1973 of the United States Air Force Academy. He was a command pilot with over 4,000 hours of flying experience in a variety of aircraft. In some of his early assignments, he was involved as a crew member in the 1975 airlift of the evacuation of Saigon. In 1991, he served as Chief of Staff of the Joint Special Operations Task Force for Northern Iraq in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. And in 1997, he led the task force that prepared for the noncombatant evacuation of citizens in Cambodia. Among his senior command assignments, he's been the Commander of Special Operations Command Pacific, as well as Alaska Command, Alaska Northern Aerospace Defense Command Region, Commander of the 11th Air Force, and as I mentioned, prior to serving, he is also, in addition to being in Transcom, he was also Director of the Joint Staff before he took his position at Transcom. He's an alumnus of the National War College as well, a member of the Council on Formulations and another one of those participants in MIT's famous seminar, 21. So a true intellectual leader in military thinking, a commander with tremendous in depth of experience. We're delighted to have him today to discuss the challenges ahead in the QDR Channel. Welcome to CSIF. Steve, thanks very much. I must say that one part of that introduction, which a lot of people here in this room know very well, that the intellectual piece some folks would have doubt about, especially my wife, Susan. In addition, I was kind of hoping, Dr. Hammery, that everybody would have a bit more wine tonight because I was kind of hoping you'd think my remarks were better as a result. But I'll let me dive into this, some prepared remarks a little bit about your Air Force. And then I'd be happy to take any questions that you might have. And I look forward to the panel. I know that will follow. I do appreciate the introduction, Steve, and it's good to be back at CSIS in a somewhat different capacity than the last time I visited. This forum, I think, provides an excellent opportunity to spend some time considering strategic issues of significance for the national defense. And I think it's important that we do this, particularly now as we're in the midst of a quadrennial defense review, nuclear posture review, space review, and so on and so forth. And I do appreciate all the folks here. And by the way, there are a number of people on the CSIS staff who have been instrumental in mentoring me along the way, some sitting in the front row. Clark Murdoch is here in the room, somewhere you probably won't admit it, but he did have a lot to do with people thinking somehow I was an intellectual. Well, it was really Clark Murdoch that was the intellectual. But in any case, what I would like to do today is to begin with some thoughts about the role that the United States Air Force plays in the national defense. And perhaps to try to capture what some of the enduring contributions are that we offer. And I consider the enduring aspects of our service to be kind of an intellectual framework around which we should design our ways and needs. It is hard to decide what we should equip or what we should do without the predicate of understanding these enduring aspects. And because I also believe that national security strategy and defense strategy in general should theoretically at least begin with a definable end state in mind. And that follows through thoughtful orchestration of ways and needs as you are all well aware on achieving those ends. And so our consideration of any services role in national defense should begin with the contribution expected of that institution and how that contribution integrates with the other services and our interagency counterparts to support national strategic objectives. Now, this may sound high-fluting. I'll get down into air-breathing range here in a second. Once we reason through the nature of the desired contributions in the process of integration and those are not trivial, we can turn our attention to the ways and means we require, which is what we in this town spend a lot of our time on. And perhaps more importantly, those ways and means that we can afford. The intellectual process therefore demands that we begin with a clear or as clear conceptualization as we can on exactly what is it that the United States Air Force contributes to the national defense. Both historically and of course in today's strategic context. I think this understanding assists us greatly as we look to the future. And not in some predictive sense, pretending that we can say with any certainty what the nation will precisely demand of our service. But I guess I agree with the words of the late Admiral J.C. Wiley who wrote that planning for certitude is the greatest of all military mistakes. This he referred to as the hazard of the Maginot mentality, a shore, a float, airborne and chairborn. Instead, we should understand the enduring contributions our service has made in concert with others. And we seek to anticipate the general ways our service will likely be expected to contribute in the future. You will hear our senior leadership talk about this as balance. This suggests service is prepared and equipped to provide a set of capabilities designed to contribute to the national defense integrated together in ways that directly correspond with reality. In today's fight and in future challenges across the full spectrum. And the ultimate aim of these integrated capabilities is to provide the nation with a military instrument that builds legitimacy while exercising the appropriate level of control. If we consider all these notions carefully, we can look at the past along with the present and distill enduring Air Force contributions. And these provide an excellent starting point, I think, for anticipating what America's Air Force can and should contribute to the national defense as we go forward. We should remember that the early days of air power were marked by the recognition of speed, range and flexibility of these air assets relative to their counterparts on the land and at sea. As the technology matured, those distinctive aspects became significant advantages in both the civilian and the military context. In the military context, air power offered significant advantages in lines of communication, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Therefore, as in other domains, freedom of action in the air soon became a contest for control over strategically significant locations. Until that freedom of action emerged as a sign of quanton of military action and essential precondition for success and combat. This does not suggest for a moment that air power offers limitless strategic potential or that air power can win every war on its own. That's nonsense and you all know that. But the air power advantage held conventional forces at risk is speed, range and flexibility translated into efficiency and lethality. And that meant some degree of control in the air became necessary for any reasonable hope for success in conventional military contests in other domains. We can look back, therefore, and see emerge the enduring contributions of our air force to the nation. And by extension, the sophisticated utilities relevant in space and cyberspace as well. The primary enduring contribution, therefore, is the air force's ability to establish and maintain friendly freedom of action in the air. This is air control, which both enables our ongoing use of the air domain and keeps friendly forces on the ground and at sea free from enemy attack. This contribution, however, is not an end of it in itself, but rather the means that offers a variety of benefits. Some of the benefits are likewise enduring air force contributions that incorporate air space and cyber capabilities applied across the spectrum of conflict. For example, the ability to conduct persistent global intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance operations, something which is a signature development of the current fights in Iraq and Afghanistan. The ability to deliver both kinetic and non-kinetic effects at global distances, serving to dissuade, to deter, to defeat adversaries' efforts. And the ability to command and control U.S. and coalition air, space and cyber assets to achieve combatant commander objectives. This may be the most important aspect of what the air force offers. It's the capacity to command and control in multiple domains this very precious capability. And importantly, the ability to assess joint effects across the globe, reinforcing ongoing friendly freedom of action in any domain. These are the contributions that your air force proudly makes today. In accordance with the distinctive heritage of the airmen who went before us and building certainly on the foundation that they established. And I might add there are a few of those airmen sitting in the room today, I'm well aware. Even as we keep an eye on the horizon for new threats, new technologies and new concepts, so that future airmen are equipped to contribute in similar relevant fashion. The necessary ways and means for doing this are certainly up for consideration both in the QDR and with each year's sort of natural budget cycle. And as we seek an even-handed strategy that is fiscally sound, it is in the interest of making the best use of the taxpayer's dollar. And I think frankly that we, although painful and difficult, I think that we are doing this fairly effectively in the current budgetary process. Our corporate efforts certainly are focused on doing so, and I do in nice as not being at all patronizing. I do thank each and every one of you for all you do in your various disciplines to continue this discussion on what the final outcome should be for our Air Force, for our Army, for our Navy, for our Marine Corps, and so on. As you do so, I'd ask you to consider our current plans for making these enduring contributions integrated with joint and interagency capabilities and at an acceptable cost to the nation. Think of the systems we now feel, and those we continue to innovate in order to deliver on the promise. As your Air Force makes compelling contributions in today's fight in defense of the nation, and a new generation of America's airmen proudly deliver modern examples of these enduring aspects of air power. From advanced F-22 and soon-to-BF-35 aircraft that serve to secure freedom of action in the air and hold targets at risk on the surface, to C-17, C-130, perhaps C-27, and refurbished C-5 airlifters able to deliver rapid global mobility for joint force projection and support coupled with advanced precision airdrop capability. Think of the airmen of the 50th Space Wing, who recently won the Aldridge Trophy for their crucial space support for the joint warfighter in today's fight, leveraging advanced space assets that integrate U.S. forces around the globe, providing combat effects from space for joint expeditionary operations, effects that also help ensure our revolutionary unmanned aircraft systems piloted from Creature Air Force Base provide intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities for joint force commanders halfway around the world. Think of the airmen at the 341st Space Wing at Mount Strum Air Force Base in Montana, who recently won the Blanchard Trophy for the best intercontinental ballistic missile wing. A positive example of our reinvigorated nuclear operations effort that directly supports America's deterrence policy. Think of our airmen who deliver advanced long-range strike capabilities with advanced systems able to range targets in highly non-permissive environments. And think of our truly global command and control capabilities designed to integrate joint and coalition efforts seamlessly for the combatant commander. Connecting Air Force joint terminal attack controllers on the ground alongside their joint teammates with world-class close air support aircraft covering their every move with precision weapons. An example of the enduring effects tailored for a regular warfare to help build partnership capacity and U.S. national legitimacy around the globe. Along with our ongoing innovations to deal with emerging strategic threats in space and cyberspace. Defending the ultimate high ground as well as the virtual realm upon which our forces collectively, and this includes our coalition partners, have become so dependent upon. Ladies and gentlemen, let there be no doubt in case you are wondering that your Air Force is all in ready to contribute in any way that is necessary for today's fight. Even as we prepare for the challenges of tomorrow that Dr. Hammering mentioned. For the ways and means with which we make our contributions are changing and will no doubt continue to do so. But our enduring contributions to the national defense have achieved unprecedented success, I would argue, in many ways. Consider, for example, that the U.S. ground forces, no U.S. ground forces have been killed by enemy aircraft attack in 50 years. Who else can claim that? And that our global airlift capability rapidly delivers humanitarian assistance to those in need around the world. It's happening today to Pakistani refugees. And that our precision global positioning system today is both a convenient aid to American commuters and a sophisticated aid in avoiding civilian casualties in combat. These examples are a continuum and a continuation of the benefits of our enduring contributions to the national defense. And there are many more. To advance these benefits, we must keep pace with a security environment whose rate of change is faster than ever before. We must innovate and adapt our ways to correspond with today's turbulent, unfolding reality so that our joint partners can count on their air force to make these enduring contributions with precision and reliability. In other words, to keep the promise. Delivering global vigilance, reach and power for America. As we consider together the changing ways and means necessary to continue our distinctive heritage is the world's finest air force and to be sure the world's finest joint team. I'm grateful again, Dr. Hammeray, and all for your invitation tonight. It is an honor to be here with you and most importantly, it is an honor to serve with all of you in this collective endeavor in securing the nation's defense. Thanks very much.