Chairman Joint Chiefs – Speech at AWC

Joint Chiefs Chairman Speaks Before AWC Class (Carlisle (PA) Sentinel)…Joseph Cress, June 8, 2008

Admiral Mike Mullen had one standing order for the strategic leaders of tomorrow: Turn the page on book learning and take the lessons of the Army War College beyond the classroom.

“Seek balance in all you do,” Mullen said. “Draw from, do not dwell in the past.

The United States must continue to be ready to fight insurgents, counter terrorism and tackle regional threats, Mullen said. “The specter of major conflict may have diminished, but it has not disappeared.”

He urged students to stay engaged and strive to achieve the right balance of equipment, training and personnel ready to meet a range of military operations both in war-fighting and peace-making.
 
All too often, peace-loving nations find themselves ill-prepared for strategic surprise, Mullen said. That happened at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and to New York and Washington D.C. on Sept. 11, 2001.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Wants Refocus On Major-Combat Skills
(Los Angeles Times)…Julian E. Barnes, June 8, 2008

The U.S. military’s top uniformed officer on Saturday urged the armed forces to rebuild combat capabilities that have atrophied during the protracted counter-insurgency campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mullen, speaking at graduation ceremonies at the Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pa., said the military’s “most pressing long-term problem” was maintaining armed services that are correctly shaped, equipped and trained.

“We must also stay prepared for a range of military operations,”

Mullen said. “We cannot sacrifice the future for the sake of the ‘now.’ “

A senior aide to Mullen said the chairman was not trying to draw a contrast with Gates. The aide said the two men were in full agreement on likely future threats faced by the U.S.