By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2014 – The nation depends on the
professionalism of service members like the airmen of the 90th Missile Wing at
F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said today on a
visit to the base.
“We have all the great technology in the world -- and we
have better technology than anyone -- and we are the strongest country on Earth
... but it takes people, it takes leadership, it takes commitment,” Hagel told
the airmen.
Through investments in modernization and by focusing on
reducing the nuclear stockpile under the START II treaty, the United States is
demonstrating its commitment to maintaining a capable and safe nuclear
deterrent, he said.
“It's clearly in our national security interests,” Hagel
said.
“And as I had an opportunity to view some of this today to
get down really where the operational dynamics are real, and not just theory or
in PowerPoint presentations, but it's clear that we've got some work to do on
modernization,” the defense secretary said.
Hagel told the airmen that the American people have great
confidence in their ability to perform under extraordinary conditions.
“You've also chosen a profession where there's no room for
error. In what you do every day, there is no room for error, none,” he said.
Under such conditions, Hagel said, it’s important to
constantly hone and develop personal, professional and institutional skills.
Because even though the nation doesn’t go to war every day, the defense
secretary said, “every day we help prevent war. That’s what we are about. And
we do that better than anyone else.”
“How you do the job is really as important as the job
itself, because it sets a standard of expectation for yourselves and for
everybody around you,” Hagel said. “You're all leaders. You're all role models.
And that's a heavy burden to carry.”
The defense secretary was on the final stop of a two-day
trip to bases in Wyoming, Nebraska, New Mexico and Texas.
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