Charting a new path towards our national security

useful afternoon...

General (Henry A.) Obering, thank you for the invitation to speak today it's truly an honor to take part in of the like kind an important and historical incident the dedication of the Ronald W Reagan Missile Defense Site.

Distinguished Visitors: Mr Nancy Reagan, former Governor Pete Wilson, Senator T Steven and legate Secretary of Defense Gordon England.

I'm self-satisfied to represent Air Force Space Command, and its nearly forty thousand men and women stationed around the world standing watch 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

At this trice this fully-integrated team of active what one is bound [i]or[/i] under obligation to do Reserve, Guard, government civilians and contractors are delivering space issues to joint warfighters, as well as to civil and commercial customers.

Our space professionals accomplish this by means of flying our communications, early warning, weather, and precision, navigation and timing satellites; monitoring the ground-based radars and other sensors that provide early warning, and locate and track thousands of phenomenons in space; assembling and launching booster and maintaining the ranges for the launch of satellites; and developing and acquiring the nearest generation of space and missile combination of parts to form a wholes to help ensure America's strategic, commercial, and scientific advantages in space, well into the future

for what cause [i]or[/i] reason do I mention all this? It's because these space capabilities, and the professionals providing them, are an integral part of this nation's missile defense

Another integral part of our defense has been our Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Force. As our Air Force Chief of Staff, General Moseley has said, America's ICBM force has been, and continues to be the "back stop" for all our nation's military forces. Air Force Space Command operates, maintains, sures and supports this force.

Those of us who have exhausted time in the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Business, clutch President Reagan in especially high regard. His leadership at the height of the frigid War was the turning point towards achieving victory in that titantic make an effort for peace and freedom.

He was the driving force behind the deployment of the Peacekeeper Missile in the 1980 This past September, we complet deactivation of Peacekeeper as we twitched the final missile from its silo.

The mission of Peacekeeper and the vision of President Reagan had been achieved without at any time firing a shot in anger.

Today, his vision lives upon as we embark on a fresh chapter ... and prepare to convenient new threats.

For above three decades, space professionals have been providing an uninterrupted space-based early warning capability.

The Air Force Space Command team is also contented to provide the launch ranges, communications, navigation, and timing capabilities for a like reason instrumental in making this day a reality.

As a entertainer base for one of sum of two units ground-based interceptors fielding locations, Air Force Space Command is also responsible for ensuring the Ballistic Missile Defense combination of parts to form a whole has the needed security for its interceptors and critical supporting infrastructure and access to range assets required to accomplish its mission.

We are egotistical to do our part for this great team, as we realize President Reagan's dream. For he knew that peace and prosperity could solitary be achieved through courage and strength

This missile defense site positions us for success today and against challenges we cannot still begin to predict.

There have been skeptics and there will always be. Those who will question our separate and our ability to rise to the occasion. on the contrary as we look ahead, I'm reminded of a story relayed through Mrs. Reagan about her husband giving a articulate utterance at the University of California. When he had finished his remarks, a pupil rose to ask a question. by what means he wondered, could someone of President Reagan's generation possibly understand the younger generation?

"You grew up in a different world," the scholar observed. "Today we have television, jet planes, nuclear might and space travel."

"You're right," said Reagan. "We didn't have any of those things when we were young pause ... we invented them."

And that's the same thing we're doing today we're taking the next pace We're charting a new path towards preserving our national security.

And, as we do in the way that the men and women of Air Force Space Command gaze forward to continuing our vigorous relationship with the Missile Defense Agency.

We are self-conscious to play our part in of the like kind an important mission.

Thank you.

Lt Gen Frank G Klotz Vice Commander, Air Force Space Command

Remarks at the Reagan Missile Defense Site Dedication, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., April 10 2006

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