Well, if that doesnt get you going, you have a pretty serious problem. Secretary mattis, secretary morethy, and so many distinguished guests. Thank you for joining us. If you will allow me to recognize a few distinguished guests. We are blessed to have several former chiefs of staffs of the army. If you would, let us thank you for your long service. [applause] i will pick on one of that group of four. Some of you may have met general sullivan before. A bit of a relationship with the association with United States army and some of you may have heard great personal news. General sullivan is engaged to be married. [applause] he said that second best would be if the red sox would get back on track. We will see how that turns out. We are also honored to have a number of former sergeants of the army. Please [applause] a special thanks this morning to Major General mike howard, commanding general of the district of washington, and the men and women of the men and women band very thank you for a wonderful opening ceremony. Mention. Groups to secretary of the army appoints civilians to the secretary of army who represent our army across the land. I would like to ask the civilian aides and secretary of the army and let us thank you for your long service to the army. [applause] thank you also very much. This year we have more than 70 nations represented at the association of the united armys annual meeting. If they may ask all of our National Partners to rise. I want to thank you for your partnership, friendship, and the spirit of cooperation with the United States in the United States army, or international partner. [applause] one of the things you learn early on is team sports. Teammatest to have like this. Thank you very much. Im honored to introduce the keynote speaker for the 2017 annual meeting of the associated association of the United States army. He is well known internationally. I had the privilege of serving alongside him, and if you ask me to define our keynote speaker with one note, i would simply choose patriot. That is what he is. That is what he is at his very core. Please welcome the secretary of defense, the honorable jim matus. Tis. At [applause] general mattis thank you very much. You general ham, old friend of many years. It is an absolute delight to be here with you. I do appreciate being invited to Something Like this. Inan find no place washington dc today than i feel more home today than here amongst you. Acting secretary mccarthy, we first met each other in those very uncertain days after 9 11 and afghanistan, and we have served together for many years after that. Thank you for coming back. It is a pleasant to serve with you once again. General millie, we have served together and we have known each other over many years. You have the dna of iwo jima in your veins. You believe red white and blue, and the army could not be in better hands. Toor daily, besides deciding go out on the Obstacle Course , the 10 mile was just a warmup for this morning. In the truest traditions of army, where you lead from upfront and put yourself in different difficult situations voluntarily, thank you for your leadership. After that presentation, im going down to the recruiting office to sign up for another 40 years. I guarantee you. [applause] mattis it was also something to remind us of the priorities of secretary mccarthy has made clear and others in the time in office, and that is for readiness. We will talk more about that. I will be very pleased to take some questions at the end of this. Lets see if i can close the gap between the secretary of defense and all of you out there for a little bit. I recognize that what ever we wear today or we once war, in this room, we are all coequal in our devotion to this wonderful magic experiment that we call america and protecting our people and our constitution. We are coequal, and that is one thing the American Armed forces has always had, a devotion. I am honored to be here with you today. You who hold the line in this world am i want to mention something about the veterans. In the front line, i just returned from afghanistan a few days ago. Theynly thing i think would ever fear is a leading down you and the legacy you have bequeathed to them. They know based on what you have been through, they can do the job because it can be nothing worse than what you faced in your worst days. That village or confidence. For me, on a personal level, a thank you to the Vietnam Veterans who stayed in as you heard any presentation this morning, state and rebuild the army. They wear the veterans who raised me in the marine corps and made me the marine i was. To all veterans, and especially Vietnam Veterans, you have my deepest affection for what you committed to our country. [applause] general mattis thank you. [applause] mattis thank you very much. To the medal of honor winner, and all of you who have been decorated and recognized for valor in combat, i want to say to you, in great need something abides. Regardless of which war you earn the respect of your fellow warriors, your example of courage echoes today down through our ranks. To our gold start families who join us here today, as general we pray dailyid, to be worthy of your sacrifice. Thank you. [applause] mattis as your secretary of defense, i am honored it to join you. Im grateful to serve once again alongside soldiers of the greatest army entrusted army on earth. To serve once again among the highspirited soldiers whose character i have seen rise to every occasion in the worst possible circumstances. Soldiers who are always at their best when the times are at their worst. Soldiers who general George Washington would be proud of war 242 years now, you have set the standard. The soldier descendents today of continentals who left bloody footprints at valley forge. To come from lexington cornwall, generation after generation, you have carried our flags in your hearts and the patriots fire in your belly. America, ande call experiment to determine if a government of the people, by the people, and for the people can long survive. , united ind army commitment that stands as a fellowor our federal citizens of those who stand united can too. Our armies ranks are filled with highquality patriots, all volunteers, and i am very proud to serve with you. Situation isonal the most complex and demanding that i have seen in all of my years of service. That is over four decades. Mideast, terrorists continue murder and mayhem, despite significant and accelerated losses very one state sponsor of the terror in the mideast cannot hide behind its nationstate status while in effect it is actually a destabilizing revolutionary regime. In europe for the First Time Since world war ii, we have seen National Borders changed by the force of arms, as one country proves willing to ignore International Law to exercise authority over its neighbors writes to make decisions and economic and dramatic security domain. Have seen north korean provocations threatening regional and global peace, despite universal condemnation by the united nations. Is the reality that faces our department of defense in our likeminded allies, and we must have military fit for their purpose, fit for their time in these days of emerging challenges. These challenges include new domains of conflict in space and cyberspace, and in ways that involved deniable attacks, even on our democratic processes. Your department of defense is adapting because we do not want to be dominant and at the same time it relevant. I offer this problem statement for what must guide our efforts. How do we maintain a safe and Effective Nuclear deterrent so these weapons are never used and are nonproliferation efforts can be recharged . To maintain divisive conventional force at the same time as the nuclear deterrence, one that will include space and cyberspace capabilities to deter war and ended decisively if conflict occurs. Third, we must at the same time maintain an irregular capability so we can fight across the spectrum of conflict. Statement, problem how to maintain a safe and secure Nuclear Deterrent and maintain a decisive conventional force that can also fight irregular warfare. Our department has three lines of effort to address these issues. First, everything when must do must contribute to the legality of our military. We west never lose sight of the fact that we have no godgiven right to victory on the battlefield. Secretary mccarthy and general millie are examining every training policy, our time, organization, and more to ensure they contribute to make us the most lethal joint force in the world. Even as our Competitive Edge over our adversaries increases due to budgetary confusing in this town and the budget tax, i am among be majority in this country who believes our nation can afford survival, and i want the congress back and the driver seat of budget decisions, not in the spectatorfeet. [applause] mattis i have great confidence in the u. S. Congress, but i have no confidence in automatic mathematical budget cuts. Second, a line of effort is we are following the example of the greatest generation coming home from the tragedy of world war ii who looked around and said, what a crummy world. , whether orof its not we like it, and we are going to do something about it. In that spirit, they built alliances and partnerships. In the same spirit today, we are strengthening alliances in building new partnerships, whether he be nato, and the nation standing against together in afghanistan or the pacific region. Tillersons state 69 banded together plus for International Organizations all working in concert to defeat isis. We also stand with our traditional allies as well as building new coalitions as we Work Together to defend our values. To our allies in this room today, i will tell you i had the honor of fighting many times for america. Ever once fall in and fought in an allamerican or solely american, it was always a long allies. I will tell you from nato in , thee to the pacific message to our allies is we are with you. [applause] general mattis dr. Debbie terry deputy secretary of defense, under him lies most of for numbered effort three. That is the keen direction he is helping to provide secretary mccarthy and his fellow appointees to rework Business Practices to gain full benefit from every dollar spent on defense. We are taking aggressive action to reform the way we do business and to gain and hold the trust of the congress and the American People that we are responsible stewards of the money allocated to us, and that it translates directly every dollar into the defense of our country and what we stand for. The armyshis, importance is absolute fundamental. Historian once wrote, you may fly over a nation forever. It,made bomb it, over as and wipe it clean from life, but if you desire to defend it, you desire to protect it, you desire to keep it for civilization. You must to do this on the ground away the roman legions did by putting your young men in the mud. I would only modify it today by saying by putting your young men and women in the mud. [applause] general mattis this is why the army is so critical to our nations army. I have grown rather remote from so many of you who ram the ramparts, those of you who have passed political rhetoric to rally to our flag and the gauge of a highquality, all volunteer force. I no longer have the opportunity to get to know you personally, i do know your character. Andcan get out of the army make more money per you get out of the army and see more of your familys peer you could do any number of things, that you have the habit of putting others first in putting your country first. At battlefield cemetery, the statue of the loan soldier stands out and looks out over his fallen comrades. He is a private, and he is nicknamed old isaac. It is inscribed on the pillar he stands above, not for themselves, but for their country. Go. Whether you grow gray in the beloved nation or serve a few, rest assured you will always look back on the sacrifices of war and the demands of sergeants, and the pundit unpredictable to plummets as the best years of your life deployments as the best years of your lives. Youtand physically decide every day. We join your fellow citizens in humbled all of your willingness to sign a blank check, payable to the American People, a blank check payable with your lives to defend our revolutionary ideas enshrined in our deck related declaration of independence, putting freedom above all else. Where icy water more autumn if you want a reminder of wars limited and unrelenting nation, reread sandbox this kind of war. Therenbocks sandbox kind of war. If you want to know where i come from in terms of strategy, read the future of strategy, one of the most important strategists alive. Willing and magnificat soldiers, those from George Washington to today, i say that you need only follow the army creed we all saw on the screen and recited. The top of your game in body, mind, and spirit. I salute the initiative to toughen the standards they have underway for the u. S. Army. I am reminded that general schwarzkopf in the years after vietnam served under a korean war veteran, and he was a battalion commander, a Brigade Commander who insisted on tougher soldiers, knowing what he had faced in the korean war. Mentally, i want you to enhance your war fighting skills, assuming every week in the army is a week to get better at integrating all army and joint efforts to become more tactically cunning. Body and mind must be met with the spirit. Ladies and, gentlemen, we need our soldiers to build your own and your comrades resilience to take stride int of your the most primitive environment on earth. Let me close with a reminder to todays troops through a veterans eyes. Veterans eyes. I want go back to world war ii. Today, as we sit here, there is a 91yearold world war ii combat veteran from maine. The veteran is mr. Richard lincoln, and he is now living in a Veterans Home in maine. Foughthis brothers all in world war ii, and he is the last surviving one. Mr. Lincoln has a remarkable story. As a 17yearold from a very small town in maine, of less than 1000 people and standing just five foot five inches tall, read that wasi that the effect of malnutrition during the depression . Mr. Lincoln served as a first scout in the 88th infantry in an import tenant an important site. It led to the capture of rome. The repeatedly risked his life on the front lines to identify enemy artillery, regularly and during fire and never shrinking from the dangers. The first draft he division to enter a combat zone in world war ii. 344 days of combat, the 80th infantry lost 9225 men were wounded. The blue devils proved with the teamwork, onning, the 10th leadership, and fierce determination and all drafty division was more than capable of fighting well against welltrained, well it could that a hardened enemies. The allies liberated rome on june 4, everyone wanted to be the first into rome. The all draft 88th game the First Division to enter the city. Although overshadowed by the normandy invasion two days later, you all know the capture of rome was a significant. Ictory to the allies for his Heroic Service in that campaign, mr. Lincoln was awarded the bronze star medal. On june 4, 1944, the day when he and his fellow soldiers entered from, Richard Lincoln turned 18 years old. Mr. Lincoln was, and is today, a humble, ernest, selfeffacing man, grateful to be an american. He knows what it felt like to be shot at from very close range every day for months since being a scout was about as close as the frontlines as a gets. To this day, he wonders how he survived when so many comrades did not. He says he thinks it might have been because i was short, which is a wise point. I never envied tall men on the battlefield myself. I would tell you that mr. Lincoln is one of those who creed of the legacy of the american army, the most trusted, ethical, capable army in the world. Is one that is built on physically tough and tactically tough officers and soldiers at the top of their game. Delta andulge to the the deserts that this generation of soldiers have faced, when trouble looms, the army has always stood and delivered. Room, the veterans in the you set an uncompromising bar that everyone of us on duty today must live up to. We know we will never face something worse then you maintain your dignity and your honor throughout. In this room,an to every mr. Lincoln who has hailed from maine to hawaii, from alaska to puerto rico, thank you for standing by the red, white, and blue. Thank you for having me. May i take your questions . [applause] thank you very much mr. Secretary. We took the liberty of collecting questions from our members and others and appreciate you taking time to answer just a few. Ae first one is, we just saw program that highlighted how the army expanded and transformed quickly 100 years ago to meet the demands of world war i. What insights from world war i seemed most relevant to you as the army faces challenges today . Mattis i appreciate the presentation earlier because whenever you look back at whiley, you realize that Technology May change, we really face nothing new under the sun. Come up with good ideas and old books and reading history. I think the message i was thinking as i watched the presentation was the need for readiness. Comrade who was a younger general and he once said to me, if you were sitting in my chair and youre in the joint in 1810, ande days you said where are we going to fight in the next 10 years . Not one of us would have guessed. I think the royal navy will sail right up the river outside my window and burned this town to the ground. You say that is a long time ago. You say things about 1910. How many would have said we are going to be in europe in the next 10 years and the u. S. Army strung out from ports all across the fighting west would never have forecasted to be wearing gas masks with airplanes dropping bombs and charging machine guns and barbed wire. The need for readiness must also ensure that we have a shock absorber built inside the army, it out of world war i where the fir