News>Dempsey to Minot AFB Airmen: Nuclear enterprise is top priority
Photos
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey addresses Airmen during a town hall meeting June 17, 2013, at Minot Air Force Base, N.D. The Airmen are members of the 5th Bomb Wing and 91st Missile Wing. Dempsey is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (DOD photo/D. Myles Cullen)
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey talks with Air Force security forces June 17, 2013, at Minot AFB, ND. Dempsey visited Minot to observe the Air Force Nuclear Triad operations and visit with the Airmen. Dempsey is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (DOD Photo/D. Myles Cullen)
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey talks with Air Force security forces June 17, 2013, at Minot AFB, ND. Dempsey visited Minot to observe the Air Force Nuclear Triad operations and visit with the Airmen. Dempsey is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (DOD Photo/D. Myles Cullen)
by Tech. Sgt. Thomas Dow
Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
6/18/2013 - MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. (AFNS) -- More than 1,000 Airmen, spouses and local community members turned out here June 17, for a town hall meeting with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said he came to Minot AFB because he wanted a chance to interact with those performing what he called "the vital work for our nation," noting that throughout the life of the B-52 Stratofortress and intercontinental ballistic missile force, there has been a history of silent, dedicated service, often in times of hardship and uncertainty.
The overarching topic of discussion for the chairman's remarks was budget concerns, ranging from how sequestration spending cuts would affect the nuclear mission to whether or not Airmen's base pay will be cut.
But when it comes to readiness and the nuclear enterprise, Dempsey said, the United States "will never fail to do what is right. We will find the resources to do what is needed."
The Defense Department's No. 1 priority is the defense of the homeland, he added, which means maintaining a credible and reliable nuclear deterrent.
"The nuclear enterprise is a top priority because it has kept us safe for the last 60 years," the nation's top military officer said.
Dempsey also fielded questions from the audience relating to the isolated environment that airmen at Minot AFB face on a daily basis. He regaled the audience about the three years he spent in the 1970s patrolling the West German border as a young lieutenant in a remote and austere environment, quite similar to what Airmen experience in North Dakota. This gave him a sense of service and duty, probably before many of his U.S. Military Academy classmates, he said.
"There is something extraordinary about doing something above and beyond what others are doing," he said.
Dempsey also urged Minot AFB Airmen to maintain a balance of character and competence in their lives. "You need to wake up in the morning and think about how to be a better person," he said. "In our profession, you need to be able to count on the person to your left and right."
The chairman also assured the Minot AFB audience that the issue of sexual assault in the military is receiving the attention it needs from Pentagon leaders.
"We are working this issue as hard as anything, and at the highest level," he said. As leaders consider changing the Uniform Code of Military Justice and changing policies to address the problem, he added, there is a need to get hold of the issue on the front end to change the climate that has permitted it to fester.
"What I need is the leaders at the tactical level to not accept (sexual assault)," he said.
Turning again to the defense budget, Dempsey said it is his responsibility to try to give civilian and military members a sense of certainty. Going year by year in the budget process causes uncertainty, he added, and the goal is to forecast budgets to allow service members to plan for the future.
Comments
6/25/2013 2:22:29 PM ET Confused. How did you arrive at that conclusion I didn't see any discussion on base pay being cut.
SNCO Ret, Scott
6/20/2013 4:12:08 PM ET So there is an implication that our base pay could be cut Wow that sounds pretty stupid to me. Like some breach of contract type stuff if that option is even on the table.
Confused, Sheppard
6/20/2013 4:04:21 PM ET Wrong. The number one priority of Department of Defense leadership is what it has always been....CYA. As long as there are no problems with the nuclear enterprise reaching Congress then it is not a priority. When Congress finds out there is a problem then if becomes TOP PRIORITY. This is the same with everything. As long as Congress isn't worried about sexual assualt neither is leadership. When Congressional hearings happen then it becomes TOP PRIORITY and in order to CYA the Air Force wastes....I mean spends a day with a sexual assualt awareness stand down. Tomorrow when Congress has a hearing about something else then that will become TOP PRIORITY. Amazing that when the people who review General Officer promotions and budget requests think something is a priority then so do the generals.
Don, Tinker
6/19/2013 5:33:12 PM ET Airman of the nuclear enterprise stop bombing ORIs. The future SNCOs out there that will have to take SNCOA by correspondance to fill that square will thank you.
