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Operation Epic Fury & Roaring Lion update for review:1. US CJCS: “Our military objectives are clear,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told reporters. “Our mission is to protect and defend ourselves, and together with our regional partners, prevent Iran from the ability to project power outside of its borders and be ready for follow on actions as appropriate.”2. Three US F-15 fighter jets crashed over Kuwait on Monday after they were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses in a so-called friendly fire incident, the American military confirmed.3. On Monday, President Trump laid out more specific goals for the operation — targeting Iran's ballistic missiles, nuclear program, navy, and support for proxy groups — and said that the largest wave of strikes was still to come. He declined to rule out using ground troops and said that the campaign could last about four weeks.“We haven't even started hitting them hard. The big wave hasn't even happened. The big one is coming soon,” President Trump told CNN.4. Israel said Monday that the head of Hezbollah's intelligence arm was killed in an overnight strike and Beirut said it would ban the terror group's military activities, hours after the Iran-backed organization fired rockets and drones at Israel, leading to major retaliatory strikes overnight and throughout Monday.5. Saudi Arabia's state oil giant Aramco shut its Ras Tanura refinery after a drone strike caused a blaze, an industry source said on Monday, after Tehran launched strikes across the region in response to the US-Israeli attack on Iran.A source familiar with the incident told AFP the blaze had already been extinguished.6. An attack using at least two drones on the US embassy in Riyadh sparked a small fire, a Saudi defense ministry spokesman says in a statement, as Iran presses on with its campaign of retaliatory strikes across the Gulf.“The US Embassy in Riyadh was attacked by two drones, according to initial assessments. 7. Britain's Royal Air Force base  in Cyprus was hit by a drone strike overnight, causing limited damage and no casualties, Cypriot authorities and the UK's Ministry of Defense said early Monday.8. France is “ready” to defend Gulf countries and Jordan against Iran if necessary, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Monday.His remarks came as key European ally Germany also spoke of readiness to defend its interests against Iranian assaults.

Purpose, trust and laughter matter.  SUMMARY Dr. Heather Wilson '82, former secretary of the U.S. Air Force, and Gen. Dave Goldfein '83, former chief of staff of the Air Force, highlight the human side of leadership — honoring family, listening actively and using humility and humor to build strong teams. Their book, Get Back Up: Lessons in Servant Leadership, challenges leaders to serve first and lead with character.   SHARE THIS PODCAST LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK    TOP 10 LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE Leadership Is a Gift and a Burden – Leaders are entrusted with the well-being and development of others, but that privilege entails tough, sometimes lonely, responsibilities. Servant Leadership – True leadership is about enabling and supporting those you lead, not seeking personal advancement or recognition. Influence and Teamwork – Lasting change comes from pairing authority with influence and working collaboratively; no leader succeeds alone. Embrace Failure and Own Mistakes – Effective leaders accept institutional and personal failures and use them as learning and teaching moments. Family Matters – Great leaders recognize the significance of family (their own and their team's) and demonstrate respect and flexibility for personal commitments. Be Data-Driven and Strategic – Borrow frameworks that suit the mission, be clear about goals, and regularly follow up to ensure progress. Listening Is Active – Truly listening, then responding openly and honestly—even when you can't “fix” everything—builds trust and respect. Humility and Curiosity – Never stop learning or questioning; continual self-improvement is a hallmark of strong leaders. Celebrate and Share Credit – Spread praise to those working behind the scenes; leadership is not about personal glory, but lifting others. Resilience and Leading by Example – “Getting back up” after setbacks inspires teams; how a leader recovers can motivate others to do the same.   CHAPTERS 0:00:00 - Introduction and Welcome 0:00:21 - Guest Backgrounds and Family Legacies 0:02:57 - Inspiration for Writing the Book 0:05:00 - Defining Servant Leadership 0:07:46 - Role Models and Personal Examples   CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LINE PODCAST NETWORK TEAM Ted Robertson | Producer and Editor:  Ted.Robertson@USAFA.org Send your feedback or nominate a guest: socialmedia@usafa.org   Ryan Hall | Director:  Ryan.Hall@USAFA.org  Bryan Grossman | Copy Editor:  Bryan.Grossman@USAFA.org Wyatt Hornsby | Executive Producer:  Wyatt.Hornsby@USAFA.org      ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS     FULL TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS Host: Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99 Guests: Dr. Heather Wilson '82, former Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, and former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. (Ret.) Dave Goldfein '83  Naviere Walkewicz 0:09 Welcome to Focus on Leadership, our accelerated leadership series. I'm your host, Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99. I'm honored to welcome two exceptional leaders whose careers and friendship have helped shape the modern Air Force, while inspiring thousands to serve with purpose and courage. Our guests today are Dr. Heather Wilson, USAFA Class of '82, the 24th secretary of the Air Force, now president at the University of Texas El Paso. And Gen. Dave Goldfein, Class of '83, the 21st chief of staff of the Air Force. Both are United States Air Force Academy distinguished graduates. Together, they've written Get Back Up: Lessons in Servant Leadership, a powerful reflection on resilience, humility and the courage to lead to adversity. And our conversation today will dive deeply into the lessons they learned at the highest levels of command and in public service, and what it means to serve others first. Thank you for being here. Gen. Dave Goldfein 1:08 Thank you for having us. Naviere Walkewicz 1:09 Absolutely. This is truly an honor. And I mentioned that I read this incredible book, and I'm so excited for us to jump into it, but before we do, I think it's really important for people to know you more than the secretary and the chief. I mean chief, so Gen. Goldfein, you came from an Air Force family. Your dad was a colonel, and ma'am, your grandpa was a civil aviator, but you really didn't have any other military ties. Dr. Heather Wilson 1:29 Well, my grandfather was one of the first pilots in the RAF in World War I, then came to America, and in World War II, flew for his new country in the Civil Air Patrol. My dad enlisted by that a high school and was a crew chief between the end of the Second World War and the start of Korea, and then he went back home and became a commercial aviator and a mechanic. Naviere Walkewicz 1:52 I love that. So your lines run deep. So maybe you can share more and let our listeners get to know you more personally. What would you like to share in this introduction of Gen. Goldfein and Dr. Wilson? Gen. Dave Goldfein 2:02 Well, I'll just tell you that if you know much about Air Force culture you know we all get call signs, right. Nicknames, right? I got a new one the day I retired, and you get to use it. It's JD, which stands for “Just Dave.” Naviere Walkewicz 2:17 Just Dave! Yes, sir. JD. I will do my best for that to roll off my tongue. Yes, sir. Gen. Dave Goldfein 2:25 And I will just say congratulations to you for your two sons who are currently at the Academy. How cool is that? Naviere Walkewicz 2:31 Thank you. We come from a Long Blue Line family. My dad was a grad, my uncle, my brother and sister, my two boys. So if I get my third son, he'll be class of 2037, so, we'll see. We've got some time. Gen. Dave Goldfein 2:41 We have grandchildren. Matter of fact, our book is dedicated to grandchildren and they don't know it yet, but at least on my side, they're Class of 2040 and 2043 at the Air Force Academy. Naviere Walkewicz 2:52 OK, so my youngest will be cadre for them. Excellent. Excellent. Dr. Heather Wilson 2:57 And my oldest granddaughter is 4, so I think we'll wait a little bit and see what she wants to do. Naviere Walkewicz 3:04 Yes, ma'am. All right. Well, let's jump in. You just mentioned that you wrote the book primarily for your film book. Is that correct? Gen. Dave Goldfein 3:09 Yes. Naviere Walkewicz 3:10 How did you decide to do this now together? Because you both have incredible stories. Dr. Heather Wilson 3:14 Well, two years ago, we were actually up in Montana with Barbara and Craig Barrett, who —  Barbara succeeded me as secretary of the Air Force. And our families, all six of us are quite close, and we were up there, and Dave was telling stories, and I said, “You know, you need to write some of these down.” And we talked about it a little bit, and he had tried to work with another co-author at one time and it just didn't work out really well. And I said, “Well, what if we do it together, and we focus it on young airmen, on lessons learned in leadership. And the other truth is, we were so tired of reading leadership books by Navy SEALs, you know, and so can we do something together? It turned out to be actually more work than I thought it would be for either of us, but it was also more fun.   Naviere Walkewicz 3:59 How long did it take you from start to finish? Dr. Heather Wilson 4:02 Two years. Naviere Walkewicz 4:03 Two years? Excellent. And are you — where it's landed? Are you just so proud? Is it what you envisioned when you started? Gen. Dave Goldfein 4:10 You know, I am, but I will also say that it's just come out, so the initial response has been fantastic, but I'm really eager to see what the longer term response looks like, right? Did it resonate with our intended tenant audience? Right? Did the young captains that we had a chance to spend time with at SOS at Maxwell last week, right? They lined up forever to get a copy. But the real question is, did the stories resonate? Right? Do they actually give them some tools that they can use in their tool bag? Same thing with the cadets that we were privileged to spend time with the day. You know, they energized us. I mean, because we're looking at the we're looking at the future of the leadership of this country. And if, if these lessons in servant leadership can fill their tool bag a little bit, then we'll have hit the mark. Naviere Walkewicz 5:07 Yes, sir, yes. Ma'am. Well, let's jump right in then. And you talked about servant leadership. How would you describe it? Each of you, in your own words, Dr. Heather Wilson 5:15 To me, one of the things, important things about servant leadership is it's from the bottom. As a leader, your job is to enable the people who are doing the work. So in some ways, you know, people think that the pyramid goes like this, that it's the pyramid with the point at the top, and in servant leadership, it really is the other way around. And as a leader, one of the most important questions I ask my direct reports — I have for years — is: What do you need from me that you're not getting? And I can't print money in the basement, but what do you need from me that you're not getting? How, as a leader, can I better enable you to accomplish your piece of the mission. And I think a good servant leader is constantly thinking about, how do I — what can I do to make it easier for the people who are doing the job to get the mission done? Gen. Dave Goldfein 6:08 And I'd offer that the journey to becoming an inspirational servant leader is the journey of a lifetime. I'm not sure that any of us actually ever arrive. I'm not the leader that I want to be, but I'm working on it. And I think if we ever get to a point where we feel like we got it all figured out right, that we know exactly what this whole leadership gig is, that may be a good time to think about retiring, because what that translates to is perhaps at that point, we're not listening, we're not learning, we're not growing, we're not curious — all the things that are so important. The first chapter in the book is titled, Am I worthy? And it's a mirror-check question that we both came to both individually and together as secretary and chief. It's a mere check that you look at and say, “All right, on this lifelong journey to become an inspirational servant leader, am I worthy of the trust and confidence of the parents who have shared their sons and daughters with the United States Air Force and expecting us to lead with character and courage and confidence? Am I worthy of the gift that followers give to leaders? Am I earning that gift and re-earning it every single day by how I act, how I treat others?” You know, that's the essence of servant leadership that we try to bring forward in the book. Naviere Walkewicz 7:38 Right? Can you recall when you first saw someone exhibiting servant leadership in your life? Dr. Heather Wilson 7:46 Good question. It's a question of role models. Maj. William S. Reeder was my first air officer commanding here. And while I think I can probably think of some leaders in my community, you know, people who were school principals or those kind of things, I think Maj. Reeder terrified me because they didn't want to disappoint him. And he had — he was an Army officer who had been shot down as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He still had some lingering issues. Now, I think he had broken his leg or his back or something, and so you could tell that he still carried with him the impact of that, but he had very high expectations of us and we didn't want to disappoint him. And I think he was a pretty good role model. Gen. Dave Goldfein 8:47 You know, one of the things we say at the very end of the book is that we both married up. We both married incredible leaders, servant leaders in their own right. So in my case, I married my high school sweetheart, and we've now been together almost 43 years, coming up on 43. And when you talk about servant leadership, you know, very often we don't give military spouses enough credit for the enormous courage that they have when they deal with the separations, the long hours, very often not talked about enough, the loneliness that comes with being married to someone who's in the military. And so I just give a shout out to every military spouse that's out there and family to thank them for that very special kind of courage that equates to servant leadership on their part. Naviere Walkewicz 9:47 Excellent. Those are both really great examples, and I think, as our listeners are engaging with this, they're going to start to think about those people in their lives as well, through your descriptions. Early in the book, you make this statement: “Leadership is a gift and a burden.” Might you both expand on that?   Dr. Heather Wilson 10:03 So it's a gift in that it's a gift that's given to you by those whom you are privileged to lead, and it's not just an institution that, you know, it's not just the regents of the University of Texas who have said, “Yes, you're going to be the president of the University of Texas at El Paso.” It is those who follow me who have given me gift of their loyalty and their service and their time. It's a burden, because some days are hard days, and you have to make hard calls based on values to advance the mission and, as chief and service secretary, there are no easy decisions that come walking into that part of the Pentagon. The easy decisions are all made before it gets to the service secretary and chief and so. So there is that responsibility of trying to do well difficult things. And I think sometimes those are lonely decisions. Gen. Dave Goldfein 11:09 And I think as a leader of any organization, part of what can be the burden is if you care deeply about the institution, then you carry the burden of any failures of that institution, both individuals who fall short, or the institution itself. And we face some of those, and we talk about that in the book. One of our chapters is on Sutherland Springs and owning failure. There was no dodge in that. And there was, quite frankly, there was an opportunity for us to actually showcase and teach others how to take ownership when the institution falls short and fails, right? And you know, one of the interesting elements of the relationship between a secretary and a chief is that if you go back and look at the law and read the job description of the chief of staff of the Air Force, it basically says, “Run the air staff and do what the secretary tells you.” I'm not making that up. Because most of the decision authority of the institution resides in the civilian control, the military civilian secretary. So almost all authority and decision authority resides with the secretary. What the chief position brings is 30 years in the institution that very often can bring credibility and influence. And what we determined early in our tenure was that if we were going to move the ball, if we were going to actually move the service in a positive direction, neither of us could do it alone. We had to do it together. We had to use this combination of authority and influence to be able to move the institution forward. And so that was a — and we talked a lot about that, you know, in the book, and it sort of runs throughout our stories. You know, that that trust matters. Naviere Walkewicz 12:59 Absolutely. We're going to visit that towards the end of our conversation, because there's a particular time before you both — before you became the chief and before you became the service secretary, when you met up together. And I want to visit that a little bit. But before we do, Gen. Goldfein — JD — you shared a story in the book, and obviously we want everyone to read it, so I'm not going to go tell the whole story, but you know where you took off one more time than you landed, and you had to, you know, you were hit, you had to evade and then you had to be rescued. There was a particular statement you made to identify yourself. And many of our Long Blue Line members will know this: fast, neat, average, friendly, good, good. In that moment of watching the sun start to rise while you're waiting to be retrieved, how did that come to your mind? Of all the things you could be thinking of to identify yourself? Gen. Dave Goldfein 13:53 Well, you know, it's interesting. So, you know, for those who've never, you know, had gone through a high-speed ejection, people asked me, what was like? I said, “Well, I used to be 6-foot-3. This is all that's left, right?” And you know, my job once I was on the ground was, quite frankly, not to goof it up. To let the rescue team do what the rescue team needed to do, and to play my part, which was to put them at the least amount of risk and be able to get out before the sun came up. And at the very end of the rescue when the helicopters — where I was actually vectoring them towards my location. And I had a compass in my hand, and I had my eyes closed, and I was just listening to the chopper noise and then vectoring them based on noise. And then eventually we got them to come and land, you know, right in front of me. Well, they always teach you, and they taught me here at the Academy during SERE training, which I think has been retitled, but it was SERE when we went through it, survival training. Now, I believe they teach you, “Hey, listen, you need to be nonthreatening, because the rescue team needs to know that you're not — this is not an ambush, that you are actually who you say you are. Don't hold up a weapon, be submissive and authenticate yourself. Well, to authenticate myself required me to actually try my flashlight. And I could see the enemy just over the horizon. And as soon as the helicopter landed, the enemy knew exactly where we were, and they came and running, and they came shooting, and they were raking the tree line with bullets. And so, you know, what I needed to do was to figure out a way to do an authentication. And I just, what came to mind was that training all those years ago, right here at the Academy, and I just said, “I could use a fast, neat, average rescue,” and friendly, good, good was on the way. Naviere Walkewicz 15:53 Wow, I just got chill bumps. Dr. Wilson, have you ever had to use that same kind of term, or, you know, reaching out to a grad in your time frequently? Dr. Heather Wilson 16:04 Yes, ma'am. And, you know, even in the last week, funny — I had an issue that I had to, I won't go into the details, but where there was an issue that might affect the reputation, not only of the university, but of one of our major industry partners, and it wasn't caused by either of us, but there was kind of a, kind of a middle person that was known to us that may not have been entirely acting with integrity. And I just looked up the company. The CEO is an Academy grad. So I picked up the phone and I called the office and we had a conversation. And I said, “Hey, I'd like to have a conversation with you, grad to grad.” And I said, “There are some issues here that I don't need to go into the details, but where I think you and I need to be a little careful about our reputations and what matters is my relationship as the university with you and your company and what your company needs in terms of talent. But wanted to let you know something that happened and what we're doing about it, but I wanted to make sure that you and I are clear.” And it was foundation of values that we act with integrity and we don't tolerate people who won't. Naviere Walkewicz 17:30 Yes, ma'am, I love that. The Long Blue Line runs deep that way, and that's a great example. JD, you spoke about, in the book, after the rescue — by the way, the picture in there of that entire crew was amazing. I love that picture. But you talked about getting back up in the air as soon as possible, without any pomp and circumstance. “Just get me back in the air and into the action.” I'd like to visit two things. One, you debriefed with the — on the check ride, the debrief on the check ride and why that was important. And then also you spoke about the dilemma of being dad and squad comm. Can you talk about that as well? Gen. Dave Goldfein 18:06 Yeah, the check ride. So when I was in Desert Storm, an incredible squadron commander named Billy Diehl, and one of the things that he told us after he led all the missions in the first 30 days or so, he said, “Look, there will be a lot of medals, you know, from this war.” He goes, “But I'm going to do something for you that happened for me in Vietnam. I'm going to fly on your wing, and I'm going to give you a check ride, and you're going to have a documented check ride of a combat mission that you led in your flying record. I'm doing that for you.” OK, so fast forward 10 years, now I'm the squadron commander, and I basically followed his lead. Said, “Hey, I want…” So that night, when I was shot down, I was actually flying on the wing of one of my captains, “Jammer” Kavlick, giving him a check ride. And so, of course, the rescue turns out — I'm sitting here, so it turned out great. And so I called Jammer into a room, and I said, “Hey, man, we never did the check ride.” I said, “You know, you flew a formation right over the top of a surface enemy missile that took out your wingman. That's not a great start.” And he just sort of… “Yes, sir, I know.” I said, “And then you led an all-night rescue that returned him to his family. That's pretty good recovery.” And so it's been a joke between us ever since. But in his personal — his flying record, he has a form that says, “I'm exceptionally, exceptionally qualified.” So I got back and I thought about this when I was on the ground collecting rocks for my daughters, you know, as souvenirs from Serbia. I got back, and I looked at my wing commander, and I said, “Hey, sir, I know you probably had a chance to think about this, but I'm not your young captain that just got shot down. I'm the squadron commander, and I've got to get my squadron back on the horse, and the only way to do that is for me to get back in the air. So if it's OK with you, I'm gonna go home. I'm gonna get crew rest and I'm going to fly tonight.” And he looked at me, and he looked at my wife, Dawn, who was there, and he goes, “If it's OK with her, it's OK with me.” Great. Dawn, just a champion, she said, “I understand it. That's what you got to do.” Because we were flying combat missions with our families at home, which is, was not in the squadron commander handbook, right? Pretty unique. What I found, though, was that my oldest daughter was struggling a little bit with it, and so now you've got this, you know, OK, I owe it to my squad to get right back up in the air and lead that night. And I owe it to my daughter to make sure that she's OK. And so I chose to take one night, make sure that she and my youngest daughter, Diana, were both, you know, in a good place, that they knew that everything's going to be OK. And then I got back up the next night. And in some ways, I didn't talk about it with anybody in the media for a year, because my dad was a Vietnam vet, I'd met so many of his friends, and I'd met so many folks who had actually gotten shot down one and two and three times over Vietnam, in Laos, right? You know what they did after they got rescued? They got back up. They just went back up in the air, right? No fanfare, no book tours, no, you know, nothing, right? It was just get back to work. So for me, it was a way of very quietly honoring the Vietnam generation, to basically do what they did and get back in the air quietly. And so that was what it was all about. Naviere Walkewicz 21:25 Dr. Wilson, how about for you? Because I know — I remember reading in the book you had a — there was something you said where, if your children called, no matter what they could always get through. So how have you balanced family? Dr. Heather Wilson 21:36 Work and life. And so, when I was elected to the Congress, my son was 4 years old. My daughter was 18 months. First of all, I married well, just like Dave. But I also think my obligations to my family don't end at the front porch, and I want to make a better world for them. But I also knew that I was a better member of Congress because I had a family, and that in some ways, each gave richness and dimension to the other. We figured out how to make it work as a family. I mean, both my children have been to a White House Christmas ball and the State of the Union, but we always had a rule that you can call no matter what. And I remember there were some times that it confounded people and, like, there was one time when President Bush — W. Bush, 43 — was coming to New Mexico for the first time, and he was going to do some events in Albuquerque. And they called and they said, “Well, if the congresswoman wants to fly in with him from Texas, you know, she can get off the airplane in her district with the president. And the answer was, “That's the first day of school, and I always take my kids to school the first day, so I'll just meet him here.” And the staff was stunned by that, like, she turns down a ride on Air Force One to arrive in her district with the president of the United States to take her kids to school. Yes, George Bush understood it completely. And likewise, when the vice president came, and it was, you know, that the one thing leading up to another tough election — I never had an easy election — and the one thing I said to my staff all the way through October, leading — “There's one night I need off, and that's Halloween, because we're going trick or treating.” And wouldn't you know the vice president is flying into New Mexico on Halloween for some event in New Mexico, and we told them, “I will meet them at the stairs when they arrive in Albuquerque. I'll have my family with them, but I won't be going to the event because we're going trick or treating.” And in my house, I have this great picture of the vice president of the United States and his wife and my kids in costume meeting. So most senior people understood that my family was important to me and everybody's family, you know — most people work to put food on the table, and if, as a leader, you recognize that and you give them grace when they need it, you will also have wonderful people who will work for you sometimes when the pay is better somewhere else because you respect that their families matter to them and making room for that love is important. Naviere Walkewicz 24:36 May I ask a follow on to that? Because I think that what you said was really important. You had a leader that understood. What about some of our listeners that maybe have leaders that don't value the same things or family in the way that is important. How do they navigate that? Dr. Heather Wilson 24:52 Sometimes you look towards the next assignment, or you find a place where your values are the same. And if we have leaders out there who are not being cognizant of the importance of family — I mean, we may recruit airmen but we retain families, and if we are not paying attention to that, then we will lose exceptional people. So that means that sometimes, you know, I give a lot of flexibility to people who are very high performers and work with me. And I also know that if I call them at 10 o'clock at night, they're going to answer the phone, and that's OK. I understand what it's like to — I remember, you know, I was in New Mexico, I was a member of Congress, somebody was calling about an issue in the budget, and my daughter, who was probably 4 at the time, had an ear infection, and it was just miserable. And so I'm trying to get soup into her, and this guy is calling me, and she's got — and it was one of the few times I said — and it was the chairman of a committee — I said, “Can I just call you back? I've got a kid with an ear infection…” And he had five kids. He said, “Oh, absolutely, you call me back.” So you just be honest with people about the importance of family. Why are we in the service? We're here to protect our families and everybody else's family. And that's OK.   Naviere Walkewicz 26:23 Yes, thank you for sharing that. Anything to add to that, JD? No? OK. Well, Dr. Wilson, I'd like to go into the book where you talk about your chapter on collecting tools, which is a wonderful chapter, and you talk about Malcolm Baldridge. I had to look him up — I'll be honest — to understand, as a businessman, his career and his legacy. But maybe share in particular why he has helped you. Or maybe you've leveraged his process in the way that you kind of think through and systematically approach things. Dr. Heather Wilson 26:49 Yeah, there was a movement in the, it would have been in the early '90s, on the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Awards. It came out of the Department of Commerce, but then it spread to many of the states and it was one of the better models I thought for how to run organizations strategically. And I learned about it when I was a small businessperson in Albuquerque, New Mexico. And I thought it was interesting. But the thing that I liked about it was it scaled. It was a little bit like broccoli, you know, it looks the same at the little flora as it does at the whole head, right? And so it kind of became a model for how I could use those tools about being data driven, strategically focused, process oriented that I could use in reforming a large and not very well functioning child welfare department when I became a cabinet secretary for children, youth and families, which was not on my how-to-run-my-career card. That was not in the plan, but again, it was a set of tools that I'd learned in one place that I brought with me and thought might work in another. Naviere Walkewicz 28:02 Excellent. And do you follow a similar approach, JD, in how you approach a big problem? Gen. Dave Goldfein 28:07 I think we're all lifelong students of different models and different frameworks that work. And there's not a one-size-fits-all for every organization. And the best leaders, I think, are able to tailor their approach based on what the mission — who the people are, what they're trying to accomplish. I had a chance to be a an aide de camp to a three-star, Mike Ryan, early in my career, and he went on to be chief of staff of the Air Force. And one of the frameworks that he taught me was he said, “If you really want to get anything done,” he said, “you've got to do three things.” He said, “First of all, you got to put a single person in charge.” He said, “Committees and groups solve very little. Someone's got to drive to work feeling like they've got the authority, the responsibility, the resources and everything they need to accomplish what it is that you want to accomplish. So get a single person in charge. Most important decision you will make as a leader, put the right person in charge. Second, that person owes you a plan in English. Not 15 PowerPoint slides, right, but something that clearly articulates in one to two pages, max, exactly what we're trying to accomplish. And the third is, you've got to have a way to follow up.” He said, “Because life gets in the way of any perfect plan. And what will happen is,” he goes, “I will tell you how many times,” he said, “that I would circle back with my team, you know, a couple months later and say, ‘How's it going?' And they would all look at each other and say, “Well, I thought you were in charge,” right? And then after that, once they figure out who was in charge, they said, “Well, we were working this plan, but we got, you know, we had to go left versus right, because we had this crisis, this alligator started circling the canoe, and therefore we had to, you know, take care of that,” right? He says, “As a leader, those are the three elements of any success. Put someone in charge. Build a plan that's understandable and readable, and always follow up. And I've used that as a framework, you know, throughout different organizations, even all the way as chief to find — to make sure that we had the right things. Dr. Heather Wilson 30:21 Even this morning, somebody came by who reminded us of a story that probably should have been in the book, where we had — it was a cyber vulnerability that was related to a particular piece of software widely deployed, and the CIO was having trouble getting the MAJCOMMS to kind of take it seriously. And they were saying, “Well, you know, we think maybe in 30, 60, 90 days, six months, we'll have it all done,” or whatever. So I said, “OK, let all the four-stars know. I want to be updated every 36 hours on how many of them, they still have, still have not updated.” I mean, this is a major cyber vulnerability that we knew was — could be exploited and wasn't some little thing. It was amazing; it got done faster. Naviere Walkewicz 31:11 No 90 days later. Oh, my goodness. Well, that was excellent and actually, I saw that in action in the story, in the book, after the attack on the Pentagon, and when you stood up and took charge, kind of the relief efforts, because many people were coming in that wanted to help, and they just needed someone to lead how that could happen. So you were putting into practice. Yes, sir. I'd like to get into where you talk about living your purpose, and that's a chapter in there. But you know, Gen. Goldfein, we have to get into this. You left the Academy as a cadet, and I think that's something that not many people are familiar with. You ride across the country on a bike with a guitar on your back for part of the time — and you sent it to Dawn after a little while — Mini-Bear in your shirt, to find your purpose. Was there a moment during the six months that you that hit you like lightning and you knew that this was your purpose, or was it a gradual meeting of those different Americans you kind of came across? Gen. Dave Goldfein 32:04 Definitely gradual. You know, it was something that just built up over time. I used to joke — we both knew Chairman John McCain and always had great respect for him. And I remember one time in his office, I said, “Chairman, I got to share with you that I lived in constant fear during every hearing that you were going to hold up a piece of paper on camera and say, ‘General, I got your transcript from the Air Force Academy. You got to be kidding me, right?' And he laughed, and he said, Trust me, if you looked at my transcript in Annapolis,” he goes, “I'm the last guy that would have ever asked that question.” But you know, the we made a mutual decision here, sometimes just things all come together. I'd written a paper on finding my purpose about the same time that there was a professor from Annapolis that was visiting and talking about a sabbatical program that Annapolis had started. And so they started talking about it, and then this paper made it and I got called in. They said, “Hey, we're thinking about starting this program, you know, called Stop Out, designed to stop people from getting out. We read your paper. What would you do if you could take a year off?” And I said, “Wow, you know, if I could do it, I'll tell you. I would start by going to Philmont Scout Ranch, you know, and be a backcountry Ranger,” because my passion was for the outdoors, and do that. “And then I would go join my musical hero, Harry Chapin.” Oh, by the way, he came to the United States Air Force Academy in the early '60s. Right? Left here, built a band and wrote the hit song Taxi. “So I would go join him as a roadie and just sort of see whether music and the outdoors, which my passions are, what, you know, what it's all about for me.” Well, we lost contact with the Chapin connection. So I ended up on this bicycle riding around the country. And so many families took me in, and so many towns that I rode into, you know, I found that if I just went to the library and said, “Hey, tell me a little bit about the history of this town,” the librarian would call, like, the last, you know, three or four of the seniors the town, they'd all rush over to tell me the story of, you know, this particular little town, right? And then someone would also say, “Hey, where are you staying tonight?” “I'm staying in my tent.” They said, “Oh, come stay with me.” So gradually, over time, I got to know America, and came to the conclusion when I had to make the decision to come back or not, that this country is really worth defending, that these people are hard-working, you know, that want to make the world better for their kids and their grandkids, and they deserve a United States Air Force, the best air force on the planet, to defend them. So, you know, when I came back my last two years, and I always love sharing this with cadets, because some of them are fighting it, some of them have embraced it. And all I tell them is, “Hey, I've done both. And all I can tell you is, the sooner you embrace it and find your purpose, this place is a lot more fun.” Naviere Walkewicz 35:13 Truth in that, yes, yes, well. And, Dr. Wilson, how did you know you were living your purpose? Dr. Heather Wilson 35:19 Well, I've had a lot of different chapters to my life. Yes, and we can intellectualize it on why we, you know, why I made a certain decision at a certain time, but there were doors that opened that I never even knew were there. But at each time and at each junction, there was a moment where somehow I just knew. And at South Dakota Mines is a good example. You know, I lost a race to the United States Senate. I actually had some interns — I benefited from a lousy job market, and I had fantastic interns, and we were helping them through the loss. You know, they're young. They were passionate. They, as Churchill said, “The blessing and the curse of representative government is one in the same. The people get what they choose.” And so I was helping them through that, and one of them said, “Well, Dr. Wilson, you're really great with students. You should be a college president somewhere. Texas Tech needs a president. You should apply there,” because that's where this kid was going to school. And I said, “Well, but I don't think they're looking for me.” But it did cause me to start thinking about it and I had come close. I had been asked about a college presidency once before, and I started looking at it and talking to headhunters and so forth. And initially, South Dakota Mines didn't seem like a great fit, because I'm a Bachelor of Science degree here, but my Ph.D. is in a nonscientific discipline, and it's all engineers and scientists. But as I went through the process, it just felt more and more right. And on the day of the final interviews, that evening, it was snowing in South Dakota, there was a concert in the old gym. I mean, this is an engineering school, and they had a faculty member there who had been there for 40 years, who taught choral music, and the students stood up, and they started singing their warm up, which starts out with just one voice, and eventually gets to a 16-part harmony and it's in Latin, and it's music is a gift from God, and they go through it once, and then this 40th anniversary concert, about 50 people from the audience stand up and start singing. It's like a flash mob, almost These were all alumni who came back. Forty years of alumni to be there for that concert for him. And they all went up on stage and sang together in this just stunning, beautiful concert by a bunch of engineers. And I thought, “There's something special going on here that's worth being part of,” and there are times when you just know. And the same with becoming cabinet secretary for children, youth and families — that was not in the plan and there's just a moment where I knew that was what I should do now. How I should use my gifts now? And you hope that you're right in making those decisions.   Naviere Walkewicz 38:43 Well, probably aligning with JD's point in the book of following your gut. Some of that's probably attached to you finding your purpose. Excellent. I'd like to visit the time Dr. Wilson, when you were helping President Bush with the State of the Union address, and in particular, you had grueling days, a lot of hours prepping, and when it was time for it to be delivered, you weren't there. You went home to your apartment in the dark. You were listening on the radio, and there was a moment when the Congress applauded and you felt proud, but something that you said really stuck with me. And he said, I really enjoy being the low-key staff member who gets stuff done. Can you talk more about that? Because I think sometimes we don't, you know, the unsung heroes are sometimes the ones that are really getting so many things done, but nobody knows. Dr. Heather Wilson 39:31 So, I'm something of an introvert and I've acquired extrovert characteristics in order to survive professionally. But when it comes to where I get my batteries recharged, I'm quite an introvert, and I really loved — and the same in international negotiations, being often the liaison, the back channel, and I did that in the conventional forces in Europe negotiations for the American ambassador. And in some ways, I think it might have been — in the case of the conventional forces in Europe negotiations, I was on the American delegation here. I was in Vienna. I ended up there because, for a bunch of weird reasons, then they asked me if I would go there for three months TDY. It's like, “Oh, three months TDY in Vienna, Austria. Sign me up.” But I became a very junior member on the delegation, but I was the office of the secretary of defense's representative, and walked into this palace where they were negotiating between what was then the 16 NATO nations and the seven Warsaw Pact countries. And the American ambassador turned to me, and he said during this several times, “I want you to sit behind me and to my right, and several times I'm going to turn and talk to you, and I just want you to lean in and answer.” I mean, he wasn't asking anything substantive, and I just, “Yes, sir.” But what he was doing was credentialing me in front of the other countries around that table. Now, I was very young, there were only two women in the room. The other one was from Iceland, and what he was doing was putting me in a position to be able to negotiate the back channel with several of our allies and with — this was six months or so now, maybe a year before the fall of the Berlin Wall. So things were changing in Eastern Europe, and so I really have always enjoyed just that quietly getting things done, building consensus, finding the common ground, figuring out a problem. Actually have several coffee mugs that just say GSD, and the other side does say, Get Stuff Done. And I like that, and I like people who do that. And I think those quiet — we probably don't say thank you enough to the quiet, hardworking people that just figure out how to get stuff done. Naviere Walkewicz 41:59 Well, I like how he credentialed you and actually brought that kind of credibility in that way as a leader. JD, how have you done that as a leader? Champion, some of those quiet, behind the scenes, unsung heroes. Gen. Dave Goldfein 42:11 I'm not sure where the quote comes from, but it's something to the effect of, “It's amazing what you can get done if you don't care who gets the credit.” There's so much truth to that. You know, in the in the sharing of success, right? As servant leaders, one of the things that I think both of us spend a lot of time on is to make sure that credit is shared with all the folks who, behind the scenes, you know, are doing the hard, hard work to make things happen, and very often, you know, we're the recipients of the thank yous, right? And the gratefulness of an organization or for somebody who's benefited from our work, but when you're at the very senior leaders, you know what you do is you lay out the vision, you create the environment to achieve that vision. But the hard, hard work is done by so many others around you. Today, in the audience when we were there at Polaris Hall, was Col. Dave Herndon. So Col. Dave Herndon, when he was Maj. Dave Herndon, was my aide de camp, and I can tell you that there are so many successes that his fingers are on that he got zero credit for, because he was quietly behind the scenes, making things happen, and that's just the nature of servant leadership, is making sure that when things go well, you share it, and when things go badly, you own it. Naviere Walkewicz 43:47 And you do share a really remarkable story in there about accountability. And so we won't spend so much time talking about that, but I do want to go to the point where you talk about listening, and you say, listening is not passive; it's active and transformative. As servant leaders, have you ever uncovered challenges that your team has experienced that you didn't have the ability to fix and you know, what action did you take in those instances? Dr. Heather Wilson 44:09 You mean this morning? All the time. And sometimes — and then people will give you grace, if you're honest about that. You don't make wild promises about what you can do, but then you sit and listen and work through and see all right, what is within the realm of the possible here. What can we get done? Or who can we bring to the table to help with a set of problems? But, there's no… You don't get a — when I was president of South Dakota Mines, one of the people who worked with me, actually gave me, from the toy store, a magic wand. But it doesn't work. But I keep it in my office, in case, you know… So there's no magic wands, but being out there listening to understand, not just listening to refute, right? And then seeing whether there are things that can be done, even if there's some things you just don't have the answers for, right? Gen. Dave Goldfein 45:11 The other thing I would offer is that as senior leadership and as a senior leadership team, you rarely actually completely solve anything. What you do is improve things and move the ball. You take the hand you're dealt, right, and you find creative solutions. You create the environment, lay out the vision and then make sure you follow up, move the ball, and if you get at the end of your tenure, it's time for you to move on, and you've got the ball moved 20, 30, yards down the field. That's actually not bad, because most of the things we were taking on together, right, were big, hard challenges that we needed to move the ball on, right? I If you said, “Hey, did you completely revitalize the squadrons across the United States Air Force?” I will tell you, absolutely not. Did we get the ball about 20, 30 yards down the field? And I hope so. I think we did. Did we take the overhaul that we did of officer development to be able to ensure that we were producing the senior leaders that the nation needs, not just the United States Air Force needs? I will tell you that we didn't solve it completely, but we moved the ball down the field, and we did it in a way that was able to stick. You know, very often you plant seeds as a leader, and you never know whether those seeds are going to, you know, these seeds are ideas, right? And you never know whether the seeds are going to hit fertile soil or rocks. And I would often tell, you know, young leaders too. I said, you know, in your last few months that you're privileged to be in the position of leadership, you've got two bottles on your hip. You're walking around with — one of them's got fertilizer and one of them's got Roundup. And your job in that final few months is to take a look at the seeds that you planted and truly determine whether they hit fertile soil and they've grown roots, and if they've grown roots, you pull out the fertilizer, and the fertilizer you're putting on it is to make it part of the institution not associated with you, right? You want somebody some years from now say, “Hey, how do we ever do that whole squadron thing?” The right answer is, “I have no idea, but look at how much better we are.” That's the right answer, right? That's the fertilizer you put on it. But it's just equally important to take a look at the ideas that, just for whatever reason, sometimes beyond your control — they just didn't stick right. Get out the Roundup. Because what you don't want to do is to pass on to your successor something that didn't work for you, because it probably ain't going to work for her. Dr. Heather Wilson 47:46 That's right, which is one of the rules of leadership is take the garbage out with you when you go. Naviere Walkewicz 47:51 I like that. I like that a lot. Well, we are — just a little bit of time left. I want to end this kind of together on a story that you shared in the book about laughter being one of the tools you share. And after we share this together, I would like to ask you, I know we talked about mirror checks, but what are some things that you guys are doing every day to be better as well, to continue learning. But to get to the laughter piece, you mentioned that laughter is an underappreciated tool and for leaders, something that you both share. I want to talk about the time when you got together for dinner before you began working as chief and service secretary, and I think you may have sung an AF pro song. We're not going to ask you to sing that today, unless you'd like to JD? But let's talk about laughter.   Gen. Dave Goldfein 48:31 The dean would throw me out. Naviere Walkewicz 48:33 OK, OK, we won't have you sing that today. But how have you found laughter — when you talk about — when the questions and the problems come up to you?   Dr. Heather Wilson 48:40 So I'm going to start this because I think Dave Goldfein has mastered this leadership skill of how to use humor, and self-deprecating humor, better than almost any leader I've ever met. And it's disarming, which is a great technique, because he's actually wicked smart. But it's also people walk in the room knowing if you're going to a town hall meeting or you're going to be around the table, at least sometime in that meeting, we're going to laugh. And it creates a warmth and people drop their guard a little bit. You get to the business a little bit earlier. You get beyond the standard PowerPoint slides, and people just get down to work. And it just — people relax. And I think Dave is very, very good at it. Now, my husband would tell you that I was raised in the home for the humor impaired, and I have been in therapy with him for almost 35 years.   Naviere Walkewicz 49:37 So have you improved? Dr. Heather Wilson 49:39 He thinks I've made some progress.   Naviere Walkewicz 49:41 You've moved the ball.   Dr. Heather Wilson 49:44 Yes. Made some progress. I still don't — I used to start out with saying the punch line and then explain why it was funny. Naviere Walkewicz 49:52 I'm in your camp a little bit. I try. My husband says, “Leave the humor to me.” Dr. Heather Wilson 49:54 Yeah, exactly. You understand. Gen. Dave Goldfein 49:58 I used to joke that I am a member of the Class of 1981['82 and '83]. I am the John Belushi of the United States Air Force Academy, a patron saint of late bloomers. But you know, honestly, Heather doesn't give herself enough credit for building an environment where, you know, folks can actually do their very best work. That's one of the things that we do, right? Because we have — the tools that we have available to be able to get things done very often, are the people that are we're privileged to lead and making sure that they are part of an organization where they feel valued, where we're squinting with our ears. We're actually listening to them. Where they're making a contribution, right? Where they believe that what they're being able to do as part of the institution or the organization is so much more than they could ever do on their own. That's what leadership is all about. Dr. Heather Wilson 51:05 You know, we try to — I think both of us see the humor in everyday life, and when people know that I have a desk plate that I got in South Dakota, and it doesn't say “President.” It doesn't say “Dr. Wilson.” It says, “You're kidding me, right?” Because once a week, more frequently as secretary and chief, but certainly frequently as a college president, somebody is going to walk in and say, “Chief, there's something you need to know.” And if they know they're going to get blasted out of the water or yelled at, people are going to be less likely to come in and tell you, right, what you need to know. But if you're at least willing to laugh at the absurdity of the — somebody thought that was a good idea, you know. My gosh, let's call the lawyers or whatever. But you know, you've just got to laugh, and if you laugh, people will know that you just put things in perspective and then deal with the problem. Naviere Walkewicz  52:06 Well, it connects us as humans. Yeah. Well, during my conversation today with Dr. Heather Wilson and Gen. Dave Goldfein — JD — two lessons really stood out to me. Leadership is not about avoiding the fall, but about how high you bounce back and how your recovery can inspire those you lead. It's also about service, showing up, doing the hard work and putting others before yourself with humility, integrity and working together. Dr. Wilson, Gen. Goldfein, thank you for showing us how courage, compassion and connection — they're not soft skills. They're actually the edge of hard leadership. And when you do that and you lead with service, you get back up after every fall. You encourage others to follow and do the same. Thank you for joining us for this powerful conversation. You can find Get Back Up: Lessons in Servant Leadership, wherever books are sold. And learn more at getbackupeadership.com. If today's episode inspired you, please share it with someone who can really benefit in their own leadership journey. As always, keep learning. Keep getting back up. Keep trying. I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99. This has been Focus On Leadership. Until next time. Producer This edition of Focus on Leadership, the accelerated leadership series, was recorded on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025.   KEYWORDS Leadership, servant leadership, resilience, humility, integrity, influence, teamwork, family, trust, listening, learning, purpose, growth, accountability, service, courage, compassion, balance, values, inspiration.     The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation  

The Trump administration should reverse cyber personnel and budget cuts, strengthen the Office of the National Cyber Director and expand federal workforce initiatives, the successor organization to the Cyberspace Solarium Commission recommended in a report published Wednesday. The annual implementation report from CSC 2.0 is the first of five iterations to actually determine that the nation has gone backward on enacting the agenda of the landmark bipartisan commission, whose suggestions led to the creation of major new federal organizations and policies, including the national cyber director's office. In grading the degree to which its 2020 report had been enacted — whether they're “implemented,” “nearing implementation,” “on track,” “progress limited” or facing “significant barriers” — the percentages dropped in every category, after years of rising or staying steady. President Donald Trump nominated Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve on Monday to serve as the next vice chief of staff of the Army and recommended his appointment to the grade of general. An official hearing date has not been made public, but if confirmed by the Senate, LaNeve will replace Gen. James Mingus, the long-time innovator who was sworn in as the Army's No. 2 general officer and principal deputy to Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in January 2024 under the Biden administration. The announcement follows an unusual gathering of hundreds of top U.S. military officials at Marine Corps Base Quantico last month, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that he had already removed several high-ranking service members and suggested that more people would be pushed out if they did not conform to his vision for a “less woke” military that's “fit not fat.” There's not a fixed term or limit to the position of vice chief of staff, and former officials' tenures in the capacity vary. A Pentagon spokesperson did not immediately answer questions from DefenseScoop about the timing for or reasoning behind this nomination, but confirmed LaNeve was selected by the president to serve in the post. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

Join Kyle Jones and Kat Clowes of March Consulting as they dive into the often overwhelming and misunderstood world of college admissions. In this candid conversation, Kat shares her personal story of graduating high school early, navigating college transfers, and realizing just how many students — even high-achieving ones — are unprepared for the reality of applying to competitive schools.   They talk through the ideal timeline that every college-bound student should follow, including why it's critical to start planning as early as 7th or 8th grade if top-tier schools are the goal. Kat explains how starting early opens more opportunities for scholarships, more strategic course planning, and less stress during senior year.   The conversation also covers the surprising affordability of some private and Ivy League schools compared to in-state options, the common pitfalls of the transfer process, and the wide gap between what school counselors can offer and what families actually need. With insider insight into what colleges really look for, beyond just grades and test scores, this episode is packed with actionable advice for parents and students navigating the path to higher education.  Listeners can mention this Our Two Cents episode and receive a free 30-minute consultation with March Consulting!   Kat Clowes is the CEO and Founder of March Consulting, a college and career firm that helps students with the college application and career search process, and the CEO of Higher Scores Test Prep, providing affordable, online test prep to students. In 2025 alone, her students earned over $10 million dollars in scholarships and were accepted to over 200 schools across the country. She's a Certified Educational Planner and earned an MBA from Mount Saint Mary's University with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship, a BA in communications from Santa Clara University, and a post-graduate certificate in Independent Educational Consulting from University of California, Irvine. She is the co-author of Managing Generation Z, helping employers welcome a new generation into the workforce, which was recently added to the Leadership Library of Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. of the USAF. She is also the author of Put College to Work, a book created to help her students maximize their time in college in a way that will prepare them for a successful career. Her favorite part of her job, however, is watching clients discover that they have something to offer the world and find the means of communicating it. She has been featured in US News and World Report, HerCampus, and other publications.   Learn more about March Consulting:   Website Phone number: (661) 747-4514  Facebook  Instagram YouTube LinkedIn  

Starting next year, the Army will be able to domestically mass-produce upwards of 10,000 small unmanned aerial systems each month, according to the service. Army Materiel Command is leading a new pilot program dubbed “SkyFoundry” that will allow the service to rapidly develop, test and produce small drones using innovative manufacturing methods. Officials are currently identifying multiple facilities where the platforms will be designed and produced. The department expects it can manufacture at least 10,000 UAS per month once the first site is up and running, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus said Tuesday. He said during a fireside chat at the annual AUSA conference: “We'll be at 10,000 a month by this time next year, if not more.” The effort comes as the Pentagon looks to ramp up production of small drones across the services following Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's “Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance” directive, issued in July. The memo requires low-cost, attritable drones to be fielded to every Army squad by the end of 2026 and calls on the military to partner closely with domestic industry to scale up manufacturing. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., sent a letter Tuesday to acting CISA Director Madhu Gottumukkala raising concerns about staffing levels and the direction of the nation's primary cybersecurity agency, writing that the “Trump Administration has undertaken multiple efforts to decimate CISA's workforce, undermining our nation's cybersecurity.” Swalwell, the ranking member on the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection, called out the agency for its reported shift of cybersecurity personnel to the Department of Homeland Security's deportation efforts, on top of the approximately 760 people that have been let go from the agency since January. Swallwell wrote: “Amid reports that the Department of Homeland Security is now forcibly transferring CISA's cybersecurity employees to other DHS components, it has become apparent that the Department's exclusive focus on its mass deportation campaign is coming at the expense of our national security,” calling it “further evidence of the Administration's failure to prioritize cybersecurity” how CISA is engaging in Reductions in Force that could threaten its capacity to prevent and respond to cybersecurity threats. In the letter, he demanded that DHS cease all efforts to cut CISA's workforce, reinstate employees who were transferred or dismissed, and provide details on the impacts of the agency's workforce reductions. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

For review:1. Multiple Countries Recognize Palestinian State at UNGA Summit.2. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that Hamas must have “no role” in governing Gaza in the future and called on the militant group to hand over its weapons.3. Hamas has drafted a letter to US President Donald Trump requesting that he guarantee a 60-day truce in Gaza in exchange for releasing half of the remaining 48 hostages, Fox News reported Monday, 4. France is advancing an initiative aimed at establishing an “International Stabilization Mission” that would replace the IDF in Gaza and work to disarm Hamas after the war ends, according to a draft of the proposal obtained by The Times of Israel.5. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, visiting New York for the UN General Assembly, voiced hope Monday for a security deal that eases tensions with Israel but he played down the prospect of recognition.6. Saudi Arabia & Pakistan Joint Defense Accord.7. Chinese Aircraft Carrier Fujian18 Launches Warplanes Using Advanced Catapult System. Visuals, published the Chinese military, showed J-15T, J-35 fighters and KJ-600 airborne early warning aircraft being launched from the Fujian's electromagnetic catapults.8. The USAF F-47 advanced jet is expected to have its initial flight in 2028, Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin said Monday.The Air Force plans to buy at least 185 F-47s, which would match or exceed the size of the F-22 fleet.

Aviation Week's Brian Everstine, Robert Wall and Steve Trimble discuss U.S. naval aviation ahead of the annual Tailhook gathering and the surprise announcement that U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Allvin will be retiring. 

The media are trying their best to sell the country on a low-confidence preliminary intelligence assessment of Operation Midnight Hammer leaked by none other than the dossier queen herself, Natasha Bertrand. SecDef Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. 'Razin' Caine correct the record. Watch this episode here.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine provided details of the recent U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites during a press conference early on Thursday. The press conference was called in response to media reports questioning the effectiveness of the strikes.Five Department of Defense nominees answered questions from senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee during a confirmation hearing on June 25. Among the nominees is Hung Cao, a former candidate for the U.S. Senate from Virginia and a retired Navy captain. Cao was tapped by President Donald Trump to be the next undersecretary of the Navy on Feb. 27.

Dr. Shockley Pure Home Essentials: https://corehealthadvantage.com/awk  ———— TriTails BEEF: Ribeye Special: http://trybeef.com/andweknow ——— Protect your investments with And We Know http://andweknow.com/gold Or call 720-605-3900, Tell them “LT” sent you. ————————————————————— *Our AWK Website: https://www.andweknow.com/ *Our 24/7 NEWS SITE: https://thepatriotlight.com/ ————————— This Is What I Voted For!!!!!! https://x.com/ForgiatoBlow47/status/1936844048968364290 He shut down USAID. He shut down the green new steal. https://x.com/CaptKylePatriot/status/1936939591614795872 VK's giving us more confirmations on incoming MOAB! https://x.com/7thDean/status/1937013542601003383 My president doesn't send pallets of cash to Iran. https://x.com/GuntherEagleman/status/1936956162064195673 “MAGA should drop this pathetic LOSER, Tom Massie, like the plague!” https://x.com/RealAF_Patriot/status/1936851858993090726 President Trump is merely cleaning up the mess that started with the worst president in American history, Barack Hussein Obama. https://x.com/RealJamesWoods/status/1936921851508518935 Who is the Chairman of the Join Chief of Staff - Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine? https://x.com/realjoshuareid/status/1936955816210247847v This beautiful young lady recounts what it was like to go to school in Iran in the first grade https://x.com/TheEXECUTlONER_/status/1936775126613192880 ————————— *DONATIONS SITE: https://bit.ly/2Lgdrh5 *Mail your gift to: And We Know 30650 Rancho California Rd STE D406-123 (or D406-126) Temecula, CA 92591 ➜ AWK Shirts and gifts: https://shop.andweknow.com/ ➜ Audio Bible https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/kjv/1John.3.16 Connect with us in the following ways:

This week, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George will appear before the House and Senate Armed Services Committees with a new mission — the Army Transformation Initiative. Anna and Jake preview what to expect. Plus, the Senate's about to dive into a brutal reconciliation fight, with GOP factions pulling in opposite directions. Want more in-depth daily coverage from Congress? Subscribe to our free Punchbowl News AM newsletter at punchbowl.news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's Land Warfare Series program, sponsored American Rheinmetall, Dan Driscoll, the 26th secretary of the United States Army and Gen Randy George, the service's 41st chief of staff, join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss how the Army is redirecting 8 percent of its budget each year for the coming five years to new priorities, how many more cuts in existing programs will be needed to achieve Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's goals, the need for greater efficiency and to stop buying systems that are no longer needed, learning the right lessons from the Ukraine war, understanding the nature of possible conflict in the Indo-Pacific, how to speed acquisition of key systems like the MV-75 tiltrotor as well as land and weapon systems, role of heritage and new defense economy firms in more quickly addressing Army needs, why shrinking the force is a bad idea, the impact of staffing the Golden Dome air and missile defense network, and more.

Ryan popped across the Potomac to the Pentagon to speak with Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George about the ambitious Army Transformation Initiative. Following a directive from the secretary of defense, the initiative aims to streamline the Army's force structure, cut wasteful spending, and rapidly modernize its capabilities. 

In a major and unprecedented shakeup to the U.S. military's leadership, U.S. President Donald Trump removed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Brown in late February, while announcing his intention to replace Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the head of the U.S. Navy. The personnel changes have been framed as part of an effort to eradicate "woke ideology" from the U.S. military. It is not a coincidence, then, that Brown is Black and Franchetti is the first woman ever to command a U.S. military service branch. But the Trump administration's attack on efforts to address historical injustices for minorities and women - known as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, or DEI, initiatives - goes beyond purging people of color and high-ranking women officers from the chain of command. As part of this agenda, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has also proposed a radical departure from the U.S. military's approach over the past decade. Though a slow-moving institution that is far from progressive, the Defense Department has undertaken a series of reforms to be more representative of the country it serves. That has included things like adopting a plan to implement the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, updating its harassment policies and protecting its employees from discrimination. Since taking over as defense secretary in late January, Hegseth has articulated his commitment to "restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence." Along those lines, he announced the creation of a Restoring America's Fighting Force Task Force charged with "overseeing the Department's efforts to abolish DEI offices and any vestiges of such offices that subvert meritocracy, perpetuate unconstitutional discrimination, and promote radical ideologies related to systemic racism and gender fluidity." This task force and other envisaged reforms are all aimed at eradicating "wokeness" from the U.S. military and Defense Department. This agenda reflects Hegseth's retrograde and patriarchal vision of the U.S. military. But his justifications for all of these measures are often invented or based on false premises. These misrepresentations are aimed at portraying the U.S. military as hamstrung by politically correct overreach. In both his public comments and his highly critical book about the U.S. military, Hegseth has castigated "woke" generals and policies that, he argues, undermine the military's effectiveness. For example, during his Senate confirmation hearings in January, Hegseth cited personal interviews conducted while writing his book to assert that commanders are expected to "meet quotas" in order to increase the number of women in the ranks. That practice, he added, was one of many "direct, indirect, overt and subtle" ways that the U.S. military has changed its standards to accommodate women recruits. Hegseth had previously asserted that women should not be present in ground combat operations, stating in November, "It hasn't made us more effective. Hasn't made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated." Hegseth's statements make it seem as if women have been coddled by the military in order to goose their numbers, to the detriment of readiness. Hegseth's remarks play well to Trump's base, but they aren't just for public consumption. They have real implications for the well-being of U.S. servicewomen, as well as for women in countries where the U.S. military is active. On both counts, however, he is demonstrably wrong. As Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand pointed out during his confirmation hearing, there are no quotas for women in the infantry. That is a politically expedient lie for Hegseth and his allies. With regard to standards, for instance, retired Army Lt. Col. Ellen Haring told NPR, "Not only have standards not been lowered, but when they first decided that … they were going to open combat jobs to women, the services were given three years to actually set standards because up until that point in time, standards had...

To achieve financial independence and a constitutional budget, a cultural shift must occur. (No easy task since entitlements are deeply embedded in the American psyche.) A constitutional federal budget would require phasing out the Departments of Education, Energy, Commerce, Agriculture, Transportation, Labor, Interior, Housing and Urban Development, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, in addition, scores of agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, to name a few. Murray Sabrin, PhD, author, Mises Institute Associated Scholar, and Emeritus Professor of Finance at Ramapo College of New Jersey, joined me to discuss how a “radical” elimination of government is needed to restore American financial independence.President Trump has fired former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff CQ Brown, who publicly supported the Black Lives Matter movement. This far-left, anti-American, and extremely racist movement is antithetical to military leadership. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Jim Slife were also fired for proactively pushing DEI policies in their roles. President Trump has justified the firings by saying that one of the major problems in our military today is a focus on pushing woke leftist agendas instead of a focus on readiness and protecting America. John Deaton, author, former federal prosecutor, US Marine veteran, and 2024 GOP Massachusetts US Senate nominee, joined me to discuss how removing “WOKE” allows the US military to return to the mission.Richard V. Battle, an award-winning and best-seller author of eleven books, a media commentator, and motivational speaker and trainer for over 30 years on leadership, sales, and faith, joined me to discuss DOGE, tariffs, the Zelenskyy blow-up at the White House, and President Trump's recent joint session speech.Become a supporter of Tapp into the Truth: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tapp-into-the-truth--556114/support Tapp into the Truth on Rumble. Follow, watch the older shows, and join the live streams.The Mises InstituteFrom Immigrant to Public Intellectual : An American StoryMurray Sabrin, PhD at SubstackNeighborhood Health ClinicFood Stamp Warrior: A MemoirDeaton Law FirmRichard V. BattleAmericans Who Made America: 18th Century – Birth of the RepublicIf recent events have proven anything, you need to be as prepared as possible for when things go sideways. You certainly can't count on the government for help. True liberty requires self-reliance. My Patriot SupplyDiversify and protect your hard-earned wealth. Use America's Premiere Conservative Gold Company, Harvard Gold Group. Use promo code TAPP.Support American jobs! Support the show! Get great products at great prices! Go to My Pillow and use promo code TAPP to save! Visit patriotmobile.com or Call (817) 380-9081 to take advantage of a FREE Month of service when you switch using promo code TAPP! Morning Kick is a revolutionary new daily drink from Roundhouse Provisions that combines ultra-potent greens like spirulina and kale with probiotics, prebiotics, collagen, and even ashwagandha. Just mix with water, stir, and enjoy!If you are a content creator in need of a professional drone or you just enjoy flying a drone on the weekend, EXO Drones has you covered!  EXO Drones Plus, get 15% off your order by using this link.Follow Tapp into the Truth on Locals Follow Tapp into the Truth on SubstackHero SoapPatriot DepotBlue CoolersKoa CoffeeBrainMDDiamond CBDSauce Bae2nd SkullEinstokBeanstoxBelle IsleMomento AIHoneyFund"Homegrown" Boone's BourbonIsland BrandsBlackout Coffee Co.Full Circle Brewing Co.Pasmosa Sangria  

On this week's Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, Michael Herson of American Defense International, former Pentagon Europe chief Jim Townsend now with the Center for a New American Security, and former Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss GOP lawmakers move toward a budget resolution and reconciliation measure as defense hawks work to boost Pentagon spending; prospects fora full-year continuing resolution; the race to redirect 8 percent from DoD spending a year for five years to the administration's new priorities; President Trump's firings of the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, the former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Vice Chief of the Air Force Gen. Jim Slife and the three military service judge advocates general; Elon Musk and his team continue to terrorize federal workers; Washington sides with Beijing, Pyongyang and Minsk by voting against a UN measure blaming Russia for the war against Ukraine as Washington extorts gas, oil and rare earths concessions from Kyiv without extending security guarantees; the suggestion that a neutral Ukraine will ensure peace; Trump's bizarre Gaza video as the first phase of hostage and prisoner exchanges end between Israel and Hamas.

On today's Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomic Aeronautical Systems, Dr. Richard Andres, a professor at the national defense university and the former adviser to the secretary of the Air Force and commander of US Cyber Command, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the report for the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies he cowrote with former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Buzz Mosley, USAF Ret., and Mitchell's Maj. Gen. Larry Stutzriem, USAF Ret.; why jointness has prioritized today's readiness over strategic planning and the need to return more authority to the military services to accelerate innovation and program execution.

On this innovation conversation to highlight key topics in the countdown to the Apex technology and innovation conference next year in Washington, sponsored by Clarion Defence, Dr. Alexander Miller, the US Army's chief technology officer and senior adviser for science and technology for Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the changes needed to better take advantage of rapidly changing innovation cycles, the future technologies that will have the biggest impact on warfighting, fielding what the Army needs more rapidly and in large quantities, how to the Army can benefit from commercial innovation and better harness car and industrial product makers to satisfy military needs at speed and scale, a more nuanced Ukraine lessons that are applicable beyond the context of the current conflict, whether the big problems posed by Chinese and Russian militaries have been framed to better guide innovation efforts to solve specific challenges, role of allied and partner S&T as well as industrial capabilities to equip US forces, and more. To learn more about the Apex conference, sponsorship and attendance opportunities please visit apexdefense.org

Would Donald Trump push to end the income tax in his second term? Kamala Harris and the Democrats are looking desperate as they return to yelling that Trump is a “Nazi fascist.” But Glenn explains why Trump is the worst “fascist” that he's ever seen. Why are young men leaning to the Right and young women to the Left? Glenn has a theory. Glenn reviews an insane debate between Ben Shapiro and leftists who clearly don't know what abortion really is. Rebel News reporter Avi Yemini joins to reveal what he's finding as he travels America asking voters about who they're supporting. Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) exposes how much influence Iran has over the Biden-Harris administration. He also comments on the recent claims made by former Trump White House Chief of Staff Gen. John F. Kelly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In February, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Allvin gave us the details on the service's re-optimization plans in an exclusive interview. This week, the Chief released a letter to the entire service detailing progress toward that goal. Vago and J.J. review where the service is and how much lies ahead. Plus the week's headlines in airpower. All powered by GE!

On this Land Warfare episode, sponsored by American Rheinmetall, Gen. Randy George, the US Army's 41st chief of staff, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the biggest lessons from Russia's war on Ukraine; the problems that Russia, China and other adversaries are posing that must be solved; whether different armies are needed to fight in Europe and Asia, and what's common between them; preparing the force intellectually, operationally, doctrinally and culturally for the highly kinetic nature of a possible future fight; how to move faster to field needed capabilities at scale; modernizing on a flat budget; his “Transforming in Contact” initiative and how much of the Army has to change to transform the force; the changing nature of advantage and building a culture that can adapt rapidly to maintain advantage despite changing threats; what the Army needs from industry; tradeoffs that can be made among the military services to better coordinate roles, missions and capabilities; recruiting and training the right personnel; and a look ahead to the Association of the United States Army's annual conference and tradeshow Oct. 14-16, 2024.

On December 17, 1969, a news release from the Office of Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) announced the termination of Project Blue Book. According to the document, Secretary of the Air Force Robert C. Seamans Jr. stated in a memo to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John D. Ryan that “the continuation of Project Blue Book cannot be justified either on the ground of national security or in the interest of science.” An early indication that this was coming was Dr. J. Allen Hynek, a scientific consultant for Project Blue Book for the entirety of its existence and Projects Sign and Grudge before it, finding out that there was nothing for him in the budget for the upcoming year. Of course, not everyone agreed with the Air Force's decision and people continued seeing UFOs, but they no longer had an official organization prepared to take reports. Read more →Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/podcast-ufo--5922140/support.

For review:1.  Despite a daily humanitarian pause- IDF Will Continue Rafah Fight.IDF: The pause “for humanitarian purposes will take place from 8:00 am (0500 GMT) until 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) every day until further notice along the road that leads from the Kerem Shalom crossing to the Salah al-Din road and then northwards.” 2. Israel and Hezbollah continue cross-border strikes, leading to fears of escalation in the conflict.3. Ukraine Peace Summit Concludes in Switzerland. More than 90 countries and international organizations attended the summit. Russia was not invited, and its biggest backer China was not present, leading some to cast doubt on the summit's effectiveness.4. USAF Chief of Staff (General David Allvin) coy about the future budgeting priority of  Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) stealth fighter. 5. Defense News Interview with French Army Chief of Staff Gen. Pierre Schill, concerning Force Modernization- by Rudy Ruitenberg.6. US Army Names M-SHORAD Platform after Vietnam Medal of Honor Hero- Sergeant Stout.On 12 March 1970, U.S. Army Sergeant Mitchell William Stout grabbed an enemy grenade thrown into his bunker and used his body to shield the blast from his fellow Soldiers. Sergeant Stout is the only Army Air Defense Artilleryman in US Army history to earn the Medal of Honor.

On this edition of Parallax Views, are major US officials like National Security Spokesman John Kirby, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, and Sen. Ted Cruz throwing US military veterans under the bus in an attempt to excuse Israel's conduct in Gaza? This became a question for some after John Kirby said "We did it to" in Iraq and Afghanistan in response to a question about Israel's conduct in Gaza. In the first segment of the show, The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft's Kelley Vlahos returns to the program to discuss her piece in The American Conservative entitled "‘We Did It Too': The Ugliest Excuse for Israel ". Kelley interviewed military veterans like Ret. Col. Douglas MacGregor and Ret. Lt. Col. Daniel Davis to get an idea of what men who served in the armed forces may be thinking of the statements being made by Kirby, Milley, and others about Israeli military conduct and comparing it to US military adventures in Iraq and Afghanistan. We'll also discuss the $320 million dollar boondogle that was the Gaza pier project and how that's ended on a rather sour note. In the second segment of the program, James R. Webb, son of Sen. Jim Webb and a former combat veteran in the Iraq War and Marine service infantryman from 2005-2010, returns to offer his own commentary on Kirby's comments, the Gaza war, reports of Israeli soldier's taking lewd pictures of themselves posing with stolen Palestinian Gazan women's underwear, the nature of atrocities and how they happen in warfare, lack of discpline as a driving factor in atrocities, the slogan that "Israel is the most moral military in the world" above and beyond the US military, Benjamin Netanyahu's lack of strategy in the current war, how atrocities and mass civilian casualties can create future security threats/terrorist threats, the IDF, Jim's experiences in Ramadi, a rather funny anecdote about Jim's father's reaction to the Rambo movie sequels, misperceptions about American military veterans, Fallujah and use of excessive force/brutality in war, and much, much more!

For the Army, the command post of the future will need to be agile, resilient and intuitive.It will be a big lift not only for the Army, but for the contractors who are building the technology to support it.This is one of many reasons why the Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George on May 28 signed off on the Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) Capability Characteristics (C2 Next).The Army released a notice on SAM.gov to say the characteristics of needs are available, but vendors have to “apply” to see them as they are not public. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For the Army, the command post of the future will need to be agile, resilient and intuitive. It will be a big lift not only for the Army, but for the contractors who are building the technology to support it. This is one of many reasons why the Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George on May 28 signed off on the Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) Capability Characteristics (C2 Next). The Army released a notice on SAM.gov to say the characteristics of needs are available, but vendors have to “apply” to see them as they are not public. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A conversation between brothers in arms who have known each other since the early 1980s - one an athlete, the other his coach at the time.----more---- SUMMARY Neither has ventured far from the Air Force or the Academy. Lt. Gen. Richard Clark '86, the Academy's 21st superintendent, opens up about his leadership journey to Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Gould '76, the man who first coached him all those years ago. Gen. Clark's leadership story is exceptional and Gen. Gould does a masterful job of helping him tell it.   OUR FAVORITE QUOTES "The one thing that doesn't change is our mission. And our mission is to develop lieutenants, better leaders of character that are ready to go out and win our wars and that are ready to go out support defend the Constitution. That is it." "Whenever there's Americans on the ground, we're going to do whatever it takes to help them you will do whatever it takes." "Seeing those young guys go out there and do that, and do what they needed to do to help other Americans to help their fellow servicemen that made me prouder than anything." "I am very happy and comfortable to leave this torch with them to hand the torch off to them. And I'm just proud to have served with them." "I am leaving with a lot of gratitude in my heart, just from our cadets from our permanent party, from the alumni that helped us do this and the other supporters."   SHARE THIS EPISODE FACEBOOK  |  LINKEDIN  |  TWITTER  |  EMAIL   CHAPTERS 00:00:  Introduction and Mission of the Air Force Academy 01:09:  Lieutenant General Rich Clark's Background and Career 08:27:  Making the Best of Unexpected Assignments 10:18:  Leadership in Challenging Situations 00:09:  Introduction 07:28:  Enhancing the Academy's Facilities and Programs 14:57:  Developing Leaders of Character 31:11:  The Importance of Alumni and Supporters 37:51:  Transitioning to the Role of Executive Director of the College Football Playoff 45:08:  Conclusion   TAKEAWAYS  - Leadership is developed through challenging experiences like overcoming adversity, mentoring others, and leading in high-pressure situations like combat.  - Support from family, mentors, and sponsor families can help one persevere through difficult times and find purpose.  - Having an open mind and making the most of unexpected opportunities can lead to unexpected benefits and career success.  - Giving back to one's alma mater through things like financial support, mentorship, and service helps continue its mission and benefits future generations.  - Expressing gratitude to those who support your mission helps foster positive relationships and a sense of shared purpose.     LT. GEN. CLARK'S BIO Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark '86 is the Superintendent, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. He directs a four-year regimen of military training, academics, athletic and character development programs leading to a Bachelor of Science degree and a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force or United States Space Force. Lt. Gen. Clark graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1986. His commands include the 34th Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota; 12th Flying Training Wing, Randolph AFB, Texas; Eighth Air Force, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, and Joint Functional Component Commander for Global Strike, Offutt AFB, Nebraska. He has also served as a White House Fellow in Washington, D.C.; the Commandant of Cadets, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado; Senior Defense Official/Defense Attaché, Cairo, Egypt, and as the Commander, Third Air Force, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Prior to his current assignment, Lt. Gen. Clark served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. - Copy and image credit:  af.mil       ABOUT LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP Long Blue Leadership drops every two weeks on Tuesdays and is available on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn + Alexa, Spotify and all your favorite podcast platforms. Search @AirForceGrads on your favorite social channels for Long Blue Leadership news and updates!            FULL TRANSCRIPT OUR SPEAKERS Our guest is Lt. Gen. Richard Clark '86  |  Our host is Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Gould '76   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  00:12 The one thing that doesn't change is our mission. And our mission is to develop lieutenants, better leaders of character, that are ready to go out and win our wars and that are ready to go out and support and defend the Constitution. That's it.   Announcer  00:27 Welcome to the Long Blue Leadership podcast. These are powerful conversations with United States Air Force Academy graduates who have lived their lives with distinction. All leaders of character who candidly share their stories, including their best and worst moments, the challenges they've overcome the people and events that have shaped who they are, and who willingly lend their wisdom to advance your leadership journey. Your host for this special presentation of Long Blue Leadership is Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Gould, USAFA class of '76 and currently serving as a member of the Association and Foundation board of directors. And now, Gen. Mike Gould.   Lt. Gen Mike Gould  01:09 My guest today is Lt. Gen. Rich Clark, the 21st superintendent of the Air Force Academy, Class of '86 at USAFA, and if I'm not mistaken, you're about 46 days away from retiring. After a 38-year career, that when you think about it, has spanned so much in our country, starting with the Cold War through conflicts in Southwest Asia, in the Middle East, and the culture wars that we all experience today. I think his experience in active duty is highlighted most by seven commands that he's held; a bomb squadron, a training wing, to numbered Air Force's, the joint functional component command for Global Strike, served as the commandant of cadets here at the Academy. And now like I said, as the 21st superintendent. In addition to that, Gen. Clark served as the senior defense official, and the defense attaché in Cairo during some interesting times, and also served as a White House fellow. And if that's not enough, he's flown over 4,200 hours in the B1, both the EC and KC-135, the T1, the T38, the T6 and the T21. And most notably, 400 of those hours are in combat. So Rich, as you look back on the past nearly four decades of service, I'm sure you have a lot to think about as it's all coming to an end. And really, how it all started. I'd like you to please share with us a little bit about your life as a young child. And you know, some of the influential people who you met in your formative years, and then kind of how that led you here to the Air Force Academy.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  02:58 Wow, well, first, can I call you Coach, General Gould?   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  03:02 You (can) call me Coach…   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  03:03 I'll call you Coach because you were my coach when I was here, and you saw me walk in the doors here. So, I'll talk a little bit about that. But I just want to thank you for letting me be here today. This is a real honor. So, thank you.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  But I grew up in the Bay Area, Oakland, Berkeley, California, and my parents were divorced. So, it was my mother, my brother and I. And then when my mom got remarried, we moved to the East Coast to Richmond, Virginia, and that's where I went to high school, and not a military family. My dad was drafted back in the Vietnam era. He served a short tour, so I don't really remember those days. So, I don't consider myself really from a military family and really hadn't considered joining the military. I played football, I played a lot of sports. Growing up, football was my primary — and track actually, but football the primarily, and I had signed to go to William & Mary in Virginia, and I was going with my best friend from high school and actually in junior high. And Coach Ken Hatfield came to my house. And the Air Force had been recruiting me. So did Army and Navy. And he actually came to my house though and visited my parents. And he had dinner at our house, and my mom thought, “He is such a nice man. And he was like, “Look, just come out and see the Air Force Academy.” Now what he didn't know was that I wanted to, I was very interested in flying more commercial. I always thought I wanted to be a commercial pilot. And he convinced me to come out. My mom was like, “Just go; it's free.” You know, I was like, OK, and so I still had a couple of college visits left. So, I came to the Air Force Academy. I'll be honest, I got here and after seeing the place and seeing the opportunities to fly — just to have a great education and to play Division I college football, I was hooked. And I, my dad — my stepdad who I consider my dad — made me call the coach at William & Mary tell him I was changing my mind. And I signed and came to Air Force. And when I got off the bus and got on those footprints , and they started yelling at me, I was like, “Hey, wait, I'm a football player. You're not supposed to yell at me.” That's what I thought. And that was not true. And the rest is history. And, you know, it was an important decision in my life, certainly. But, you know, I appreciate Coach Hatfield being persistent and coming to get me and, you know, talk to my parents, formative people, obviously. But it was a great decision. Great decision.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  05:48 Did you also visit West Point and or Annapolis?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  05:52 I did not because I didn't want to go to a — I wasn't interested, really in a service academy. What I will say, though, I did fill out an application to Air Force before Coach Hatfield came. And I did go and do an interview with my congressional member. Because my guidance counselor convinced me to do that in case I didn't get another good offer from somewhere else. And I actually got a congressional appointment. But then the Academy contacted me, and I told them I was going to turn it down. And that's when Coach Hatfield came to my house. But I, I went through the motions, I think, but I didn't really have an intention to come. I wanted to go to William & Mary, and I wasn't even going to visit Army and Navy because, you know, there wasn't something I was interested in.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  06:46 I'll bet you've looked back and asked yourself the question, what would you be doing now had you gone to William and Mary, or one of these other schools?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  06:54 Hard for me to picture my life without being in the Air Force and the Air Force Academy, right?   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  07:01 Now, you let on a little bit about falling in on the footprints. But as you look back at arriving at the Academy, and you're in now, you signed up and you're going to be a Falcon, what kind of memories do you have about basic training and leading into your first fall semester?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  07:21 Yeah. So, here's the here's one memory I definitely have — and I talk to the cadets about this sometimes — I mentioned the phone-booth to them. And they're like, “What? “What's a phone booth?” Well, you know, I explained to them, there were these big boxes that had a telephone and you had a card that you could call home. And in basic training, about halfway through, you got to call home. And I call my mom. And I said, “Mom, this place is not for me. I'm ready to come home.” She's like, “Oh, that's great. Because the William & Mary coach called last week to see how you're doing. You could probably still get your scholarship.” And I was like, “Oh.” I was expecting her to say, “Well, you better not come home.” But she said, “You know, that's OK.” And truth is, I looked out the door, you know, they had the glass doors, and all my classmates are lined up out the door waiting for their turn to come in. And honestly, I thought, “Man, I'm not ready to leave these guys yet.” And so, she said, “You come on home, it's OK.” And I said, “Well, you know what, mom, I think I'm just gonna' finish basic training. And then I'll see. I want to stick that out with these guys.” You know, I made some great friends. It's not what I expected, but I liked the people. So, I stayed. And then after basic training, she asked me, “Are you still going to come home?” And I said, “Well, you know, I think I'll stick it out one semester, I'd really like to play football because I've gotten in with the team now. And I got some friends on the team. So maybe I could play one season. I think I've got a good chance to make the varsity.” And I did that. And then it was, “You know, Mom, maybe I'll stay for my rest of my freshman year.” It was like one step at a time until eventually I was like, “You know, I'm in.” But it was not a done deal for a while for me, you know, where I just said, “You know what, this is it. I'm in the right place.” I think after that first year, though, I realized that I was, you know — it took some time though. And football had a lot to do with it. The friends you make, the success we had as a team. That was just great. And I love my squadron. I was in 7th Squadron. Great, great friends there. So, after a year though, I feel like I was in but there was that moment in that phone booth and basic training where I was like, “Man, I don't know.” But I did it and I'm glad I did.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  09:52 Well, everything you just went through right there was referencing the people. That's what kept you there. But then you get into academics and you get your military training. How did you navigate some of those things? And you know, I know you had fun with your buddies and football is always a hoot. But about the other challenges that the Academy threw at you?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  10:15 Yeah. So, I actually, I liked academics, I did pretty well, I was on Dean's List most semesters, like seven of my eight semesters, I made the Dean's List. So not that I didn't have some challenges. I mean, there's those certain courses that you're just like, “Oh, my goodness.” But overall, academics wasn't the big challenge. I think the challenge for me was not having some of the freedoms that you wanted early on because you're sort of getting acclimatized to it, you know, you're getting used to not being able to do certain things, the military lifestyle, you have to get used to that a little bit. But once I got that — and going back to the people, everybody's kind of struggling with that. And when you're all struggling together, it just makes it a lot more bearable and doable. And I think after that first year, I was in, I was like, “You know, I'm in the right place. And I'm gonna' stay here.” I did have a moment though. When I was a sophomore, I tore my knee up playing football, the last game, San Diego State. Just ripped my ACL. My MCL — meniscus cartilage — had [to be] reconstructed. And I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to play football again. And that made me kind of think a little bit about was I going to stay. And I had to come to terms with some things, you know, “Why am I here? What's my real purpose?” And as much as football meant to me, I was here for something bigger than that. And I realized that unfortunately, at that point when I was injured, I think that was also the point where I really came to terms with why I was here, that it was something bigger than myself. And I wanted to be a part of it. And so I stayed. I was still determined to play and I did get to play, you know, the next season. But my purpose was a bit different, you know, and that injury really helped me kind of figure things out and sort through my greater purpose.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  12:18 Gave you that confidence of overcoming adversity.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  12:21 Absolutely. Like sports does. Right. That's it.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  12:24 Now, back in my day, we didn't really have a sponsorship program — sponsor families in town. But I think by the time you were a cadet, that program existed to have a sponsor family.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  12:41 They were awesome. The Frables, Neil and Elizabeth. I just had lunch with Neil about four months ago. We still we stay in touch and they're just awesome. And they were so good. They sponsored four of us. And they actually gave each of us a key to their house. And a key to their third car. Oh, my goodness, that was a lifesaver. And they cooked a lot. And we ate a lot. And they just they really opened their homes up to us. So, I credit them. I mean, they were my second family, and still just love them for what they did for us. They were a great, great sponsor family.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  13:24 When you were a cadet, did you participate in any formal leadership programs? Did you hold some positions within the cadet wing?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  13:35 O don't think they thought that highly of me. I wasn't that kind of cadet. I was the D.O. for my squadron. And that was because one of my buddies was a squadron commander. He's like, “Hey, man, will you help me?” And I was like, “Yeah, I'll do this.” But that was the most leadership experience I got and, you know, informal way. But I was glad to do that. It was my squadron. Although, when I told my friends to clean their rooms up and stuff, they'd always give me grief. You know, all these seniors. We were all seniors together. And they're like, “Who are you to tell me this?” Peer leadership is the hardest thing in the world. But yeah, I didn't rise to the level of like group or wing leadership or anything like that. So, the cadets were already surprised to hear that I'm like not, I wasn't that good of a cadet. I mean, I was like your average kind of cadet that did pretty well.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  14:28 Well, you're being modest here. I watched you lead on that football team. You guys had some success and a really tight group.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  14:35 We did. I loved our team. We had a lot of leaders on our football team, though. And people — I always characterize the leadership on our football team — people knew when they needed to lead. You know, there was just times where someone needed to step up and be a leader. And it might not be that you were the leader all the time. But when it was needed, somebody always stepped up. And that was I think the hallmark of our team. And it was just a great group of people, humble leaders, all about team success. And I learned as much leadership from football as I did anywhere else here at the Academy. And credit to Coach DeBerry, Coach Hatfield, you know, all of our coaches, and my teammates, for just helping me develop as a man and, and what kind of a leader and person I wanted to be. So that was as much of a leadership laboratory as anything for me.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  15:33 So, it sounds like when it came time to toss your hat and put on the gold bars, you were prepared to go out and be a lieutenant in the Air Force.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  15:43 I think I was. And my first job was right back and coaching football here. So that was a nice transition from the Academy. I taught unarmed combat, PE, and I coached the JV football team and you, you were at the prep school then I think, Coach, and so… But that was a phenomenal job. And there were like eight of us that stayed back and did that. That was just great. And you know, you had to employ some leadership there because you're trying to lead the cadets. And whether they're on football or in the PE class. So, I learned a lot doing that, but I really enjoyed it. I love being back here. And honestly, it gave me a whole different appreciation for the Academy. Because when you're a cadet, you are looking about five feet in front of you and you don't stop to look at the mountains and you don't stop to look at all that everybody's doing to make this place happen and the passion that people really have for our cadets. That was when I first kind of said, “You know what, this place really is special.” But you don't get that as a cadet necessarily. Some cadets, so they're special anyway, but cadets like me, I didn't know, and I was just ready to graduate. But that one year gave me a whole different appreciation. And I'm grateful for it.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  17:00 Right. And then you headed off to pilot training and like most lieutenants, you know, you're gonna' mix in with a new group of people, a new group of friends. Talk to us about your experience as a student pilot, and then on to start your career flying big airplanes.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  17:18 Yes. So, me and one of my good friends, Mike Chandler, we decided we were going to go to pilot training together. He was a teammate in football. And we were actually roommates when we traveled. And we decided we're going together. So, we both went to Laughlin. And we thought we'll go to Laughlin so there's no distractions, there's good weather, we're going to kill pilot training. And when we got there, we realized there's no distractions at all. And there was nothing else to do there. But we had a great time because of the people in our class. And we're the only two Academy grads in the class. But we just we bonded well as a class and pilot training was pretty good. I do remember though, I almost washed out, like in the first month, because I had a couple bad rides in a row. And you know how you get a couple, three bad rides, and you're out? And especially in those days, we lost half of our class, they washed out 50% of our class. And I had these bad rides. And I had to go to what they call an 89. You know, and what that was if you if you fail three rides in a row, right? If you couldn't do your no-flap landings, and you couldn't get them right in the T-37, then you went to an 88. You fail the 88, then you go to the 89. 89 was the elimination, right? And so, I had to go to an 89. And I had to fly with the squadron commander. And the night before, I call my mom again. I always called my mom. And I was like, Mom, tomorrow might be my last flight because I flew today, I failed the ride, and I don't think a whole lot is gonna' change between tonight and tomorrow. And she was like, “Well enjoy it. Because it might be the last time you get to fly an airplane, so you need to at least have fun. It's been your dream and my heart goes out to you. But enjoy the flight. Don't make your last flight something that was a bad memory for you.” And I was like, “Well, if I fail, it's gonna' be a bad memory.” She said, “But at least have fun. You can have fun.” But it was great advice because I went up there, Coach, and I was just relaxed. I even stopped studying when I called her. I didn't study that night. I went to bed, got up in the morning, didn't get up early and study. I went in there, I did my ground evals. I was usually pretty good in the ground evals and I just went up and I flew the sortie. I remember, he told me to do a cloverleaf, you know, the maneuver the cloverleaf, which was my favorite. I did the cloverleaf and he goes, “OK, we can head on back to the pattern now get your pattern work done.” And I said, “Can I do one more clover?” And he's like, “I don't recommend it, the one you did was fine.” And I said, “I know I just like the cloverleaf. Sir, can I just do one more?” He was like, “OK.” And I did another cloverleaf thinking, “You know, this might be my last time I did the cloverleaf.” I flew back to the pattern, I'm talking to the IP and stuff. I did my landings, you know, really uneventful. Got out of the plane, we're walking back, and he goes, “I don't even know why you're in this ride. That was a great ride.” And I was like, “You mean, I passed?” And he was like, “Yeah, great job today, Lt. Clark, you passed.” And what I realized, it was about just relaxing and flying the plane. And it was the best lesson I ever got in an airplane, when you can relax and just let your training kick in. And just don't worry and let your instincts take over. You just fly better. And my mom sort of taught me that. She's like, “Just relax and have a good time.” So, I sort of credited her with keeping me at the Academy. She got me through pilot training. I mean, she was my mom, too. So, I give her that credit. But yeah, that was a good pilot training memory. And, you know, everything's been great since then.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  21:12 So, you head off, and you're going to the EC135 first, right? So, talk to me a little bit about your career progression there as a captain and major and things you look back on from that period.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  21:27 Well, so, here's one big lesson that I got out. When I got the EC135, I wanted to fly C-130. Really I wanted to fly a gunship. And I thought, “I don't even know what that is I didn't put it on my dream sheet. How did I end up getting this?” I was bummed out. And then one of the IP(s) said, “You know, they handpick people to go into the EC135.” Oh, really? Well, because the EC135 was the airborne command post — the nuclear mission at Offutt and you always had a general officer on board. And you could only fly with instructor pilots and a co-pilot. You couldn't have a straight aircraft commander in that plane. And the co-pilot had an immense amount of responsibility in that mission, and you got a whole lot of flying time. And when you got done with that assignment in two years, you got your choice of your next assignment. And a lot of guys went to fighters. They had to compete for that. But then for me, it was the B-1 and I saw that that was available. And I learned that when I first walked in the door because several people got to FP111s and B-1s. And I was like, “Man, I could do this.” I got 2,000 hours in the T-38 because they had the ACE program, the companion trainer program in the EC. And between those two aircraft, I got 2,000 hours, which was plenty for me to go into the B-1. And then I flew the B-1 basically the rest of my career. And so, it was really one of the lessons I learned. Sometimes you get put somewhere that maybe it didn't want or maybe didn't expect, but you make the best of it. And sometimes there's these, sort of, hidden benefits and successes that you didn't even know about. But if you go there and just bloom where you're planted, good things happen. And I learned that early. Fortunately, in the EC135. I flew the B-1 for 17 years. I flew at McConnell which ended up moving B-1s out of there. Dyess Air Force Base, I flew at Ellsworth as a squadron commander. I did do a stint in the Pentagon and legislative liaison in there and I was also a White House fellow, which was an amazing opportunity for me. But those years and the B-1 and doing the Pentagon and the White House fellow were really amazing years. I met Amy in there and we got married. When I was stationed at Dyess as a captain, well, actually I met her as a captain — we dated, and I pinned on just a few months before we got married. But my flying career was just awesome. And my first command was just absolutely a pinnacle point. It was squadron commander and the 34th Bomb Squadron. And I got into that squadron. Sept. 5, 2001, is when I showed up for that and I had just left the White House fellowship, which was just a fantastic opportunity. But I was riding high Sept. 5, and then Sept. 11, happens and everything changed. The squadron deployed and I wasn't checked out yet in the B-1. I had to go through a re-qual program. And so, I can remember when they left. The squadron was heading out and they were, “…or maybe we could just take you as an unqualified pilot,” blah, blah, blah. There was no way that that was going to happen. And so, I can remember that day, when they were leaving, they left about a month after Sept. 11, in October. And I just went and helped pack up bags. I just did whatever I could to help that squadron out. I wasn't the squadron commander at the time. But I remember thinking, “Man, I can't believe the squadron that I was going to go in is going to go without me.” But they did. And I helped. And I tried to be as much of a contributor as I could. And when they came back, I was all qualified. And then a couple of months after that, I took over the squadron. And then they tapped us to go again. And so, I got to deploy the squadron in combat over Iraq. We deployed to Oman and we flew missions at the beginning of OIF. And that was just an unbelievable experience, growth experience, leadership experience, but really, just something I'll never forget, you know, it was hard. It was tough. We're there for about six months. But leading in combat I think is something we all prepare for and want to be ready for. But it's also an honor, you know, to be able to have that kind of responsibility. And I think back on it, and my timing couldn't have been better for me to be able to do that. It was just a highlight of my career.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  26:31 Can we entice you to tell a quick war story about a Distinguished Flying Cross that you are awarded?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  26:37 Oh, well, I could talk about that. Can I talk about a different story there? I have a better one, I do. This was one of my proudest moments I think I had as the squadron commander. I had to line up all the crews, you know, to put experience within experience and make sure that they were balanced out with the people that I knew, and who was going to perform the best. And I had 24 crews. They actually sent me extra crews from a different squadron to make sure that we had a full complement. And the last crew that I had were two of the most inexperienced people in our squadron. Two captains and two lieutenants. And one of them was a brand-new FAPE. Has just come from T-37s into the B-1. And I had to have 24 crews and they were the last four people. And I didn't really have another way to balance the experience and inexperience. So, I did it. And the flight commanders were like, “Don't do it. We can't send these guys out like that.” And I said, “We have to; they need to go. And so, on the second night, they went out they had 24 JDAM, 2,000 pound GPS bombs. And they started out. They orbited in the area, they did well. First they delivered their 12 bombs on-target, the direct targets from the ATO, and they hit those targets. And then they were orbiting, waiting for what we call it, x-cast, somebody to call in and say, “I need some bombs.” And our mantra in the squadron was whenever there's Americans on the ground, we're going to do whatever it takes to help them. You will do whatever it takes. And so, they're orbiting, and they're about at bingo fuel in there, meaning the fuel that they needed to go back, and they get a radio call from an AWAC. There's troops in contact and they need some air power. So, they give this crew, the aircraft commander, this young FAPE goes, “Well, we're close to bingo, but we're not there yet. So, give us the coordinates and give us the radio frequency,” and they fly. And they get this JTAC — joint tactical air control — on the ground. And he's like, “We're getting shelled from a ridgeline. There's Iraqi armored vehicles, they're hitting us hard. We need some bombs. We got 150 soldiers down here, can you give us some bombs.” He's like, “Got it, give us the coordinates.” So, they start getting a nine-line there. They're loading the coordinates, and the “Wizzo” is just putting the bombs, you know, he starts putting them on target. Boom, boom, one at a time. And they get the coordinates, bomb on target. But then they hit bingo. And so the aircraft commander tells the JTAC, “Hey, we're at bingo fuel, we need to get going or we're not going to be able to get back home. But we'll get somebody else out here.” And the JTAC says, “If you leave us now, we're going to get pummeled. Can you stay a little longer?” He says, “We'll stay as long as you want.” And so, they keep putting bombs on target. And they keep putting them down until they went Winchester and the JTAC says, “Hey, the shelling stopped. You guys are cleared out.” And when they turn their nose to go home, they didn't have enough fuel to get back. And so, they get on with AWACS and they're talking to AWACS trying to figure something out. They're looking at divert. Field diverting into a field in Iraq is not a good idea. But finally, a KC-135 flies into the country, into Iraq, unarmed, unafraid, gives them gas and then those guys can come home. And when they got back, they were three hours past their estimated arrival time. And I met him at the airplane because I'm going, “What happened?” And when the aircraft commander comes down the ladder, he's got salt stains on his back. They were working hard. I said, “What happened? He goes, “Sir, we overflew our bingo.” I said, “Well, certainly there's more to it than that.” And so, we go into the intel debrief and they told that story. And all of those, that whole crew, was awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses for what they did. And so that of all the things that happened, to see those young guys go out there and do that, and do what they needed to do to help other Americans, to help their fellow servicemen, that made me prouder than anything,   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  30:44 I guess it would. And you took a chance, in a way, by putting this crew together.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  30:49 I did. Yeah. As far as I was concerned, I didn't have a choice, you know, but I had to trust them to do their job. And they were trained. I mean, they had received the training that was required for them to go to combat, so we have to trust them to do it. And they did it.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  31:05 Well, that's a really cool story. And if my math is right, you are about 15-16 years into your career at that time. Let me shift gears a little bit. How much thought did you give to staying in touch with or staying engaged with the Air Force Academy while you were out? You know, developing your career path.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  31:33 I gave a lot of thought to it. I used to come back for football games. I came back for my reunions for sure. And I don't think financially at that point, I hadn't gotten involved. But a couple years later, when our class, our 20th reunion was starting, that's when I really started realizing financially I could and should start to give back to the Academy. So that was when I think from a financial point, I really connected and realized that. But just from a present standpoint and coming back, I came back at every opportunity. I came back for games; I came back for some mentorship opportunities that people asked me to come talk to cadets and things like that. But I never thought I would get to come back here to work. You know, it never crossed my mind until someone asked me to be the commandant years later. And that was like beyond imagination for me, especially knowing what kind of cadet I was. I was like, “OK, you really want me to be the commandant? I don't think so.” But I got that opportunity down the road. I mean, that was after a lot. I went on to be a wing commander, you mentioned I was the wing commander. At 12th Flying Training Wing, I got to fly all the trainers and that was just awesome. And then I deployed to Iraq for a year, which was an intense year, hard year, I would say probably the hardest year I've had, you know, in my career. And then I got promoted to one star. And they sent me to Barksdale Air Force Base as the vice commander of 8th Air Force. And when I came back from Iraq, I knew I'd gotten promoted. And that job was kind of roundabout. They said, “Hey, we're gonna' send you to Barksdale to be the vice at 8th. But that job is actually going to be downgraded to a colonel and you're about to pin on one star. So we're not sure what's going to happen with you next.” I was like, “Oh, man,” trying to remember the lessons of the past though. I said, “OK. This is where I'm going so let's bloom where I'm planted,” right? So, we all move there. Things were great. And then I remember the MATCOM commander called me in one day and he goes, “You know…, they get the phone call from the secretary. I'm gonna', one, I'm a newly pinned on one star. And he goes, “Hey, you know that job you're in is a colonel job?” And I was like, “Yes, sir, I know. But I love it.” You know, I was being positive. He says, “But we're gonna' have to move you out of there.” “Yes sir. Understood.” And he goes, “What would you think about going to the Air Force Academy and be the commandant?” You could have knocked me over with a feather. And that's when you and I first connected, when I got to come be your commandant when you were the supt. And that was just a dream to be able to come back here and that's when I really connected back, you know, when I got a chance to see it, even from a different level. I talked about it as a coach you know, and seeing how special it is and seeing how passionate people are about our school. But being the commandant gave me a whole different view and being able to engage with the cadets and understand what they were doing and trying to push that development for them. Just amazing and I loved it, and Amy loved it, to live in the Otis House, having the cadets over, trying to help them with their, you know, their development. And that's a big job, right? We all know that because you take it very personally, because you want them to be everything that they can be in there. So amazingly talented. You just want to take that talent and give them every opportunity you can to thrive. So, we did that. And after that, even Amy, she might as well be a grad. I mean, she just fell in love with this place after those two years. Our kids, Milo and Zoey, they were 10 and 8 coming in. Our family just was immersed in USAFA.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  35:40 So, I was going to ask you about the role that Amy and the kids played in your development as a leader, but I got to see it firsthand. And you just went through that. When you had to leave the Academy, if you can remember, I'm sure you do remember this, I wanted to keep you here for a third year. Because you were that perfect role model in so many ways for the cadets. Not only your leadership, you know, in the job, but your family and the way these kids could then look up and say, “I want to do that someday. I think I can be like that guy.” And we wanted to keep you another year and then you came out on the two-star list and you moved on to what was undoubtedly a really, really tough assignment as the DAT and senior guy in Cairo. Tell us about that little bit.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  36:30 Yeah, well, if you remember at first they told me I was going to the Pentagon to be the 8th, which was like the big job. If you're a two-star, you go there, the 8th as the programmer. And Amy loves D.C. And so, they told us we were going there. And then I get a phone call from then-Chief of Staff Gen. Schwartz, actually, he called and said, “Hey, I need you to talk to the GAO management office, the GoMo, who do all the assignments for the general.” And I was like, “Oh, yes, sir. Is there a problem?” And I think you might have known about that — you probably knew about this already. Because it was bad news, I think he wanted to tell me personally or something. And so, I called GoMo. And they go, “Yeah, your assignment's changed. You're not going to the Pentagon, you're going to Egypt.” And I go, “Is there a base in Egypt?” They're like, “No, you're gonna' be working at the embassy as the DET.” And I was like, “Ah, OK. All right. That's good.” And so, then the first thing that came to my mind was telling me, I was like, “Oh man, she's gonna' flip out.” Well, I called her. And I said, “Honey, we're not going to D.C.” And here's the thing. Our movers were already in route, like, they were coming to pack us out. And I said, “We're not going to D.C., we're going to Egypt.” I was bracing for impact. And she goes, “Oh my gosh, are you kidding me? That's amazing.” I was like, she couldn't care less about what job I had, she couldn't care less that I was giving up like the best job to target. She was just looking for that adventure of Egypt. And that actually took a lot of heat off me. Because if she's happy, I'm happy. And so, we went to Egypt. And it actually turned out to be great. But we got truncated on the training. Like, you're supposed to get language school, you're supposed to go through this whole defense attaché course. And I didn't have time because it was a late breaking change. And they said, “Don't worry, you don't need all that training because Egypt's on skids.” That was the exact words of the guy that that told me I was getting a job. And he meant Egypt is in a good place. You know, they just elected a new president, democratically elected, and everything's good. Well, when we got there, I got to the airport and we're all sitting in the lounge at the airport, and I picked up a newspaper, and it was in English. And it said that day, the president fired all the military, all the top military leaders. I was like, I guess we're not on skids anymore. And it just went downhill from there. I was there for a month, and they attacked the embassy. And then a year later, the coup happened. Amy and the kids and all the families within the embassy had to go home. It was an order departure. They all had to leave. I remember telling Amy because I was in the meeting with the ambassador when all this happened. And I said “Hey, you might want to pack a bag because I think you're about to go.” She's like, “Pack a bag?” I said, “You can only pack a carry on.” “How long are we going to be gone?” “I don't know.” And they left and they went to D.C. And we had no idea. They ended up being gone for nine months. The kids started school and everything. Well, there was two thirds of the embassy stayed, but it was actually, from a professional standpoint, awesome. To be involved, often to be our representative on the military side, to work with the Egyptian military to try to help navigate through this coup d'état. And they're a country that we were very interested in keeping as a partner. I got a lot of good experience and just cool, like, opportunities to do things. It was a little scary at times, but I actually loved it. And then Amy and the kids came back. We look at that as one of our best assignments as a family. It was just — the Egyptian people are amazing. The travel that we got to do was incredible. And I just loved the assignment, and it goes back, you know, I mentioned to you, sometimes you get an assignment and you're like, “Gosh, what?” And it turns out to be the best thing ever. And that was one of them.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  40:50 And I thought for sure, somewhere in there, you were gonna' say you called your mom.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  40:57 Then I was married, so then I just had to stop calling my mom after that. Well, I still call her but not for advice. I gotta' call Amy, so, you know?   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  41:06 Well, you had a couple more really challenging assignments. But let's talk about your time as superintendent. Not too many people think that you'll grow up someday and have that type of responsibility. And then when you get here, you realize that it's probably one of the most heavily scrutinized positions you can have in the Air Force.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  41:26 That's an understatement.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  41:29 We can both agree on this.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  41:34 But other than the general leadership and the experiences you have throughout your career, this place is different. USAFA is different than any other command, and in many ways more challenging, because you just hadn't had that experience. How do you reflect back on your time as superintendent and the fact that you you've worked through, I think you had two presidents, two commander in chiefs, you had a couple different secretaries, and they all have guidance that comes to you. But your job then is to make that guidance into your own policy. How have you dealt with all that?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  42:14 You know, honestly, all of us military members are — our job is to make the commander in chief's policy our policy, and to execute that policy. That's our oath. And that's what we do. And so, you know, for me, I feel like we've all done that. I mean, we've all at some point in our careers had to say, you know, “This is the law of the land.” I mean, I'm gonna' follow my oath to the Constitution, support and defend. And that's a part of it. So, in that aspect, you saw it was no different. But like you said, it's such a, I don't know, everybody has an idea. Everybody thinks they can run the Air Force. Everybody thinks that it should flow along their ideological lines, or whatever. And, frankly, it's about our country's policies that we have to abide by. But the one thing that doesn't change is our mission. And our mission is to develop lieutenants that are leaders of character that are ready to go out and win our wars, and that are ready to go out, support, defend the Constitution. That's it. And the policy things that people get so hung up on, sometimes they're really on the periphery, and they're not as entrenched. And what we do as people might think are — our core mission has never changed. There are some nuances, there's some things that might change a little bit, society changes. Young people change, you know, people that are 18 to 24. It's a pretty volatile group, in a way, and they change with society, too. So, we have to tweak and adjust based on our superiors, you know, people in the Pentagon and OSD and our president. We have to change based on society, and who we have coming into the Air Force Academy. And frankly, parents get a vote in this and the things that happen. And alumni always have a voice in this as well. They make their voice well known. But in the end, what it's my job to do is to make sure that our team is inoculated enough from all that, that we can continue to do our job and make sure that these warfighters are ready to go out and do what those lieutenants and those captains did for me as a squadron commander. That we're putting people out that are ready to go do that. And I always have in mind, like that story that I told you, Coach, it's always in the back of my mind. I hope that I'm developing people that are ready to go out and do what Those guys did that day. If our lieutenants are ready to fight like that, then we've succeeded. And that's my goal. I've never been a political person. But I get dragged into it all the time. And my job is to make sure that when I do get dragged into it, that we're still able to execute our mission, and that I don't drag the entirety of the Academy into it. And you know how it is. That's our job as leaders: to provide that top cover, and that shield, so that our people can do their job and produce those lieutenants that are going to go win wars.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  45:34 Well, that's a great attitude, and you've done it well. Tell me about your relationship with the Association of Graduates and Foundation? How have they contributed to your successes here at the Academy? And is there anything that the two organizations could do better?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  45:52 Well, I will say, let me start off with, enormous support from the Foundation and the AOG. And it's hard for everyone to really know what kinds of things you guys do for us. But all you need to do is drive around the campus, right? And look at the North Commons area, look at our new hotel, look at our visitor center, that's coming up, look at the Cyber Innovation Center that's coming up, look at our football stadium that's getting built. All those things are either fully private or public-private, that the Foundation has to not only raise the money, but facilitate those things happening. And I would say that, nowadays, we're not going to have very much construction that's going to happen here or any growth that the Foundation isn't involved in. You're going to have to be involved in pretty much everything that we do, if we want to keep evolving as an Academy. And since I've been here, the Foundation has done that. And the Foundation and the AOG are only as strong as our alumni. And I guess I've always known that intuitively. But since I've been here, it is entrenched in me and I will always be a supporter of our Academy from a financial standpoint, from my time standpoint, but it's critical, not just for our Academy, but really for the product, those 1,000 lieutenants that we put out, they benefit enormously from the help that we get. And those are just the big things. Forget about all of the research opportunities, the travel opportunities, the opportunities to bring in guest speakers, NCLS, you know, the National Character and Leadership Symposium is NCLS. There's so many other things that people don't even know that only happened because someone was willing to put their resources behind our Academy. And so, you know, the Foundation makes that happen for us to AOG brings them in, but together, that support is just enormous. And, you know, I get a lot of compliments about people who they see — the visitors that we have coming through the Carlton House, you know, the supt. house — thousands of people that come through there: cadets, donors, dignitaries, all kinds of people. All that happens because of gift funds from the Foundation. We're able to represent our Academy in a way that people can't even understand. And that also, you know — there's a synergy from that and an exponential effect from us being able to do those kinds of things that most universities do. But the government doesn't always support those things because it's not in a funding line. But the Foundation helps us to make those things happen.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  48:45 Well, you've summed it up pretty well. Our goal is for the Association to be relevant in the lives of cadets through their time here at the Academy and onto their careers. So that eventually they follow into that continuum where they go to the Foundation and say, “How can I help?” And we're seeing that happen now. And it's nice to hear you recognize that it's been a factor in your time. We're close to running out of time here. Richard, let me ask you about your next big challenge, executive director of the College Football Playoff. This is exciting. What are your thoughts there?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  49:19 So, I am enormously grateful and blessed to even have this job. I still kind of don't believe it. You know, because it's such a dream job. I'm going from one dream job to another, you know, but it's funny. What I'll say is, it came out of the blue. A search firm contacted me and I had some, I had known them because I was involved in another search for the Mountain West Conference to find our commissioner. And the people that ran the search knew me just because I was on that panel and everything. And the guy calls me one day. He goes “Hey, Rich, I heard you might be retiring soon. I think you mentioned to us would you be willing to put your name in the hat for the executive director of the CFP.” I was like, “Is that a trick question?” And so, he said, “Now you're the longshot candidate.” They wanted a nontraditional candidate on the, you know — they have 15 or 20 people that they're looking at, but they wanted a nontraditional. I was like, “Yeah, I'll do it.” I said, “Can I ask though, do I really have a shot at this?” He goes, “Yeah, everybody has a shot.” I'm like, “OK, so I got a shot. Let's do this.” And I did a phone interview, then I did a Zoom interview, then it was narrowed down to three and an in-person interview. And I got the job, and I couldn't believe it. But what's really interesting, the things that they liked about me, like, they asked me some questions like, “Do you have any media…?” They go, “Do you have any media experience?” I was like, “No.” “Do you have any experience in managing college athletic teams?” “No.” You know, “Do you have any experience and revenue generation?” “No.” I, you know, and I thought, “I'm just done.” But then they started asking me leadership questions and things that any of us in the military, we would all knock them out of the park. They are things that we've all lived and done things that I learned here, you know, at the Air Force Academy. They weren't hard questions; they were things that are second nature to us. The other thing that they liked was that I played football for four years. And being a student-athlete myself, they thought that that was a big benefit. So really, it goes right back to being here at the Academy and getting that job. And now I look at the challenges that it faces, then you just talked about all the scrutiny we get here as a superintendent. Yeah, I think I'm walking right into another job where I'm going to get scrutinized. It's going to the 12-team playoff, you know, this year. Last year, you know, number five team, everybody was all mad and lost their minds. And I think the committee did it right, though. Next year, it'll just be team 13 that's going to be mad. So, I'm ready, though. I'm excited about it. Amy's excited about it. We're going to move to Dallas, which is where the headquarters is. But I still am, you know, I'm sprinting to the finish in this job. So, I don't have a lot of time to think about it. But it's nice to know that I have another great job that I'm going to be able to flow into. I feel incredibly blessed by it. And just for the opportunity to continue to contribute to student success. And to be a part of that.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  52:32 That's a really good thought. And let me just ask you to close this out, Rich. Any parting thoughts to your team here at the Academy, to the cadets and to your teammates as you move on to your second career?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  52:50 Well, first of all, and you know this, as much as I do, you know, as the supt, you know, you're at the head of the table, right? And you're trying to provide the top cover. But it's really so that all of the amazing teammates — we have the dean of faculty, the commandant, the athletic director, the prep school, airbase wing, just across the board. You know, all of those people in the flying training group too, even though they're not AETC, there's much of this character development effort that we have. But they're the ones that get the job done. And what makes the Air Force Academy so special is that everyone is so passionate about our cadets, and trying to help them to be ready to go out and do the things that we need them to do. That's what makes us special. It's also what makes it kind of hard, though. But I will take hard when people are passionate any day, you know? They just will do this mission and they will do it, whatever it takes to make it right. And to make sure that we're giving those cadets everything they deserve. I couldn't thank them enough from all of our senior leaders right on down to the, you know, the people in the trenches working in Mitchell Hall. You know, I just love this place because of the people that make it work and that make it go to our cadets. I'll be very honest, there's people that go, “What's wrong with this generation? They don't, you know, they're not patriotic; they're not athletic.” These people don't know what on Earth they're talking about. Come spend an hour, 30 minutes, with our cadets and you'll change your mind. These are the most incredible people. They are patriotic. They want to go serve. They might be different than we were. They might be different than you know, even the classes before us. But there is no lack of patriotism and them wanting to serve and them wanting to do great things and to reach their destiny. And they are every bit as much leaders of character as anybody, this generation. They're better. They're smarter, they're more athletic, they're more in touch with their world around them. I am very happy and comfortable to leave this torch with them, to hand the torch off to them. And I'm just proud to have served with them. And then just to everyone out there, all the supporters of the Academy, and we do have a lot, I just thank them, you know, for letting us do our job at helping us do our job and supporting this Academy. So, I am leaving with a lot of gratitude in my heart, just from our cadets from our permanent party, from the alumni that helped us do this and the other supporters. It just makes me feel good about our country, you know, people still care, people still want to serve and to go do great things. And this place exemplifies that, like no other.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  55:48 Rich, that gratitude goes both ways. We're awfully proud of you, Amy, Milo, Zoë, and we just thank you for your years of service and the leadership you've exhibited here at the Academy. You left a mark, trust me, and we wish you all the well in the future as you go on about, and please stay in touch. Thank you.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  56:11 Thank you to the AOG and Foundation. And I'll say this, you know, I thank Amy because she's the one that was willing to go an extra four years because I could have retired as a three star when we started and she said, I'm in that passion from our time as commandant, she was like, “I'm in, let's do this.” And another four years wasn't easy for her. I'll be honest with you. She wants to live in her own house. She wants to… she started a new job. But she, she owned it. And she loves this Academy too. And I have to thank her and Milo and Zoë. They've just been my, that's my team. You know, I mean, in the end, you know, I thank God for them. I thank God for every opportunity. But I am just full of gratitude. So, thanks, Coach.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  56:59 Well done. Thank you. Lt. Gen.Rich Clark, 21st superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  57:03 Thanks very much. Yeah, thank you.   Announcer:  57:08 Thank you for listening to long blue leadership. If you enjoyed this episode, we encourage you to subscribe, share it with your family and friends and post it to your social channels. Long Blue Leadership is a production of the long blue line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation. The views and opinions of the guests and hosts do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Air Force, Air Force Academy, Academy Association and Foundation, its staff or management. The podcast drops every two weeks on Tuesday mornings. Subscribe to Long Blue Leadership on Apple podcasts, Spotify, tune in plus Alexa, and all your favorite podcast platforms. Search @AirForceGrads on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and more for show announcements and updates and visit long blue leadership.org for past episodes and more long blue line podcast network programming     KEYWORDS Air Force Academy, leadership, character, military career, pilot training, squadron command, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Lt. Gen. Richard Clark '86, superintendent, United States Air Force Academy, executive director, college football playoff, Association of Graduates, Foundation, leadership, character development, support, gratitude     The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation      

Defense One's Sam Skove speaks to Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George; and Defense One's Jennifer Hlad speaks with Gen. Charles Flynn, commander of U.S. Army Pacific. You can watch both of these interviews on Defense One's YouTube page, here.

In one of the most significant reorganizations in recent history, the Air Force is reshaping its service's structure in an effort to meet the security challenges of an increasingly complex global landscape.Among the biggest changes is the creation of a new command center, which will play a crucial role in centralizing the planning process for the service's future requirements and capabilities. The Integrated Capabilities Command will allow other command centers to focus on daily operations rather than independently determining their own requirements or planning for the future.“It's just what the name infers,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Allvin said at the Air and Space Forces Association's Air Warfare Symposium Monday. “They will design and they will put the requirements in and test one Air Force, not some of our functional Air Forces and then we have to put them together later.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In one of the most significant reorganizations in recent history, the Air Force is reshaping its service's structure in an effort to meet the security challenges of an increasingly complex global landscape. Among the biggest changes is the creation of a new command center, which will play a crucial role in centralizing the planning process for the service's future requirements and capabilities. The Integrated Capabilities Command will allow other command centers to focus on daily operations rather than independently determining their own requirements or planning for the future. “It's just what the name infers,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Allvin said at the Air and Space Forces Association's Air Warfare Symposium Monday. “They will design and they will put the requirements in and test one Air Force, not some of our functional Air Forces and then we have to put them together later.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Times for Action - Deconstructing the Political StageWebsite: http://www.battle4freedom.comNetwork: https://www.mojo50.comStreaming: https://www.rumble.com/Battle4Freedomhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12543797/Liberal-actor-John-Cusack-says-Democratic-Party-elite-sold-working-class-decades-accuses-not-having-moral-intellectual-honesty.htmlLiberal actor John Cusack says Democratic Party elite 'sold out the working class for decades' and accuses them of not having 'moral and intellectual honesty'The Hollywood actor is known for his political activism and left-wing viewshttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12542687/Biden-pick-CONFIRMED-chair-Joint-Chiefs-Staff-Gen-Charles-Brown-motto-accelerate-change-lose-replaces-Gen-Mark-Milley-three-years-wore-fatigues-walk-Trump-church-photo-op-amid-BLM-protest.htmlBiden pick is CONFIRMED as chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Gen. Charles Brown - whose motto is 'accelerate change or lose' - replaces Gen. Mark Milley three years after he wore fatigues to walk Trump to church for photo-op amid BLM protestGeneral Charles Brown is confirmed as the new chair of the Joint Chiefs of StaffHe will replace controversial General Mark Milley, who was in the role since 2019Brown made headlines when he spoke up about the cop killing of George FloydOur Constitution works; our great republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here, the people rule. - Gerald R. FordIt is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters. - Edmund Burkehttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12542105/First-3D-Printed-Vegan-Salmon-Supermarkets-Revo-Foods-Fungi.htmlNothing fishy about it! Lab-grown, 3D-printed SALMON goes on supermarket shelves for the first timeVegan salmon-maker Revo Foods hopes the product will curb global overfishingRevo says the fillet uses at least 77 percent less carbon than wild-caught salmonhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12543703/Poland-STOPS-supplying-Ukraine-weapons-war-Russia.htmlPoland STOPS supplying Ukraine with weapons - handing Putin a huge victory on the day Zelensky tries to win more aid from the US amid cries to cut supportWarsaw is one of Kyiv's main supporters, welcoming refugees and providing aid But Polish PM declared his government will no longer send weapons to UkraineThe move piles more pressure on Zelensky who today seeks more US supporthttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12532469/African-migrants-exploit-immigration-loophole-Nicaragua.htmlHundreds of African migrants sneak into the US in broad daylight after exploiting immigration loophole in Nicaragua that allows them in with no questions asked for just $160Hundreds of migrants from Africa and elsewhere are using a loophole in Nicaraguan immigration law to make their way to the United States DailyMail.com traveled to Lukeville, Arizona, and saw at least 600 migrants, many of them African refugees, crossing the southern border on one day alonehttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12540421/Stanford-covid-lockdown-skeptic-Dr-Jay-Bhattacharya-touts-court-ruling-Biden-administration-censored-criticism-masks-school-closures.htmlStanford Covid lockdown skeptic Dr Jay Bhattacharya touts court ruling that Biden administration censored criticism about masks, school closuresCourt of appeals ruled Biden administration censored skeptics on social mediaThose skeptics argued that their petition critical of lockdowns was scrubbedREAD MORE: Lockdowns had 'catastrophic' impact on children's social skillshttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12544785/Biden-plans-track-illegal-immigrants-released-U-S-ID-cards-wait-court-appearance.htmlBiden plans to track illegal immigrants released into the U.S. with ID cards as they wait for court appearanceICE is preparing to rollout a pilot of its Secure Docket card program for migrantsThe program will provide asylum seekers released into the U.S. with ID cards to help better keep track of them until their court date Republicans claim the program is another example of the Biden administration welcoming illegal immigrants rather than prioritizing deportationhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12545385/kathy-hochul-migrants-new-york.htmlNY Gov. Kathy Hochul's migrant U-turn: Video reveals how Democrat welcomed asylum seekers 'with open arms' in 2021 - but TODAY she tells them: 'Go somewhere else'The Democrat addressed the migrant crisis in NYC on WednesdayOver 110,000 asylum seekers have arrived since the spring of 2022, with over currently 10,000 arriving every monthThe Roosevelt Hotel, Paul Hotel and Paramount Hotel are among the hotels designated for housing migrants in Manhattanhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/article-12545589/NFT-crash-worthless-value-Bored-Ape-artwork-Justin-Bieber.htmlNFT crash: 95% of the market is now 'worthless', study finds - as value of 'Bored Ape' artwork owned by Justin Bieber plummets by 97%The vast majority of NFTs created are now worthless, according to a studyAnd even the most popular and prestigious NFTs are down more than 95 percentJustin Bieber paid $1.3M for an ape NFT in 2022, but it's now worth around $50Khttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12545967/Scientists-discover-11-aggressive-prostate-cancer-genes-time-large-global-study.htmlScientists discover 11 aggressive prostate cancer genes for first time in large global studyFindings come from the largest-scale prostate cancer looking at geneticsHas major implications for genetic testing to catch and treat cancers early https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12545855/Devastating-transition-green-energy-metal-mining-23-million-people-toxic-waste-rivers-polluted-farmland.htmlDevastating risks of transitioning to 'green' energy: Mining for electric-powering minerals has left 23 million people exposed to toxic waste, 500,000km of rivers polluted and 16 million acres of farmland ruinedToxic byproducts of metals mining also pollute 10.7 million acres of flood plains Researchers estimate the pollution also impacts 5.72 million livestock worldwideScientists hope their new global database and mapping tool helps stem the tidehttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12546669/zelensky-biden-white-house-ukraine-joe-jill-olena-funds.htmlZelensky takes battle for more funds and weapons to the White House: Ukrainian leader hints to Biden he wants more missiles in pivotal talks as Republicans refuse to budge on $24B in aidZelensky met lawmakers on Capitol Hill, military leaders at the Pentagon and President Biden at the White HouseHe hinted to Biden he'd like more air defense missiles

My friend and repeat guest Darren Isom is down to speak some truth. In this fun episode, we talk about the generational and cultural shifts in the workplace as Boomers retire and millennials are taking up the mantle of leadership. We discuss the challenge of Gen X'ers being the sandwich generation, how we're not setting BIPOC leaders up for success and why tights are not pants. This episode is perfect for anyone who has felt confounded and whipsawed by the rapidly changing norms and shifting expectations of the workplace at the nexus of generational, cultural, racial, political and pandemic shifts. TL:DR: I'm tired, y'all and maybe you are too. Don't miss the opportunity to connect with Darren on LinkedIn and check out his podcast, "Dreaming in Color," for more inspiring conversations. Listen to Darren's Podcast: Dreaming in Color Connect with Darren Isom on LinkedIn "The easiest way to disrupt a broken narrative is to create one and tell one that is more compelling and more beautiful." - Darren --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nonprofitlowdown/support

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 3: In a recent piece, The New York Post Editorial Board wrote about how questions surrounding the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines have led to Americans losing confidence in all vaccines. You can read the editorial here: https://nypost.com/2023/06/04/covid-vax-disinfo-has-weakened-americans-confidence-in-all-vaccines/ During an interview with NewsNation, whistleblower David Grusch—who served as a member of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)—claimed the United States government has the remains of flying space crafts of “non-human origin.” Are aliens real??? What about Sasquatch? While speaking with CNN Pentagon correspondent Oren Liebermann, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said accusations that the military has embraced “woke” ideology are “grossly over exaggerated.”

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (06/06/2023): 3:05pm- According to a report from Katelynn Richardson of The Daily Caller, “[a] federal judge sided Tuesday with families who sued over Florida's ban on gender transition procedures for minors, declaring that ‘gender identity is real.' A group of families, backed by several LGBT activist groups, sued Florida in March shortly after the rule restricting minors from accessing surgical sex change procedures, puberty blockers and hormone therapy took effect. Northern District of Florida Judge Robert L. Hinkle, a Clinton appointee, granted a preliminary injunction against the law to prohibit it from being enforced against the plaintiffs, and proceeded to make the claim that ‘great weight of medical authority supports these treatments.'” You can read Richardson's full article here: https://dailycaller.com/2023/06/06/judge-gender-identity-florida-injunction/ 3:30pm- While speaking with the press, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby refused to answer questions about a Washington Post report that stated the United States had intelligence detailing a Ukrainian plot to attack the Nord Stream pipeline three months before it was ultimately attacked. 3:40pm- Aaron Maté—journalist at RealClearInvestigation—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss his latest article, “Russiagate Prober Durham Neglected DNC Hack Claim, Despite Evidence It Too Was a Democrat Sham.” Maté writes: “Special Counsel John Durham's final report faults the FBI for opening the Trump-Russia collusion investigation on baseless grounds and relying on Hillary Clinton-funded material to pursue it, all while ignoring a warning that Clinton was plotting to frame Trump as a Russian asset. Yet Durham does not address the Clinton campaign's equally central tie to Russiagate's other foundational allegation: that Russia interfered in the 2016 election by hacking Democratic party servers and releasing the material through Wikileaks to help elect Trump.” You can read Maté's full article here: https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2023/06/06/what_durham_skipped_903673.html 4:05pm- Jed Rubenfeld—Professor at Yale Law School & First Amendment expert—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss his latest editorial in The Wall Street Journal, “The Big Tech Censorship Machine is Running in 2024.” Professor Rubenfeld writes, “Meta slapped 180-day suspensions last week on the Instagram accounts of people working for Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presidential campaign—before a single message had been posted from those accounts. This came shortly after LinkedIn shut down Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's account, apparently for expressing disfavored opinions on China and climate change. This censorship should worry anyone who cares about democracy in America. It isn't only antidemocratic; it's a thumb on the scale that could easily tip a tightly contested election.” You can read Professor Rubenfeld's full article here: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-censorship-machine-is-running-in-2024-ramaswamy-rfk-jr-election-campaign-linkedin-meta-twitter-462f8aae?mod=opinion_lead_pos5 4:25pm- While appearing on Fox News with Sean Hannity, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) predicted that the Department of Justice will indict former President Donald Trump—citing Attorney General Merrick Garland's strong dislike for Trump. 4:35pm- On Monday, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer viewed, and was briefed on, a subpoenaed document that allegedly shows members of the Biden family benefited financially from relationships with overseas companies in exchange for foreign influence while Joe Biden was serving as Vice President of the United States. Speaking with the press, Comer pledged to hold Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress for not surrendering the document. Will Wray be held accountable for not complying with the subpoena? Why isn't the mainstream media expressing any interest in this story? You can read more here: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-oversight-lawmakers-briefed-by-fbi-on-biden-document-alleging-criminal-bribery-scheme 4:50pm- Ford, Tesla, Volvo, Volkswagen, and BMW are among the auto manufacturers that have eliminated AM radio from their electric vehicles—but a group of bipartisan lawmakers, including Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Ted Cruz (R-Tx), want to prevent the removal arguing public safety is at risk. 5:05pm- In a recent piece, The New York Post Editorial Board wrote about how questions surrounding the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines have led to Americans losing confidence in all vaccines. You can read the editorial here: https://nypost.com/2023/06/04/covid-vax-disinfo-has-weakened-americans-confidence-in-all-vaccines/ 5:30pm- During an interview with NewsNation, whistleblower David Grusch—who served as a member of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)—claimed the United States government has the remains of flying space crafts of “non-human origin.” Are aliens real??? What about Sasquatch? 5:40pm- While speaking with CNN Pentagon correspondent Oren Liebermann, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said accusations that the military has embraced “woke” ideology are “grossly over exaggerated.” Today is the 79th Anniversary of D-Day—June 6th, 1944, when “more than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France.” You can read more here: https://www.army.mil/d-day/

Hey BillOReilly.com Premium and Concierge Members, welcome to the No Spin News for Thursday, June 1, 2023. Stand Up for Your Country.   Tonight's rundown:  Talking Points Memo: Bill analyzes the recently passed debt deal and what it means going forward Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley scrap a planned Air Force drag show in Nevada Bill gives you the viable GOP presidential candidates in the field An update on the situation involving FBI Director Christopher Wray and the House Oversight Committee ABC airs the 1619 Project's take on racism and American history This Day in History: Marilyn Monroe is born Final Thought: Lifeguard shortage   In Case You Missed It: Read Bill's latest column, "God and Country" Join 'Team Normal!' Order your gear at BillOReilly.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This edition features stories on a new road system built by coalition forces and Afghan engineers, a visit from the Army's Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey to Afghanistan at Bagram Air Field and Soldiers transporting a Humvee via a Shanook helicopter. Hosted by Tech Sgt. Gene Taylor.

This edition features stories on the Chief Master Sgt. Of the Air Force Rodney McKinley announcing retirement, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz discussing changes in the physical fitness program, a new mental health clinic opening, network security, Air Force leadership testifying to members of Congress relating to real property acquisition and Secretary of the Air Force Donely continuing to serve. Hosted by Senior Airman Robbie Arp

This edition features stories on Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz and his wife Suzie Schwatz talking about developments in taking care of Airmen and their families and the F-22 Raptor aircraft. Hosted by Master Sgt. Shawn Sprayberry.

Join Jim and Greg as they welcome news of the U.S. striking back against Iranian-backed bases in Syria after an Iranian drone targeted a U.S. position. But they also wonder why the Biden administration is simultaneously easing sanctions against Iran so it can make millions selling electricity to Iraq. They also roll their eyes as Politico rolls out puff pieces on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley. Both Bragg and Milley are lauded as examples of apolitical devotion to their jobs. But the facts tell a very different story. Finally, they have fun with the Columbia University promotion of Hillary Clinton "running" again - but only to teach her new class on her experience in foreign policy.Please visit our great sponsors:4Patriothttps://4patriots.comNever get caught in the dark. Use code MARTINI to get 10% of your first purchase on anything in the store…including the Patriot Power Generator.

Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown sat down with Defense One's Marcus Weisgerber to discuss priorities for the year ahead, lessons from Russia's Ukraine invasion, and more. 

[00:30] U.S. Ineptitude on Full Display (14 minutes) CBS News revealed that the U.S. military tracked the Chinese spy balloon from the moment it left China, and that the three flying objects shot down last weekend were harmless research balloons. Russia began a new offensive in Ukraine just after Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said Putin had lost the war. The Biden administration's leading diplomat in Afghanistan, Karen Decker, used Twitter to lecture Afghan women about black power instead of helping protect them from the Taliban. The U.S. is facing a crisis in leadership. [14:50] Biden Ignores East Palestine Disaster While Promoting Electric Cars (21 minutes) Yesterday, Joe Biden gloated about his plan to purify the air by adding 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations around the country—while still ignoring the massive environmental disaster in East Palestine. [36:00] Trump Supports Ballot Harvesting (5 minutes) Donald Trump has decided that if the law won't hold election fraudsters accountable, he will beat them at their own game. He stated in a fundraising e-mail this week, “Our path forward is to MASTER the Democrats' own game of harvesting ballots in every state we can.” [41:00] The Right Attitude for Prayer and Fasting (14 minutes) Combining fervent prayer with regular fasting is a powerful spiritual weapon we must use. Praying and fasting for the wrong reasons will not get results, however; it must be done in the right attitude to achieve great success.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Wednesday, August 31st, 2022. The last day of August is upon us, and that means, Pumpkin spiced coffee drinks are as well… God help us. FLF Magazine: We are on a mission to make magazines great again. So, subscribe to our Fight Laugh Feast magazine. This is a quarterly mini-book like experience, packed full of a variety of authors that includes theologically-driven cultural commentary, a Psalm of the quarter, recipes for feasting, laughter sprinkled throughout the glossy pages, and more. Sign your church up, sign your grumpy uncle up, and while you are at it…sign up the Pope, Elon Musks, and Russel Moore. Disclaimer: This magazine will guarantee various responses and CrossPolitic is not held liable for any of them. Reading the whole magazine may cause theological maturation, possibly encourage your kids to take the Lord’s Supper with you, and will likely cause you to randomly chuckle in joy at God’s wondrous world. Sign up today! Four issues and $60 per year, that is it. Go to fightlaughfeast.com right now to sign up!. https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/12/study-finds-around-one-third-of-americans-regularly-get-their-news-from-facebook/ Study finds around one-third of Americans regularly get their news from Facebook Around a third of Americans regularly get their news from Facebook, according to the latest study from Pew Research Center, whose surveys aim to better understand the current media landscape in the U.S. In the updated report, Pew Research found that around half of U.S. adults, or 53%, said they “often” or “sometimes” use social media to get their news. This is spread out across a number of sites, but Facebook is at the top of the list. Now I’m sure a lot of you already have your alarm bells going off at this point, but don’t worry, it gets worse in a bit! The study found that 36% of U.S. adults said they “regularly” access Facebook to get news. This is a significantly larger percentage than almost any other social media platform, with the exception of YouTube, which is used regularly for news by 23% of U.S. adults. Beyond that, the percentages are much smaller. Even Trump’s preferred platform for communication (well, until recently), Twitter, is only used regularly for news by 15% of U.S. adults, Pew found. Only around one in 10 Americans or fewer said they regularly got their news from other social media platforms, including Instagram (11%), Reddit (6%), Snapchat (4%), LinkedIn (4%), TikTok (3%), WhatsApp (3%), Tumblr (1%) and Twitch (1%). Pew notes that the lower percentages for using these sites as a source of news also has to do with the fact that fewer Americans report using these sites at all. Pew additionally examined the demographic makeup of those who use social media for news, and found that white adults make up the majority of the regular news users for sites like Facebook and Reddit. Both Black and Hispanic adults, meanwhile, made up around a quarter of Instagram’s regular users (22% and 27%, respectively.) Facebook was found to also skew toward women (63% versus 35%) when it came to regularly using it getting the news, while Reddit skews toward men (67% versus 29%). Now, remember how I said it gets worse? Well take a listen to Facebook CEO and lizard-human hybrid, Mark Zuckerberg, on the Joe Rogan Podcast. Mark Zuckerberg Answers to Facebook's Moderation of Controversial Content-Play 5:02-6:42 I don’t know about you, but my b.s. Alarm bells are ringing… Mr. Zuckerberg, you definitely do know the percentage off the top of your head. That’s a bold-face-lie. Also, did you catch the part where Mr. Zuckerberg openly admitted the part where the FBI is in the business of fact checking now? That’s scary… who fact checks the FBI? Who holds the FBI accountable when they’ve gone rogue? You have to believe that either the FBI is so inept, or they’re lying, and tried to effect the outcome of the election. Who else comes to mind with fact-checking? The World Heath Organization? The CDC? Who’s fact checking them? Let’s dive into some statistics on the election results… https://nypost.com/2022/08/26/2020-election-outcome-would-differ-with-hunter-biden-laptop-coverage-poll/ 79% say ‘truthful’ coverage of Hunter Biden’s laptop would have changed 2020 election Nearly four of five Americans who’ve been following the Hunter Biden laptop scandal believe that “truthful” coverage would have changed the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, according to a new poll. A similar percentage also said they’re convinced that information on the computer is real, with just 11% saying they thought it was “created by Russia,” according to the survey conducted by the New Jersey-based Technometrica Institute of Policy and Politics. And an even higher number — 81% — said US Attorney General Merrick Garland should appoint a special counsel to investigate matters related to the first son’s infamous laptop, the existence of which was exclusively revealed by The Post in October 2020. The poll results, published Wednesday, are based on responses from 437 adults who said they were following the laptop story “very” or “somewhat” closely when they were surveyed online earlier this month, according to the TIPP. On the subject of the 2020 election, 79% overall said it was “very” or “somewhat” likely that “a truthful interpretation of the laptop” would have resulted in the reelection of former President Donald Trump instead of the election of President Biden. Among Republicans, 57% were strongly convinced Trump would have won, compared to 48% of independents and just 44% of Democrats. But majorities in both parties — 89% of Republicans and 61% of Democrats — said they believed the laptop “is real,” along with 74% of independents. I wonder, how the electoral map would have looked with these findings in mind? Hmmmm… I’ll leave that to you guys… Moving on… https://dailycaller.com/2022/08/30/us-military-ammunition-arming-ukraine/ US Military Running Low On Ammo After Arming Ukraine Pentagon officials are concerned that U.S. ammunition stocks donated to Ukraine have severely depleted U.S. stocks, weakening U.S. readiness in the event of a conflict, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. The Biden administration has drawn much of the over $13 billion in weapons systems and accompanying ammunition the U.S. has provided to Ukraine from existing arsenals, according to the WSJ. While the Department of Defense has declined to disclose the number of ammunition rounds in storage at the beginning of 2022, before the war in Ukraine began, it has taken few steps to replenish depleting stocks, sparking worries that the U.S. may not have the ammunition it needs for its own protection. The level of 155mm combat rounds, fired by the howitzer weapons system, in U.S. stockpiles has become “uncomfortably low,” a Pentagon official told the WSJ. The U.S. has sent 806,000 rounds of the 100-pound explosives to Ukraine as of Aug. 24. “It is not at the level we would like to go into combat,” the defense official told the WSJ. U.S.-supplied howitzers have seen extended use from Ukrainian forces since entering the conflict in late May, Fox News reported. Last week, the U.S. provided smaller 105mm ammunition to feed Ukraine’s howitzers in order to spare 155mm rounds for the U.S., according to the WSJ. The U.S. military most recently employed howitzers in a strike on Iran-backed targets in Syria on Aug. 24. Depleting U.S. arsenals “was forewarned, including from industry leaders to the Pentagon. And it was easily fixable,” Mackenzie Eaglen, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told the WSJ. The Army plans to conduct a “deep dive” into the “ammunitions industrial base” to determine the best way to support Ukraine while retaining necessary supplies for the U.S., Army officials told the WSJ. It has requested an additional $500 million yearly for upgrades to ammunition factories and increasing the threshold on existing production contracts, but has not signed any new contracts. Officials also said that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley authorized monthly reviews of U.S. weapons stores to monitor readiness. However, defense industry leaders said the administration has not clearly communicated the changes in production requirements brought on by U.S. assistance to Ukraine and has not expanded production capacity to make up for the additional munitions needed to replenish stocks. The Biden administration has requested a record $773 billion defense budget for 2023. While additional funding can alleviate part of the problem, ongoing supply chain issues can make the months or years-long manufacturing process take even longer, according to the WSJ. Accountable 2U ​​https://Accountable2You.com/FLF Using a smartphone or computer opens the door to a host of digital temptations. In a world saturated with pornography and other harmful content, what's a Christian to do? We need to take a proactive approach, welcoming transparency in our digital media choices—and Accountable2You makes that easy. Their accountability software shares detailed activity reports from all your devices, and your kids' devices, in real time to the accountability partners that you choose. With accountability in place, your family can effectively guard against temptations online and live with purity and integrity. Learn more and try it free at Accountable2You.com/FLF https://thepostmillennial.com/oregon-wind-farm-sees-blades-bolts-fly-off-as-failures-mount-report?utm_campaign=64487 Oregon wind farm sees blades, bolts fly off as failures mount: report A new report has revealed the unreliability of a major Oregon wind farm, discovered after a blade from a windmill detached and flew across the field. According to The Oregonian, in January, a delivery driver found some broken, industrial-size bolts on the ground near one of Portland General Electric’s towering wind turbines but did not know who to tell and used it as a paperweight. On Feb 1 at 2:11 am, one of the turbine’s 11-story tall blades flew the full length of a football field and plowed a 4-feet deep furrow in a wheat field. The heavy-duty bolts that kept the blade attached to the tower scattered like shrapnel. PGE’s flagship wind facility, which opened 15 years ago to expand green energy technology in Oregon and nationally had other warning signs as well according to the outlet but it wasn’t until the blade breakdown that the company took action at Biglow Canyon, one of Oregon’s largest wind farms, and shut down all 217 turbines for testing, keeping some out of service for four months. Though industry groups insist that wind farms are very safe and major malfunctions are rare, wind farms are growing older and components are aging. An investigation by The Oregonian found a massive set of maintenance problems and equipment failures that are reducing electricity generation at Biglow Canyon. According to the outlet, "there is no effective national, state or county reporting requirement or database tracking safety or operational incidents at wind farms, and only 13 of the largest of Oregon’s 48 wind farms are regulated by the state, numbers that include multiple phases of some projects." Additionally, PGE launched an investigation into the blade throw but has asked the Oregon Department of Energy to keep those confidential until the end of the year because of the possibility of litigation. To eliminate all its greenhouse emissions, PGE would need to massively increase its renewable energy resources and manage them effectively for decades. However, wind power is heavily dependent on federal subsidies, and according to experts consulted by The Oregonian, "those subsidies are structured in a way that incentivizes operators to skimp on maintenance for older equipment that is no longer eligible." https://www.boundingintosports.com/2022/08/washington-commanders-rb-brian-robinson-shot-during-attempted-robbery-in-d-c/ And finally, it’s time for the topic that I love… sports! Washington Commanders RB Brian Robinson Shot During Attempted Robbery In D.C. No one is immune from crime in America’s cities these days, and this weekend residents of Washington D.C. were especially reminded of that when Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson, 23, was shot multiple times during an attempted robbery on Sunday. According to the NFL’s Mike Garafolo, Robinson was rushed to the hospital by emergency responders after the violent attack, reporting that “#Commanders RB Brian Robinson is in stable condition after being shot as the victim in an attempted robbery, sources say.” As the news regarding the situation broke, the Washington Commanders followed up by issuing an immediate statement to alert fans that Robinson was alive and safe. Additional information regarding details from the shooting came later from NFL Network Insider, Tom Pelissero, who was one of the first people to share the information online after receiving a statement from a D.C. Police spokesperson. According to a report from NBC Washington, Robinson got into an altercation with several suspects shortly after midnight Sunday as they attempted to steal his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. It was that altercation which led to the shooting. Late Sunday night, Commanders Head Coach Ron Rivera met with Robinson and later posted to Twitter that Robinson was in “good spirits” to ease everyone’s anxiety regarding his current health. Robinson is now but one of the many innocent D.C. bystanders who have been victims of violent crime this year alone. According to D.C. Police crime statistics, there have been 126 people killed via homicide just in 2022, which is a 12 percent increase from this time last year. Violent crimes and cases regarding burglary have also risen five percent since 2021, with robberies up 20 percent, and car thefts up three percent. Well Praise God this one ended with Robinson walking away. This has been Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief. If you liked the show, hit that share button down below. If you want to sign up for a club membership, then sign up for our conference with that club discount, and THEN sign up for a magazine, you can do all of that at fightlaughfeast.com. And as always, if you’d like to email me a news story, ask about our conference, or become a corporate partner of CrossPolitic, email me, at garrison@fightlaughfeast.com. For CrossPolitic News… I’m Garrison Hardie. Have a great day, and Lord bless!

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Wednesday, August 31st, 2022. The last day of August is upon us, and that means, Pumpkin spiced coffee drinks are as well… God help us. FLF Magazine: We are on a mission to make magazines great again. So, subscribe to our Fight Laugh Feast magazine. This is a quarterly mini-book like experience, packed full of a variety of authors that includes theologically-driven cultural commentary, a Psalm of the quarter, recipes for feasting, laughter sprinkled throughout the glossy pages, and more. Sign your church up, sign your grumpy uncle up, and while you are at it…sign up the Pope, Elon Musks, and Russel Moore. Disclaimer: This magazine will guarantee various responses and CrossPolitic is not held liable for any of them. Reading the whole magazine may cause theological maturation, possibly encourage your kids to take the Lord’s Supper with you, and will likely cause you to randomly chuckle in joy at God’s wondrous world. Sign up today! Four issues and $60 per year, that is it. Go to fightlaughfeast.com right now to sign up!. https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/12/study-finds-around-one-third-of-americans-regularly-get-their-news-from-facebook/ Study finds around one-third of Americans regularly get their news from Facebook Around a third of Americans regularly get their news from Facebook, according to the latest study from Pew Research Center, whose surveys aim to better understand the current media landscape in the U.S. In the updated report, Pew Research found that around half of U.S. adults, or 53%, said they “often” or “sometimes” use social media to get their news. This is spread out across a number of sites, but Facebook is at the top of the list. Now I’m sure a lot of you already have your alarm bells going off at this point, but don’t worry, it gets worse in a bit! The study found that 36% of U.S. adults said they “regularly” access Facebook to get news. This is a significantly larger percentage than almost any other social media platform, with the exception of YouTube, which is used regularly for news by 23% of U.S. adults. Beyond that, the percentages are much smaller. Even Trump’s preferred platform for communication (well, until recently), Twitter, is only used regularly for news by 15% of U.S. adults, Pew found. Only around one in 10 Americans or fewer said they regularly got their news from other social media platforms, including Instagram (11%), Reddit (6%), Snapchat (4%), LinkedIn (4%), TikTok (3%), WhatsApp (3%), Tumblr (1%) and Twitch (1%). Pew notes that the lower percentages for using these sites as a source of news also has to do with the fact that fewer Americans report using these sites at all. Pew additionally examined the demographic makeup of those who use social media for news, and found that white adults make up the majority of the regular news users for sites like Facebook and Reddit. Both Black and Hispanic adults, meanwhile, made up around a quarter of Instagram’s regular users (22% and 27%, respectively.) Facebook was found to also skew toward women (63% versus 35%) when it came to regularly using it getting the news, while Reddit skews toward men (67% versus 29%). Now, remember how I said it gets worse? Well take a listen to Facebook CEO and lizard-human hybrid, Mark Zuckerberg, on the Joe Rogan Podcast. Mark Zuckerberg Answers to Facebook's Moderation of Controversial Content-Play 5:02-6:42 I don’t know about you, but my b.s. Alarm bells are ringing… Mr. Zuckerberg, you definitely do know the percentage off the top of your head. That’s a bold-face-lie. Also, did you catch the part where Mr. Zuckerberg openly admitted the part where the FBI is in the business of fact checking now? That’s scary… who fact checks the FBI? Who holds the FBI accountable when they’ve gone rogue? You have to believe that either the FBI is so inept, or they’re lying, and tried to effect the outcome of the election. Who else comes to mind with fact-checking? The World Heath Organization? The CDC? Who’s fact checking them? Let’s dive into some statistics on the election results… https://nypost.com/2022/08/26/2020-election-outcome-would-differ-with-hunter-biden-laptop-coverage-poll/ 79% say ‘truthful’ coverage of Hunter Biden’s laptop would have changed 2020 election Nearly four of five Americans who’ve been following the Hunter Biden laptop scandal believe that “truthful” coverage would have changed the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, according to a new poll. A similar percentage also said they’re convinced that information on the computer is real, with just 11% saying they thought it was “created by Russia,” according to the survey conducted by the New Jersey-based Technometrica Institute of Policy and Politics. And an even higher number — 81% — said US Attorney General Merrick Garland should appoint a special counsel to investigate matters related to the first son’s infamous laptop, the existence of which was exclusively revealed by The Post in October 2020. The poll results, published Wednesday, are based on responses from 437 adults who said they were following the laptop story “very” or “somewhat” closely when they were surveyed online earlier this month, according to the TIPP. On the subject of the 2020 election, 79% overall said it was “very” or “somewhat” likely that “a truthful interpretation of the laptop” would have resulted in the reelection of former President Donald Trump instead of the election of President Biden. Among Republicans, 57% were strongly convinced Trump would have won, compared to 48% of independents and just 44% of Democrats. But majorities in both parties — 89% of Republicans and 61% of Democrats — said they believed the laptop “is real,” along with 74% of independents. I wonder, how the electoral map would have looked with these findings in mind? Hmmmm… I’ll leave that to you guys… Moving on… https://dailycaller.com/2022/08/30/us-military-ammunition-arming-ukraine/ US Military Running Low On Ammo After Arming Ukraine Pentagon officials are concerned that U.S. ammunition stocks donated to Ukraine have severely depleted U.S. stocks, weakening U.S. readiness in the event of a conflict, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. The Biden administration has drawn much of the over $13 billion in weapons systems and accompanying ammunition the U.S. has provided to Ukraine from existing arsenals, according to the WSJ. While the Department of Defense has declined to disclose the number of ammunition rounds in storage at the beginning of 2022, before the war in Ukraine began, it has taken few steps to replenish depleting stocks, sparking worries that the U.S. may not have the ammunition it needs for its own protection. The level of 155mm combat rounds, fired by the howitzer weapons system, in U.S. stockpiles has become “uncomfortably low,” a Pentagon official told the WSJ. The U.S. has sent 806,000 rounds of the 100-pound explosives to Ukraine as of Aug. 24. “It is not at the level we would like to go into combat,” the defense official told the WSJ. U.S.-supplied howitzers have seen extended use from Ukrainian forces since entering the conflict in late May, Fox News reported. Last week, the U.S. provided smaller 105mm ammunition to feed Ukraine’s howitzers in order to spare 155mm rounds for the U.S., according to the WSJ. The U.S. military most recently employed howitzers in a strike on Iran-backed targets in Syria on Aug. 24. Depleting U.S. arsenals “was forewarned, including from industry leaders to the Pentagon. And it was easily fixable,” Mackenzie Eaglen, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told the WSJ. The Army plans to conduct a “deep dive” into the “ammunitions industrial base” to determine the best way to support Ukraine while retaining necessary supplies for the U.S., Army officials told the WSJ. It has requested an additional $500 million yearly for upgrades to ammunition factories and increasing the threshold on existing production contracts, but has not signed any new contracts. Officials also said that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley authorized monthly reviews of U.S. weapons stores to monitor readiness. However, defense industry leaders said the administration has not clearly communicated the changes in production requirements brought on by U.S. assistance to Ukraine and has not expanded production capacity to make up for the additional munitions needed to replenish stocks. The Biden administration has requested a record $773 billion defense budget for 2023. While additional funding can alleviate part of the problem, ongoing supply chain issues can make the months or years-long manufacturing process take even longer, according to the WSJ. Accountable 2U ​​https://Accountable2You.com/FLF Using a smartphone or computer opens the door to a host of digital temptations. In a world saturated with pornography and other harmful content, what's a Christian to do? We need to take a proactive approach, welcoming transparency in our digital media choices—and Accountable2You makes that easy. Their accountability software shares detailed activity reports from all your devices, and your kids' devices, in real time to the accountability partners that you choose. With accountability in place, your family can effectively guard against temptations online and live with purity and integrity. Learn more and try it free at Accountable2You.com/FLF https://thepostmillennial.com/oregon-wind-farm-sees-blades-bolts-fly-off-as-failures-mount-report?utm_campaign=64487 Oregon wind farm sees blades, bolts fly off as failures mount: report A new report has revealed the unreliability of a major Oregon wind farm, discovered after a blade from a windmill detached and flew across the field. According to The Oregonian, in January, a delivery driver found some broken, industrial-size bolts on the ground near one of Portland General Electric’s towering wind turbines but did not know who to tell and used it as a paperweight. On Feb 1 at 2:11 am, one of the turbine’s 11-story tall blades flew the full length of a football field and plowed a 4-feet deep furrow in a wheat field. The heavy-duty bolts that kept the blade attached to the tower scattered like shrapnel. PGE’s flagship wind facility, which opened 15 years ago to expand green energy technology in Oregon and nationally had other warning signs as well according to the outlet but it wasn’t until the blade breakdown that the company took action at Biglow Canyon, one of Oregon’s largest wind farms, and shut down all 217 turbines for testing, keeping some out of service for four months. Though industry groups insist that wind farms are very safe and major malfunctions are rare, wind farms are growing older and components are aging. An investigation by The Oregonian found a massive set of maintenance problems and equipment failures that are reducing electricity generation at Biglow Canyon. According to the outlet, "there is no effective national, state or county reporting requirement or database tracking safety or operational incidents at wind farms, and only 13 of the largest of Oregon’s 48 wind farms are regulated by the state, numbers that include multiple phases of some projects." Additionally, PGE launched an investigation into the blade throw but has asked the Oregon Department of Energy to keep those confidential until the end of the year because of the possibility of litigation. To eliminate all its greenhouse emissions, PGE would need to massively increase its renewable energy resources and manage them effectively for decades. However, wind power is heavily dependent on federal subsidies, and according to experts consulted by The Oregonian, "those subsidies are structured in a way that incentivizes operators to skimp on maintenance for older equipment that is no longer eligible." https://www.boundingintosports.com/2022/08/washington-commanders-rb-brian-robinson-shot-during-attempted-robbery-in-d-c/ And finally, it’s time for the topic that I love… sports! Washington Commanders RB Brian Robinson Shot During Attempted Robbery In D.C. No one is immune from crime in America’s cities these days, and this weekend residents of Washington D.C. were especially reminded of that when Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson, 23, was shot multiple times during an attempted robbery on Sunday. According to the NFL’s Mike Garafolo, Robinson was rushed to the hospital by emergency responders after the violent attack, reporting that “#Commanders RB Brian Robinson is in stable condition after being shot as the victim in an attempted robbery, sources say.” As the news regarding the situation broke, the Washington Commanders followed up by issuing an immediate statement to alert fans that Robinson was alive and safe. Additional information regarding details from the shooting came later from NFL Network Insider, Tom Pelissero, who was one of the first people to share the information online after receiving a statement from a D.C. Police spokesperson. According to a report from NBC Washington, Robinson got into an altercation with several suspects shortly after midnight Sunday as they attempted to steal his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. It was that altercation which led to the shooting. Late Sunday night, Commanders Head Coach Ron Rivera met with Robinson and later posted to Twitter that Robinson was in “good spirits” to ease everyone’s anxiety regarding his current health. Robinson is now but one of the many innocent D.C. bystanders who have been victims of violent crime this year alone. According to D.C. Police crime statistics, there have been 126 people killed via homicide just in 2022, which is a 12 percent increase from this time last year. Violent crimes and cases regarding burglary have also risen five percent since 2021, with robberies up 20 percent, and car thefts up three percent. Well Praise God this one ended with Robinson walking away. This has been Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief. If you liked the show, hit that share button down below. If you want to sign up for a club membership, then sign up for our conference with that club discount, and THEN sign up for a magazine, you can do all of that at fightlaughfeast.com. And as always, if you’d like to email me a news story, ask about our conference, or become a corporate partner of CrossPolitic, email me, at garrison@fightlaughfeast.com. For CrossPolitic News… I’m Garrison Hardie. Have a great day, and Lord bless!

Five years after World War II ended, Winston Churchill said he was still amazed that the United States, which before WWII had a tiny military and was fully committed to isolationism, “were able not only to build up the armies and air force units, but also to find the leaders and vast staffs capable of handling enormous masses and of moving them faster and farther than masses have ever been moved in war before.” He was speaking in general about the United States, but much of the credit arguably was with Chief of Staff Gen. George Marshall and Secretary of War Henry Stimpson.From 1940 until the end of the war, Marshall and Stimson headed the army machine that ground down the Axis. Theirs was one of the most consequential collaborations of the twentieth century. According to Dwight Eisenhower, the two possessed more greatness than any other men he had ever met.The general and the secretary traveled very different paths to power. Educated at Yale, where he was Skull and Bones, and at Harvard Law, Henry Stimson joined the Wall Street law firm of Elihu Root, future secretary of war and state himself, and married the descendant of a Founding Father. He went on to serve as secretary of war under Taft, governor-general of the Philippines, and secretary of state under Hoover. An internationalist Republican with a track record, Stimson ticked the boxes for FDR, who was in the middle of a reelection campaign at the time. Thirteen years younger, George Marshall graduated in the middle of his class from the Virginia Military Institute (not West Point), then began the standard, and very slow, climb up the army ranks. During World War I he performed brilliant staff work for General Pershing. After a string of postings, Marshall ended up in Washington in the 1930s and impressed FDR with his honesty, securing his appointment as chief of staff.Today's guest is Edward Aldrich, author of The Partnership: George Marshall, Henry Stimson, and the Extraordinary Collaboration that Won World War II. Marshall and Stimson were two very different men who combined with a dazzling synergy to lead the American military effort in World War II, in roles that blended politics, diplomacy, and bureaucracy in addition to warfighting. They transformed an outdated, poorly equipped army into a modern fighting force of millions of men capable of fighting around the globe. They, and Marshall in particular, identified the soldiers, from Patton and Eisenhower to Bradley and McNair, best suited for high command. They helped develop worldwide strategy and logistics for battles like D-Day and the Bulge. They collaborated with Allies like Winston Churchill. They worked well with their cagey commander-in-chief. They planned for the postwar world. They made decisions, from the atomic bombs to the division of Europe, that would echo for decades.

On this episode of the DefAero Report Daily Podcast, sponsored by Bell, Tom Jones, the president of Northrop Grumman's Aeronautics Systems sector, discusses accelerating acquisition, how the B-21 bomber program is moving fast, what it will take to ensure the US Air Force's Next Generation Air Dominance effort is a success, USAF Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown's Integrated by Design concept, and mitigating supply chains and inflation impacts; and Dr. “Rocket” Ron Epstein of Bank of America Merrill Lynch with his key takeaways from this week's Farnborough International Airshow with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

This week, Martha sits down with former Secretary of Defense under the Trump administration, Mark Esper, who explains why he believes President Vladimir Putin ultimately decided to invade Ukraine.   Then, Secretary Esper gives an inside look at the Trump presidency. He tells Martha where he believes Trump was successful, and where he went wrong.  Then he details why he and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley took steps in the final days of the Trump presidency to ensure the military wouldn't be used to overturn the election.   Follow Martha on Twitter: @MarthaMacCallum  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden said he will move U.S. troops to NATO countries in Eastern Europe in the “near term," as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley warned a Russia invasion of Ukraine would be “horrific” for the country and would result in “significant” causalities. Retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling is the former commanding general of the U.S. Army in Europe. He tells Anderson Cooper why he doesn't think President Biden's statement is “significant at all.” Plus, the House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol has issued a subpoena for former Deputy White House Press Secretary Judd Deere. CNN's Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger joins AC360 to discuss what the committee is hoping to learn from him.  To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley defended his behavior during the last days of the Trump administration, including a phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart, which was intended to assure him the U.S. was not about to launch a military attack. Gen. Milley told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee he “personally informed both Secretary of State Pompeo and White House Chief of Staff Meadows about the call.” Independent Sen. Angus King is a member of that committee and questioned Milley. He tells AC360 he was “doing his job, and he may well have prevented a war.” Plus, the search for Gabby Petito's fiancé, Brian Laundrie continues as CNN has learned Laundrie and his parents stayed at a campground about 75 miles away from their home in early September. The camping trip was during the window of time that Laundrie returned to Florida without Petito and she was later reported missing. CNN National Correspondent Randi Kaye gives AC360 the latest on the investigation.   Airdate: September 28, 2021   Guests: Sen. Angus King Randi Kaye To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told reporters the situation in Afghanistan “is still very dangerous, very dynamic and very fluid” and said U.S. troops are “at risk.” CNN’s Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward joins AC360 from Kabul to describe the chaos she’s been seeing as people have been rushing to the airport in an effort to flee and countries are racing to evacuate their citizens. Plus, Covid-19 vaccine booster shots will be offered in the U.S. beginning September 20, pending FDA authorization. Dr. Francis Collins is the director of the National Institutes of Health. He tells Anderson Cooper “when you try to balance benefits and risk,” getting a booster shot seems like “the wisest thing.” Airdate: August 18, 2021 Guests: Clarissa Ward Dr. Francis CollinsTo learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

After the U.S. announced plans to withdraw, Taliban fighters seized large swathes of territory. Spokesman Suhail Shaheen joins Christiane Amanpour to explain the Taliban's thinking. Nader Nadery also weighs in, a senior member of the Afghan peace negotiation team, who says the Taliban is intimidating communities and that a ceasefire is needed now. Then award-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talks about the devastating loss of her father, mother and aunt during the pandemic at a time of collective mourning in the world. Susan Glasser is Staff Writer for The New Yorker and the author of a bombshell article published last week that revealed that Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Milley was engaged in a staunch fight to stop Trump from striking Iran after losing the election. She unpacks all this with our Michel Martin. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy