[AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text
version below transcribed directly from audio]
Thank you, Jim.
Mr. Secretary, on behalf of the men and women of
U.S. Special Operations,
especially
Army Special Operations, welcome home. We are honored that you have
returned to your roots on this historic day on h[a]llowed ground.
Today, the Department of Defense has started the process of formalizing what we
have long known -- the fundamental role of U.S. Special Operations in defense
and foreign policy by elevating Special Operations forces to a level on par with
military departments as authorized and directed by Congress.1
As we enact these reforms, we follow the vision of President John F. Kennedy,
who predicted the rise of Special Operations nearly 60 years ago. He foresaw,
quote,
...another type of war, new in its intensity, ancient in its origin, that
would require a whole new kind of strategy, a wholly different kind of
force, forces which are too unconventional to be called conventional forces,
which are growing in number and importance and significance.2
President Kennedy gave
these remarks at the opening of the nuclear
age, when the Pentagon was primarily organized to plan and direct large
conventional operations against superpowers, not special operations short of
overt declared conflict. The global demand for Special Operations forces, then
and now, has confirmed President Kennedy's foresight. And now, under the
leadership of President Trump, we are fully real -- realizing President Kennedy's
prescient view of Special Operations forces.
It is fitting that we are again entering an era of great power competition as we
gather to affirm the importance of special -- the Special Operations
community. Then, as now, I know Special Operations forces will play a vital
role; and by the historic reforms we have enacted today, we will ensure Special
Operations forces has a civilian advocate commensurate to the secretaries of the
other military departments. I am honored to serve as your service secretary.
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