Verbatim

July 1, 2019

HELP WANTED

“I don’t trust the Air Force, on its own, within its existing structure, to properly prioritize space. And I would challenge anyone who’s gonna argue that point with me.”

HASC Chairman Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) to defense reporters [June 10].


Unidentified Flying Object. Photo: PLA Rocket Force

UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT

“Do you believe in this world there are UFOs”

China’s Peoples Liberation Army Rocket Force, on its official Weibo social media account, showing a mobile ICBM launcher [June 2019].

No Lipstick Needed. Photo: Russia’s Presidential Press & Information Office

NO LIPSTICK NEEDED

“I could kiss Putin. Not just because he’s an attractive, short, shirtless man, but because he made election security a bipartisan [issue].”

Lt. Gen. Bradford J. Shwedo, director for command, control, communications, and computers/cyber and chief information officer for the Joint Staff, on the power of a common enemy in rallying the interest of national leaders to defend against cyber attacks on the election system during a lecture at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies [June 6].

INFORMATION WARFARE

“If the US is to compete effectively with our near-peer adversaries, we must realign our approach to the information environment. Our government currently deals with the infospace in a reactive and disjointed manner—there is no standardized political-military doctrine or interagency methodology guiding our responses to information warfare attacks. In many ways, DOD should approach the infospace as it does physical space—by mapping, analyzing, and maneuvering in the information environment with the same principles currently applied to geospatial terrain and human networks. Instead of treating the infospace as an add-on to kinetic operations, we need to accept it as the primary operational domain for day-to-day competitive activities.”

Center for Naval Analysis report [May 2019].

Look Before You Leap. Photo: PO1C Dominique Piniero/USN

LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP

“I understand about quarterly earnings statements and bottom lines. But, just as I have to think about the close fight and the deep fight, what I am asking Industry to do is think about the close fight and the deep fight. What may be convenient for you in the close fight, may be inconsistent with your interests in the deep fight as you start seeing a world that isn’t informed by US leadership—that isn’t informed by US values.”

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., upon receiving the Eisenhower Award from National Defense Industrial Association [May 10].


Higher Learning. Photo: SSgt. Janiqua Robinson

HIGHER LEARNING

“There aren’t a whole lot of places where good airspace andå good schools go together.”

Gen. Mike Holmes on one of the problems in retaining pilots who have families, at Air Force Life Cycle Industry Days, Dayton, Ohio, [June 19].

Pirates in Spaaace. Graphic: Mike Tsukamoto/staff

PIRATES IN SPAAACE

“Pirates threaten the open seas. And the same is possible in space. In this way, too, I believe we now should recognize the necessity of a Space Force.”

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), remarks at Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation subcommittee hearing on space and aviation [May 15].

BRAVO!!

“Our vision is to eliminate passwords, … continuous multifactor authentication (CMFA) will run seamlessly in the background allowing access through biometric data distinct to each user."

DISA Director Vice Adm. Nancy Norton in her keynote address at AFCEA’s TechNet Cyber Conference in Baltimore [May 16].


Sign Me Up. Photo: SSgt. Thomas Swanson

SIGN ME UP

“I had to come back on to Active Duty for this. It’s really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to almost start from scratch and build a new base.”

Brig. Gen. Patrice A. Melancon, on rebuilding hurricane-damaged Tyndall AFB, Fla. [June 6].