On this date in 1947, Stuart Symington had the honor of becoming the first Secretary of the Air Force. Nine months ago, I had the honor of becoming the 23rd Secretary of the Air Force. Since then, I've traveled to 45 different bases across 22 states, and I've been overseas twice, to include Afghanistan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the United Kingdom and Germany. During my travels I witnessed what Secretary Symington, and his first Chief of Staff, General Carl Spaatz would have noticed in theirs: the enduring spirit and unmatched dedication of American Airmen.

The birth of our Air Force presents a wonderful opportunity for us to look back on our history. Our heritage is replete with examples of American Airmen who epitomize the very best of our Nation. General William Tunner found a way to streamline the delivery of life-saving supplies during the Berlin Airlift, which ultimately broke the Soviet siege of Berlin. Over the skies of Vietnam, a 23 year-old loadmaster, Airman First Class John Levitow, saved his aircraft and entire crew from certain death and destruction. Despite receiving over 40 wounds to his body after his aircraft was hit by a mortar, Levitow saw a loose burning flare in the aircraft which threatened to ignite thousands of rounds of ammunition, hugged it to his body, and crawled to the open door and ejected it from the aircraft. Levitow displayed unbelievable courage in the face of unbeatable odds and earned the Medal of Honor for his heroism.

Of course, our Airmen's accomplishments are not restricted to our earliest days. Indeed, Airmen have performed admirably in every era. In August, I met Staff Sergeant Matthew Zimmer. Zimmer, a New York Air National Guardsman, recovered fallen Soldiers from a wrecked vehicle that had been hit by an improvised explosive device and helped perform a field tracheotomy which saved a wounded Marine's life. For his heroic actions, he was awarded the Bronze Star with an oak leaf cluster and valor device.

As you read these words, our Air Force is still delivering airpower through air, space, and cyberspace. 24/7/365 the Air Force keeps a watchful eye on our Nation. Airmen keep our nuclear deterrent credible, maintain global positioning and weather satellites, and even thwart cyber attacks on government websites. They also help prevent human suffering. Last month, mobility aircraft dropped food and fresh drinking water to the Yazidi population, keeping tens of thousands alive and allowed them to ultimately escape from Mt. Sinjar.

Airmen also have a rich heritage of selflessly contributing to their communities. Airmen like Senior Airman Shabree Heasell, from San Luis Obispo, California. Airman Heasell raised over $2 million dollars for local charities through her volunteer efforts. And Technical Sergeant Latoria Ellis from Miami, Florida, saved $24,000 per year of taxpayer money by replacing defective electrical grids.

Thus as we take stock of how far we've come, birthdays are also a good time to look forward to where we're headed. During my base visits and inside the beltway I've noticed a visible strain on our force. This strain is primarily due to uncertainty about the future. And I can tell you, the next 30 years will be unlike any of the last 67.

In the next three decades, we'll face declining defense budgets, changes in technology, nations and groups acquiring weapons, changing communications, and geopolitical instability. Our Airmen must prepare for a range of missions, and adapt ahead of the rapid pace of change.

We call this ability to adapt strategic agility. Strategic agility allows us to rapidly adjust to evolving threat environments faster than adversaries, and it helps counter uncertainty. In July, we released a strategic framework intended to give us a path toward that future. This framework is ambitious and will require bold leadership to implement.

We are taking the first steps toward a more strategically agile force by seeing how we can better integrate all of our Airmen—active duty, Guard, Reserve, and Civilians—into a streamlined Total Force. But we know we cannot succeed alone. In this spirit, the Air Force looks to partner in new and innovative ways with industry, academia, public policy organizations, and community leaders to forge a more nimble force able to meet tomorrow's challenges head on.

I'm humbled to be part of the world's Greatest Air Force and could not be more proud of our Airmen. And while I may blow out some candles on a celebratory cake, the candle of freedom burns more brightly than ever before — because of your United States Air Force.

Deborah Lee James is the 23rd Secretary of the Air Force and oversees the service's annual budget of more than $110 billion.

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