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Deputy secretary speaks at Joint Warfighting Conference
Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn shared his thoughts on today's joint force and the future of the department to close the three-day Joint Warfighting Conference organized by USJFCOM, NDIA, the U.S. Naval Institute and AFCEA.
By MC2 Katrina Parker
USJFCOM Public Affairs
(VIRGINIA BEACH, VA - May 14, 2009) -- Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn spoke to thousands of military, government and industry leaders at the Joint Warfighting Conference, hosted at the Virginia Beach Convention Center May 14.
Lynn began his speech by thanking everyone for their attendance. He said that military members, veterans, civilians and industry partners are all indispensable parts for today's mission.
"I am here today because we need all of you. All of the services, all our partners, the industry, allies and governments. We need to serve together, we need to work together and we need to think through the challenges that we face together."
Lynn told the audience they have a right to be proud of their defense leaders for bringing a real commitment to bipartisanship everyday. He said the nation is stronger for it.
"The United States of America has the best trained, best equipped, best led military the world has ever seen. We intend to keep it that way. We need to uphold commitment to take care of our forces to insure that they can prevail in the wars they are in now."
According to Lynn, across the entire defense budget, the largest increase is for hmilitary personnel. This means funding pay raises for civilian and military, new barracks, new family housing, child care centers, military healthcare, and increased funding to America's wounded warriors. Lynn said it is important to be fiscally responsible and plan responsibly.
"President Obama said it is time to break out of the conventional thinking and keep pace with unconventional threats. In this first budget, rather than treading water, we are making waves. We're making hard decisions, bold changes, and far reaching reforms. This budget is one of the most dramatic sets of reform I've ever seen."
To better train and equip the troops, Lynn said it is needed to confront the whole spectrum of warfare, from the conventional to the irregular.
"We need a truly joint force capable of confronting the full spectrum of threats. This budget has the means to back them up. We reaffirmed our commitment to joint force, not only in the way we fight, but in the way we buy."
There will be a dramatic increase in work force with a total of 20,000 new positions that will increase expertise. Lynn said there were plans to bring more discipline to the front end of the process and to cancel poorly performing systems whenever they run off the rails.
"Under no illusion that will be easy. Reform is one of those things in life that never seems to go away. However, we may have finally come upon the perfect storm for reform. We have a president who is committed very publicly behind our efforts," said the deputy secretary. "We have a Congress that is determined to act. I'm optimistic we will achieve real acquisition reform and deliver real savings and help the warfighter. If we give the men and women the support they deserve, I am confident we will continue to feel what the American people and government expect of us: the best trained, the best equipped, and the best led military force the world has ever seen."
Lynn's comments closed the three-day Joint Warfighting Conference organized by USJFCOM, NDIA, the U.S. Naval Institute and AFCEA.
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