[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 107 (Thursday, June 26, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S6279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN HONOR OF MICHAEL WYNNE

 Mr. NELSON of Nebraska. Mr. President, as cochair of the 
Senate Air Force Caucus, I wish to speak about former Air Force 
Secretary, Michael Wynne.
  The Air Force has three core values: integrity first, service before 
self, and excellence in all we do. I believe Secretary Wynne has 
striven to live up to these values throughout his illustrious career. 
Upon graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in 1966, Wynne served in 
the Air Force for 7 years, concluding his uniformed career as a captain 
and assistant professor of astronautics at the U.S. Air Force Academy. 
He then joined the ranks of General Dynamics, working on revolutionary 
programs such as the F-16 and M1A2 Main Battle Tank. After 23 years of 
service with General Dynamics, rising to the rank of senior vice 
president, Wynne joined the U.S. Department of Defense and served as 
the Principal Deputy Under Secretary, then Under Secretary of Defense 
for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. In 2005, he was confirmed as 
the 21st Secretary of the Air Force--assuming responsibility for 
organizing, training, equipping, and providing for the welfare of its 
nearly 370,000 men and women on active duty; 180,000 members of the Air 
National Guard and the Air Force Reserve; 160,000 civilians; and their 
families.
  On his first day in office, Secretary Wynne issued a new mission 
statement for the Air Force, declaring that the ``mission of the United 
States Air Force is to deliver sovereign options for the defense of the 
United States of America and its global interests--to fly and fight in 
Air, Space and Cyberspace.'' He then declared three priorities for the 
Air Force: winning today's fight; taking care of the Air Force family; 
and preparing for tomorrow's challenges. In terms of today's fight, 
Wynne oversaw the deployment of more than 25,000 airmen to the Middle 
East. He worked to ensure that over 3,000 Rover kits were deployed to 
the theater so that ground forces could receive full motion video 
directly from unmanned aerial systems flying orbits around the clock. 
He also realized the critical importance of intelligence, surveillance, 
and reconnaissance. Wynne doubled the number of Predator orbits in Iraq 
and Afghanistan in less than a year, while simultaneously exceeding the 
Department of Defense requirements for Predator orbits, by 2 years and 
four orbits.
  Secretary Wynne can also take great pride in the support he provided 
for those who sacrifice so much on the front lines. He was instrumental 
in facilitating the aero-medical evacuation program, which led to a 
vastly improved survival rate for wounded troops who were able to reach 
aid stations over previous wars. Additionally, Wynne also supported an 
initiative to create a seamless transfer of medical records from 
theater to stateside and then to the Veterans Administration. Lastly, 
he understood the need to look after the entire Air Force family--
active duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian--through instilling a culture 
of empowerment, accountability, and continuous improvement.
  In terms of America's future, Secretary Wynne worked hard to fulfill 
his tremendous responsibility to ensure that the U.S. Air Force would 
be well postured to address future potential threats. I would like to 
thank Secretary Michael Wynne for his service to our country and wish 
him the best in all his future endeavors.

                          ____________________