[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 12 (Thursday, January 28, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S336]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TRIBUTE TO LIEUTENANT GENERAL HERBERT J. CARLISLE

 Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to LTG Herbert 
J. Carlisle, former Director of Legislative Liaison for Office of the 
Secretary of the Air Force and the current Commander of 13th Air Force, 
Hickam Air Force Base, HI. A command pilot with more than 3,400 flying 
hours in the T-38, AT-38, YF-110, YF-113, and F-15 Eagle, LTG ``Hawk'' 
Carlisle has commanded at the squadron, group, wing, and now Numbered 
Air Force levels. He has participated in Operations Restore Hope, 
Provide Comfort, and Noble Eagle, and his selection to lieutenant 
general and commander of the Jungle Air Force is a testament to his 
exceptional airmanship, leadership, and judgment.
  General Carlisle graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1978 
and was selected to attend pilot training at Williams Air Force Base, 
AZ. He excelled in pilot training and was selected to fly the Air 
Force's premier air superiority fighter, the F-15 Eagle. Stationed at 
Bittburg Air Base, Germany, with the 525th Fighter Squadron, the 
Bulldogs, during the heart of the Cold War, then-Captain Carlisle again 
excelled in the air and on the ground as a pilot, flight lead, 
instructor pilot, and examiner pilot. His prowess in the air earned him 
a selection to attend the Air Force's Fighter Weapons School, and upon 
completion of the course he joined an elite team of fighter weapons 
school instructors. He became the chief of weapons and tactics at 
Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, only to be brought back to 
Nellis Air Force Base to become part of a recently declassified Air 
Force training program in which he flew Soviet fighters as adversaries 
against U.S. pilots to increase their capability and survivability in 
combat. Selected for promotion, Major Carlisle departed Nellis Air 
Force base for Maxwell Air Force Base, AL, to attend Air Command and 
Staff College and then deployed to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as the chief 
of air operations, U.S. Central Command Forward from 1991 to 1993.
  In 1993, now-Lieutenant Colonel Carlisle returned to the F-15 Eagle, 
as operations officer of the 19th Fighter Squadron and then commander 
of the 54th Fighter Squadron at Elmendorf Air Force Base, AK. Following 
command, Lieutenant Colonel Carlisle attended Army War College in 1996, 
was selected for promotion to colonel, and returned to the Pacific in 
the F-15 Eagle as the Deputy Commander, 18th Operations Group at Kadena 
Air Base, Japan. Following Kadena, Colonel Carlisle was selected to 
command the 1st Operations Group at Langley Air Force Base, VA, then 
the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, FL, and finally, after a 
short staff tour, the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base.
  General Carlisle has served several tours on the Air Staff to include 
chief of the plans and programs directorate, director of the 
operational planning, policy and strategy, deputy chief of staff for 
air, space and information operations, plans and requirements, and two 
tours in the Legislative Liaison Division, as deputy director and 
director. It was in these positions that I witnessed firsthand General 
Carlisle's adept ability to handle a myriad of complex issues that 
directly impacted our national security. General Carlisle's engagement 
with Congress during his tenure as both deputy director and director of 
the Legislative Liaison Division was faultless.
  Under General Carlisle's leadership, the Air Force developed a 
comprehensive congressional notification plan, ensuring timely and 
accurate passage of information on the Air Force's most difficult 
issues including the $40 billion KC-X acquisition program, creation of 
Air Force Cyber Command, force structure changes, and creation of Air 
Force Global Strike Command. General Carlisle prepared over 200 
announcements to the Hill, cleared of over 500 witness statements, 
transcripts, inserts, and questions for the record through the Office 
of the Secretary of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget, 
and managed over 1,000 Congressional travel events to all 7 continents 
including 100 congressional Member visits to the Central Command Area 
of Responsibility. Finally, General Carlisle led the drive for what I 
consider the Air Force's most pressing issue: recapitalization. Through 
General Carlisle's leadership, the Air Force secured a budget of $1.7 
billion for bomber and air-to-ground weapons, yielded $8.2 billion for 
fighter and munitions programs, and laid the foundation for $200 
million in supplemental munitions funding. The leadership, insight, and 
dedication of General Carlisle have been instrumental in building 
lasting and trusting relationships with the U.S. Congress, resulting in 
an overall increase in U.S. national security.
  The breadth and depth of General Carlisle's assignments and the 
professionalism with which he has carried them out reflect a keen 
intellect and an unrivaled grasp of national security policies 
developed through both personal experience and academic instruction. 
General Carlisle earned a master's degree in business administration 
from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, attended the National 
Security Management Course at Syracuse University, the Seminar XXI--
International Relations programs at Massachusetts Institute of 
Technology, and the Executive Course on National and International 
Security at George Washington University. While he has received many 
distinguished awards and decorations, it is General Carlisle's 
commitment and sacrifice to this Nation that make him stand out among 
his peers.
  Today, General Carlisle is once again at the tip of the spear, 
leading our service men and women as commander of 13th Air Force, 
commander of Joint Task Force--Support Forces Antarctica, Operation 
Deep Freeze, and the Pacific Command's Joint Forces Air Component 
commander. On behalf of Congress and the United States of America, I 
thank Lieutenant General Carlisle, his wife Gillian, and their daughter 
Summer for their continued commitment, sacrifice, and contribution to 
this great Nation. I congratulate Lieutenant General Carlisle on his 
recent promotion to lieutenant general and wish him Godspeed as he 
leads our military in protecting this great nation and its way of 
life.

                          ____________________