[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12604]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO GENERAL WILLIAM L. SHELTON

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Madam President, I wish to recognize Gen. 
William L. Shelton, commander of Air Force Space Command, on the 
occasion of his retirement from the U.S. Air Force.
  Over the course of his 38-year career in the U.S. Air Force, General 
Shelton has served with great distinction and made countless sacrifices 
for our country. I join with all Coloradans in commending his service, 
the sacrifices of his family--including his wife Linda and their two 
children, Sara and Joel--and I offer my great personal appreciation for 
his leadership and devotion to our Nation's security.
  A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, General Shelton's selection 
as the commander of Air Force Space Command in January 2011 culminates 
a distinguished career that began in 1976 at the Space and Missile Test 
Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA. In a career dedicated to the 
space enterprise, he commanded units at Falcon-Schriever, F.E. Warren, 
Offutt, Vandenberg, and Peterson Air Force Bases. He also provided 
valuable leadership and counsel to the Secretary of the Air Force, the 
Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and the Joint Staff during multiple 
headquarters U.S. Air Force assignments. His positive leadership had a 
direct and positive impact on countless men and women in our Armed 
Forces, and his legacy will benefit the United States and our space 
policy for generations to come.
  Throughout his career, General Shelton has been a vigilant advocate 
for our national security space programs. As the commander of Air Force 
Space Command, he was responsible for organizing, training and 
equipping more than 40,000 military and civilian personnel to assure 
space and cyberspace capabilities for the combatant commands and for 
the Nation. While those capabilities clearly contribute to our 
military's technological and strategic superiority, they also have 
become essential in humanitarian and disaster relief efforts--and they 
are now vital assets for the global community and world economy. As a 
result of his leadership, the Air Force has established a truly 
impressive record of successful space launches while developing an 
acquisition regime that has led to greater mission assurance and 
simultaneous cost savings across the Department of Defense. Further, 
his vision of future space capabilities will position the military to 
provide resilient, capable, and affordable space operations for the 
joint forces and the Nation well into the future.
  General Shelton established and sustained an unmatched level of 
success during a time of increasing challenges. He has worked closely 
with the Senate Armed Services Committee, and the Subcommittee on 
Strategic Forces, which I am proud to chair. It has been our great 
privilege to work with him. His frank and informed discussions of our 
space systems, including the global positioning satellite system, have 
helped leaders and citizens around the world appreciate the value and 
need to protect our Nation's foundational space capabilities. I am 
personally grateful for General Shelton's wise counsel and firm resolve 
to always do what is best for the Nation and for the airmen he has led. 
He is a leader of exceptional intellect, candor, and integrity, and his 
deeply held commitment to doing the right thing for the right reasons 
is clear to all who have been fortunate enough to work with him.
  With nearly four decades of exemplary service to our Nation, Gen. 
William L. Shelton deserves our most heartfelt gratitude and praise. He 
and his family have my very best wishes for a long, happy, and well-
deserved retirement. Our Nation and our Air Force are better for his 
leadership and distinguished service.

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