[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4938]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO GENERAL HERBERT ``HAWK'' CARLISLE

  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I wish to offer my congratulations to Gen. 
Herbert ``Hawk'' Carlisle on the occasion of his retirement from the 
U.S. Air Force this month.
  Over four decades of distinguished service, from the Air Force 
Academy to the Pentagon to leadership in two four-star commands, 
General Carlisle has been instrumental in advancing the capabilities of 
our Air Force and improving the lives of its most precious asset--its 
airmen.
  As commander of Pacific Air Forces, General Carlisle was responsible 
for Air Force activities spanning more than half the globe, leading 
45,000 airmen across the Pacific from Hawaii and Alaska to Japan and 
Korea. He provided critical strategic leadership as the United States 
worked to strengthen its commitment to peace and prosperity in the 
Asia-Pacific Region at time of increasing challenge.
  Under General Carlisle's leadership, the airmen of Air Combat Command 
pressed the fight against America's adversaries, delivering devastating 
effects against violent extremism in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. 
General Carlisle's determination and hard work were essential to 
bringing the Air Force's F-35A Joint Strike Fighter to initial 
operational capability--no small achievement for a long-delayed and 
troubled program, yet one that is so critical for sustaining America's 
military dominance into the future.
  I had the pleasure of getting to know General Carlisle when he served 
as director of the Air Force's Legislative Liaison Office. It was then 
that I came to appreciate his honesty and candor. Those of us tasked 
with the oversight of the Department of Defense and our Armed Forces 
rely upon the candor of our senior military leaders. In my interactions 
with General Carlisle in various positions through the years, whether 
in private meetings or in public testimony, I could always count on 
General Carlisle to provide his best military advice on critical 
defense matters affecting the Air Force and our Nation. I hope his 
successors will follow in that same spirit of transparency and 
collaboration. I also hope that my colleagues and I will continue to 
benefit from General Carlisle's wise counsel.
  Once again, I want to express my sincere thanks to General Carlisle 
for his distinguished service to our country and congratulate him on a 
well-earned retirement. I wish General Carlisle and his family all the 
best as he embarks on the next chapter of his life.

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