[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 21 (Monday, June 2, 2008)]
[Pages 758-762]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Commencement Address at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado 
Springs, Colorado

May 28, 2008

    Thank you. Mr. Secretary, thank you for the kind introduction. 
General Moseley, General Regni, Mr. Congressman, thank you. Academy 
staff and faculty, distinguished guests, and proud family members: I am 
so pleased to stand before the future leaders of the United States Air 
Force.
    I have something I'd like to say to the Cadet Wing: class of 2008! 
[Applause] Yes, that's good. I was a little worried you we're going to 
yell, ``Give him the Bird!'' [Laughter]
    You're the 50th graduating class in the history of the Air Force 
Academy. Each of you has worked hard to reach this moment. You survived 
``Beast,'' ``Terrazzo sailing,'' ``fatty bags'' at Mitch's. [Laughter] 
You earned your ``prop and wings'' at Pinnacle. And today you will 
receive your degree and commission as Air Force officers. Your teachers 
are proud of you; your parents are proud of you; and so is your 
Commander in Chief. Job well done.
    The superintendent informs me that some of you are still on 
restriction. [Laughter] It might be because you were caught running from 
the ``lightning van.'' [Laughter] Or it might be because of ``Jimmy 
Chad's apple.'' [Laughter] Whatever the reason you got your form 10, 
help has arrived. [Laughter] In keeping with a longstanding tradition, I 
hereby absolve all cadets who are on restriction for minor conduct 
offenses. As for your grades, well, some things are even beyond the 
powers of the President. [Laughter]
    In becoming officers of the United States Air Force, you have chosen 
a vocation that is both hazardous and rewarding. As a former F-102 
pilot, I know the exhilaration of flight. As the son of an aviator who 
was shot down in combat, I know its perils. Whether you serve in the 
skies above or on the ground below, each of you has stepped forward to 
defend your country. You've chosen to face danger in foreign lands so 
your fellow citizens do not have to face danger in our own land. And I 
want to thank you for making this courageous choice. And all of America 
is grateful to the class of 2008.
    When you put on your second lieutenant bars in a few moments, you 
will become part of a great history, a history that is still only 
beginning to unfold. By any standard, air power is still a relatively 
new phenomena. Men have been fighting on land and at sea for thousands 
of years, yet there are still Americans among us who were born before 
man ever flew. In the lifetime of one generation, our Nation has seen 
aviation progress from that first tentative lift-off at Kitty Hawk to an 
age of supersonic flight and space exploration.
    And as flight has progressed, it changed the face of war. In the 
20th century, air power helped make possible freedom's victory in great 
ideological struggles with fascism and communism. In those struggles, 
our Nation faced evil men with territorial ambitions and totalitarian 
aims who murdered the innocent to achieve their political objectives. 
Through a combination of military strength and national resolve and 
faith in the power of freedom, we defeated these adversaries

[[Page 759]]

and secured the peace for millions across the world.
    And now in the 21st century, our Nation is once again contending 
with an ideology that seeks to sow anger and hatred and despair, the 
ideology of Islamic extremism. In today's struggle, we are once again 
facing evil men who despise freedom and despise America and aim to 
subject millions to their violent rule. And once again, our Nation is 
called to defeat these adversaries and secure the peace for millions 
across the world. And once again, our enemies will be no match for the 
men and women of the United States Air Force.
    You know, what's remarkable about this class is that each of you 
knows the stakes in the war on terror. You applied to this Academy after 
seeing the attacks of September the 11th, 2001. You came to this Academy 
knowing that the responsibility of our military is to protect the 
American people. And you now leave this Academy to take your place in 
this great struggle. Today I've come to talk to you about the battle 
you're about to join, the lessons we can learn from the conflicts of the 
past, and what they can teach us about the challenges we face in the war 
on terror that will dominate your military careers.
    The first lesson is this: In both the 20th century and today, 
defeating hateful ideologies requires all elements of national power, 
including the use of military power. The military power that you will 
wield in your military careers is much more precise and effective than 
in past generations.
    When the United States entered World War II, the age of long-range 
bombing was just beginning. There were no computer guidance, no GPS 
targeting, or laser-guided munitions. The allied bombing raids against 
Germany and Japan resulted in horrific civilian casualties and 
widespread destruction. It took nearly 4 years before the regimes in 
Berlin and Tokyo finally capitulated, with difficult battles from the 
deserts of north Africa to the forests of France to the islands of the 
Pacific.
    Today, revolutionary advances in technology are transforming 
warfare. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, for example, we employed 
military capabilities so precise that coalition air crews could take out 
a tank hiding under a bridge without damaging the bridge. With this 
military technology, we can now target a regime without targeting an 
entire nation. We've removed two cruel regimes in weeks instead of 
years. In Afghanistan, coalition forces and their Afghan allies drove 
the Taliban from power in less than 2 months. In Iraq, with the help of 
the United States Air Force, our troops raced across 350 miles of enemy 
territory to liberate Baghdad in less than 1 month, one of the fastest 
armored advances in military history.
    These facts create both opportunities and challenges. One 
opportunity is that if we have to fight our enemies, we can now do so 
with greater precision and greater humanity. In the age of advanced 
weapons, we can better strike--we can better target strikes against 
regimes and individual terrorists. Sadly, there will be civilian 
casualties in war. But with these advances, we can work toward this 
noble goal: defeating the enemies of freedom while sparing the lives of 
many more innocent people, which creates another opportunity, and that 
is, by making war more precise, we can make war less likely.
    For hostile dictators, it is a powerful deterrent to know that 
America is willing and able to target their regimes directly. When 
rulers know we can strike their regimes while sparing their populations, 
they realize they cannot hide behind the innocent. And that means they 
are less likely to start conflicts in the first place.
    Our unmatched military power also creates challenges. Because no 
adversary can confront and defeat our military directly, the enemies of 
the 21st century will increasingly turn to the use of asymmetric 
warfare. We've seen this in Afghanistan and Iraq. In those countries, 
our adversaries did not lay down their arms after the regime had been 
removed. Instead, they blended into the civilian population and with the 
help of stateless terrorist networks continued the fight through suicide 
bombings and attacks on innocent people. In the 21st century, this 
Nation must be prepared to fight this new kind of warfare.
    To meet this new challenge, we need to continue to develop 
technologies that put unprecedented speed and precision and power

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in your hands. And that's what we're doing. Since 2002, the number of 
unmanned aerial vehicles in our arsenal has increased nearly 40-fold to 
more than 5,000, and we're increasing them even more. We've transformed 
the Special Operations Command and more than doubled its budget. We're 
improving our intelligence and surveillance and reconnaissance 
capabilities. We're transforming our ground forces for the wars of the 
21st century, making them faster and more agile and more lethal.
    And you'll see the impact of these changes in your own Air Force 
careers. Instead of serving at 10,000 feet, some of you will serve on 
the ground as battlefield airmen, deploying behind enemy lines and using 
laser technology to fix targets on--for aviators circling above. Instead 
of sitting in jet fighter cockpits, some of you will sit before computer 
consoles at bases here in the United States, where you'll guide Predator 
UAVs half a world away and use them to strike terrorist hideouts. These 
and other changes will increase your ability to prevail in asymmetric 
warfare. They will make you more effective in the defense of freedom.
    Another challenge of asymmetric warfare is that it requires 
patience. Our new enemies know they can't defeat us militarily. So their 
strategy is to cause us to lose our nerve and retreat before the job is 
done. They take advantage of the information age and the 24-hour news 
cycles, creating images of chaos and suffering for the cameras in the 
hope that these images will horrify the American people and undermine 
resolve and morale here at home. This means that to win the first war of 
the 21st century, we need to prevail not just in the battle of arms but 
also in the battle of wills. And we need to recognize that the only way 
America can lose the war on terror is if we defeat ourselves.
    The second lesson is this: In both the 20th century and today, 
defeating hateful ideologies requires using our national resources to 
strengthen free institutions in countries that are fighting extremists. 
We must help these nations govern their territorial--territory 
effectively so they can deny safe haven to our common enemies. And in 
Afghanistan and Iraq, where we removed regimes that threatened our 
people, we have a special obligation to help these nations build free 
and just societies that are strong partners in the fight against these 
extremists and terrorists.
    We've assumed this obligation before. After World War II, we helped 
Germany and Japan build free societies and strong economies. These 
efforts took time and patience, and as a result, Germany and Japan grew 
in freedom and prosperity. Germany and Japan, once mortal enemies, are 
now allies of the United States. And people across the world have reaped 
the benefits from that alliance. Today, we must do the same in 
Afghanistan and Iraq. By helping these young democracies grow in freedom 
and prosperity, we will lay the foundation of peace for generations to 
come.
    We face a number of challenges in undertaking this vital work. One 
challenge is that in the past, in Germany and Japan, the work of 
rebuilding took place in relative quiet. Today, we're helping emerging 
democracies rebuild under fire from terrorist networks and state 
sponsors of terror. This is a difficult and unprecedented task, and 
we're learning as we go.
    For example, in Iraq, we learned from hard experience that newly 
liberated people cannot make political and economic progress unless they 
first have some measure of security. In 2006, Iraqis did not have this 
security, and we all watched as their capital descended into sectarian 
violence.
    So this year, we changed our strategy. Instead of retreating, 
instead of pulling back and hoping for the best, I made the decision to 
send in 30,000 additional troops with a new mission: Protect the 
American people--Iraqi people from terrorists and insurgents and illegal 
militias. Together, U.S. and Iraqi forces launched new offensives across 
the country to clear the enemy out of its strongholds. And as this 
military surge brought security to neighborhoods that were once in the 
grip of terror, it was followed by a civilian surge, with Provincial 
Reconstruction Teams deploying to work with Iraqis to ensure military 
progress was quickly followed by real improvements in daily life.
    And today, we're seeing the fruits of the new strategy. Violence in 
Iraq is down to the lowest point since March of 2004. Civilian

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deaths are down. Sectarian killings are down. And as security has 
improved, the economy has improved as well. Political reconciliation is 
taking place at the grassroots and national level. The surge is working. 
Our men and women in Iraq are performing with skill and valor, and they 
have earned the respect of the people of the United States of America.
    This experience will help shape your careers as officers in the 
United States Air Force. During your time in uniform, some of you will 
have to help young democracies build free institutions amid chaos and 
confusion. You'll have to work with civilians on the battlefield in ways 
generations never imagined. To support your efforts, to help you make 
young democracies transition from tyranny to freedom, one thing is for 
certain: The United States Congress better make sure you have all the 
resources you need to do your job.
    Another challenge in this new and unprecedented era is defining 
success. In the past, that was relatively easy to do. There were public 
surrenders, a signing ceremony on the deck of a battleship, victory 
parades in American cities. Today, when the war continues after the 
regime has fallen, the definition of success is more complicated. So in 
Iraq and Afghanistan, we set a clear definition of success. Success will 
come when Al Qaida has no safe haven in those countries and the people 
can protect themselves from terror. Success will come when Iraq and 
Afghanistan are economically viable. Success will come when Iraq and 
Afghanistan are democracies that govern themselves effectively and 
respond to the will of their people. Success will come when Iraq and 
Afghanistan are strong and capable allies on the war on terror. Men and 
women of the Air Force, these successes will come, and when they do, our 
Nation will have achieved victory, and the American people will be more 
secure.
    The third lesson is this: For all the advanced military capabilities 
at our disposal, the most powerful weapon in our arsenal is the power of 
freedom. And we can see this story in the 20th century. In 1941, when 
Nazi bombers pounded London and Imperial Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, 
the future of freedom appeared bleak. There were only about a dozen 
democracies in the world. It seemed that tyranny, not liberty, was on 
the march. And even after Japan and Germany were defeated in World War 
II, freedom's victory was far from clear. In Europe, the advance of Nazi 
tyranny was replaced by the advance of Soviet tyranny. In Asia, the 
world saw the Japanese Empire recede and communism claim most of its 
former territory, from China to Korea to Vietnam.
    Imagine if a President had stood before the first graduating class 
of this Academy five decades ago and told the Cadet Wing that by the end 
of the 20th century, the Soviet Union would be no more, communism would 
stand discredited, and the vast majority of the world's nations would be 
democracies. The cadets probably would have said he had done one too 
many ``chariot races.'' [Laughter]
    Many throughout history have underestimated the power of freedom to 
overcome tyranny and transform whole societies. Yet in the end, despite 
challenges and setbacks, freedom ultimately prevails because the desire 
for liberty is written by our Creator in every human heart. We see that 
desire in the citizens of Georgia and Ukraine who stood up for their 
right to free and fair elections. We see that desire in the people of 
Lebanon who took to the streets to demand their independence. We see 
that desire in the Afghans who emerged from the tyranny of the Taliban 
to choose a new President and a new parliament. We see that desire in 
the jubilant Iraqis who held up ink-stained fingers and celebrated their 
freedom. And in these scenes, we see an unmistakable truth: Whenever men 
and women are given a real choice, they choose to live in freedom.
    The enemies of freedom understand this, and that is why they're 
fighting desperately to deny this choice to men and women across the 
Middle East. But we understand some things too. We understand that 
freedom helps replace the conditions of hopelessness that extremists 
exploit to recruit terrorists and suicide bombers. We understand that 
free societies are peaceful societies and that people who live in 
liberty and hope do not turn to ideologies of hatred and fear. And that 
is why, for the security of America and the peace for the world, the 
great mission

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of your generation is to lead the cause of freedom.
    This is the last time I'll address a military academy commencement 
as a President. Over the past 8 years, from Annapolis to West Point to 
New London to Colorado Springs, I have looked out at the best young men 
and women our Nation has to offer, and I have stood in awe. And I stand 
in awe again today. Each of you is a volunteer who stepped forward to 
accept the burdens of war, knowing all the dangers you would face upon 
graduation. You willingly risk your lives and futures so that our 
country can have a future of freedom and peace. Our enemies say that 
America is weak and decadent and does not have the stomach for the long 
fight. Our enemies have never set foot on the campus of the United 
States Air Force Academy.
    A nation that produces citizens of virtue and character and courage, 
like you, can overcome any challenge and defeat any adversary. So I'll 
leave this campus today filled with the confidence in the course of our 
struggle and the fate of our country because I've got confidence in each 
of you.
    We see the strength and spirit of this class in a cadet named Erik 
Mirandette. In 2003, Erik felt a tug at his heart from the Almighty to 
take time off from the Academy and do humanitarian work in Morocco. 
After nearly 2 years there, Erik and his brother Alex and two childhood 
friends decided to ride across the African continent on dirt bikes. The 
last stop in their journey was Cairo, where a suicide bomber attacked 
them by exploding a bucket filled with nails. The blast killed Erik's 
brother, injured his two friends, and left Erik bleeding on the street. 
Doctors did not think he'd ever walk again. He never gave up his dream 
of coming back to this Academy. And 14 months ago, after surviving the 
blast, Erik returned to this campus. Today he begins his career as a 
proud officer in the greatest Air Force known to man.
    He still has got dozens of nails in his body, but he has a fierce 
determination in his heart to protect his country, defeat the forces of 
terror. Erik puts it this way: ``I'll live the rest of my life scarred 
inside and outside. But I've got a sense of calling. I want to prevent 
attacks on other good people.''
    Each of you gathered here this morning has answered that same call. 
I want to thank you for stepping forward to serve. The security of our 
citizens and the peace of the world will soon be in your hands--the best 
of hands. Be officers of character and integrity. Keep your wings level 
and true. Never falter; do not fail. And always know that America stands 
behind you.
    Thank you. May God bless. And congratulations to the class of 2008.

Note: The President spoke at 10:15 a.m. at Falcon Stadium. In his 
remarks, he referred to Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne, who 
introduced the President; Gen. T. Michael Moseley, USAF, chief of staff, 
U.S. Air Force; Lt. Gen. John F. Regni, USAF, superintendent, U.S. Air 
Force Academy; Representative Doug Lamborn of Colorado; and President 
Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan.