not yet in my mind but it could be. we don't know whether the islamic state, let them go back to russia in 1970 to start the soviet union or the hoola hoop to participate in 10 years. my concern is it's far more like lenin. unless we start getting our strategy together, we may be sadly, sadly shocked in the future. >> okay. i have to agree with everything harden said, if not the mitchell me. talk about ideology is important and vital but ideology is a reflection of political reality. you have to talk about politics. let me take three interesting terrorists insurgency situation answered. the americans in the philippines. that was over but a political situation was resolved. the fight against the british in the '30s and '40s in palestine weather was insurgency and terrorism against the occupying power.

that ended when the political situation changed, and then you vietnam where we were getting against terrorist and you can talk all about the ideology. the point was you had to resolve a political situation of power and who's in control and what is the legitimacy of that power and the confidence of that power? the problem in iraq and syria is there's no political legitimacy, no competence. even ideology isn't going to get you very far. >> you've got to go so we would get you some other time. okay, we're going to open up a discussion, and if you have a question of brief comment, please identify yourself for the record. >> thanks three much. mike kraft, i worked on counterterrorism for many years.

i'd like to try to correct the record on a couple of things that i'd like. first of all, on the statement of point dr. ullman mentioned, what do we do if our people are killed or being held hostage. this happened in the lebanon hostage situation where william buckley, the cia station chief and general higgins were killed. we did take some actions. unfortunately, they violated the policy that mark talk about. oliver north megadeal of trying to trade cold mission -- one hostage was released, another one would be taken, what our colleague called a hostage been. been. so that been. so that wasn't the dilemma that we faced, perhaps in a lower area then right now because

there wasn't quite the video of beheadings, et cetera, but that was a dilemma we did face. unfortunately, i think we made the wrong choices by making to do which encourage al-qaeda think americans were patsies and could be rolled which get back to part of the dilemma that you laid out? >> guest: . counterterrorism hostage situations is a classic case of a short-term gain versus the long-term. you can solve a short-term problem but you grea create lonm problems down the road. so where's the dividing line? that's not always easy. i would raise a question to you all, one of the elements that we faced when you're in state department and elsewhere is the issue of publicity. sometimes families are encouraged to be quiet and sometimes they go very public as they did during the time in lebanon. one of the issues comes up then is whether increasing the type of hostages in terms of the hostage takers and raises the

country. i'm not sure there's any hard fast answers by think something has to be dealt with. there's a question for you, realizing the israeli sensitivities and also tradition against death penalty which i think is only in a case of -- is any consideration in israel perhaps they should use of the death penalty against terrorists who are clearly were involved with blood on their hands but i'm not sure there's a moral difference between taking out a terrorist with a drone missile before you ask over actually executing country goes to come. i just wanted to the issue has been put up? thank you. >> well, technically we do have death penalty in israel, although as you rightly said it was government only one time we

were talking about maybe the most famous nazi criminal of all. so this is something, and the try was really a historic episode where a lot of holocaust survivors had opportunity to actually participate and talk. we do have death penalty in extreme cases of espionage or something of the sort, but nobody even dreams of implementing the things. where there may be voices here and there, i'm not for me with any serious discussion in israel on such a suggestion. i think one reason would be that there is a lot of reservation in israel of death penalty for

various reasons, but also i think for practical reasons i'm not sure, yes, it would probably prevent a situation of hostagetaking for the purpose of releasing prisoners. it would create a new generation of martyrs and followers in their footsteps. it might create a new series of problems but i think we will really have a problem, this is just something that is not part of the judicial and moral culture in issue. it would be very, very difficult to reach this situation. bear in mind that even in states where you do implement the death penalty, it takes years. it takes years for modern judicial system to get to the final appeal and someone. using that on terrorists, you kind of lose the momentum. by the time they grew old and then, so i'm not sure that this would really be seen as the most

efficient tool we can use. i can come into situation where the art of easy answers. >> thank you. wait for the mic. >> center of international relations. my focus is, my initial question and what actually came it was mostly to examine the degree to which ransom is playing a role in changing, it's a game changer, if you like it, in fighting terrorism. there was a study that estimated about $90 million given to the al-qaeda and the maghreb from 2000-2010, and whether this money made a big difference in blooming, you know, the popularity of al-qaeda in that region. on the other hand, after the

french intervention became obvious that people who are hired by al-qaeda by payment were the easiest to convert because all they did was surrender just like mercenaries do. my question is, is money a big factor? it goes down to, the doctor said, because i have huge respect for the service of the fbi has done to the world and in preparing people for incident. and like you mentioned, people who barricade themselves, people who are trapped in a situation that they need to escape. but isn't it about time to examine when it comes to collateral damage, for example, a lot of scholars has a very interesting discussions in may. they told me the biggest problem in yemen and supporting the united states is the collateral damage from drones. these are very moderate

supporters of automation in yemen. and, of course, they face the same problem in yemen today. isn't it time to start deconflicting, if you like, all these strategies and tactics based on the actual situation in the ground? and becoming flexible in dealing with the complexity of each separate case. in responding, i mean, we have experienced from lebanon with hostages, some of them were released successfully, some of them didn't. i remember the secretary of the united nations have established a whole network of negotiators to deal with hostages in lebanon. back in the '80s, if you remember. so we have successful cases on the. we have succes successful casese release of hostages that pirates are taking in either keep them for themselves for ransom or they sell them to terrorists in

gaining or an outside somalia. we have a lot of successful cases in a lot of different settings -- dini. there's a lot of work to be done and how to adjust to be deciding how to respond successfully. i think may be even counterproductive. i wanted to bring it to the panel. how far should we be confident in our capacity to deal with complexity? at how much are we confident in our capacity to respond in each separate case based on what we know from before? >> anybody wants to -- i don't know if there was a specific question but your comments are obviously are interesting, whether we discuss the drone policy and strategy, but one of the areas that we did not go into, although this mention the rescue mission in israel and

anti-be. it seems since that time every country prepared their own capability. and support the and sometimes it works, sometimes it did work so depends on the situation. any other question was yes, please. >> regarding drones, when it comes as we we don't have troops on the ground to examine the targets and to corroborate whatever intelligence information they have and to direct the attack the inevitably you have this kind of problem. now, as far as money is a factor, i think it depends on a situation like, for example, columbia. it's a business. in the middle east a lot of the groups, money is not even raised. it's done strictly for shock value. as far as what yonah said about

cyber terrorism, that is a serious problem if i agree with it. when i was at the dia recently there was a physicist, a consultant for defense department who talked about emp, electromagnetic pulse plastic politics is one small nuclear device at a certain altitude which will destroy all the electronics in the country. you don't even need to use cyber tears and it will just write everything will put is basically back to the stone age. that's a serious problem. as far as what dr. ullman that about ideology, i couldn't argue with the islamic extremist ideology. i could give them the best logic in the world. it's not going to do any good. you need to have a respected islamic cleric that can talk to

them from their own point of view is in the same perspective. when i was in amman, jordan, they said when they have people that they capture, you know, before they commit terrorist acts, they have been counseled by a clerk who was respected, and he says to them, why are you doing this? they say, well, it says in the koran to the enemy wherever you find them. he says, everything has its time and a place in the koran. that was a time when the muslims were persecuted by the pagans, and so doesn't really mean now what it meant to them. there's like three or four different passages. so little by little they can work on them and sometimes even flip them and send them back as agents for their intelligence service.

so i think you need to have somebody who is respected muslim cleric who is well-versed in the koran that can sit down and work on propaganda, counterpropagan counterpropaganda. >> really very, very important to point. when we talk about the islamic state, again you can defeat this flow of some capabilities, but you cannot eliminate the ideology. and the good news is that some countries like morocco, they try to encourage dialogue, theological dialogue, and train even women to discuss this issue with religions from other countries. but it is a very long process, and i think the point that you

make is a very practical, a very important one here now we are looking at the clock and the clock is ticking. i'm going to ask general gray to make the final remarks for today's seminar. spirit that everybody can get out of here on time. i want to add my thanks to what i think was a great panel today, and certainly many, many very fine comments. i think, again, we have to remember that, you know, we are a great country and with great people in the united states, but there are other great countries and great peoples around the world. some large, some small, but all of them has many pluses as well as minuses. and all of them have distinct cultures and all of them have distinct languages and all of them have moore's and the like but as i said at everyone of these seminars, endless we do a

far better, have a far better performance in understanding what other people are doing, what they are thinking about and looking at these challenges that we face through their eyes as well as ours, would not going to be as successful as we have to be. and i think this is crucial. our strategy to go forward must be adapted. it must be flexible. it doesn't take advantage of what we and our friends and allies do best. it must be on a higher moral ground and all that type of thing. i get a kick about all this discussion on policy. we've heard a lot of very good discussion on policy today, everything from how we different times we've tried to define the challenge, define terrorism, define what's legal, define what isn't, and he goes on and on and on and on. and yet policy i believe is only a guide. you really do what you have to

do when you have to do it for the reason you have to do it. i was known for violating policy many different times. i can put on the court more times than you need to know about, but we thought we were right. and i'm still around. [laughter] i think that when i grew up in a military, for example, we have a strategy of both acceptable and unacceptable acts and the like. there were some things, they weren't good. they weren't good at all. you didn't like and. he didn't want to see them. you want to try to stop them but you could live with it. then there were some that were considered unacceptable like nuclear attacks, et cetera, et cetera. that you go all out to keep the thing from happening. one of the problems we have with terrorism, first of all, terrorism as i said ever done is a tactic. it's the tactic and nothing else.

you can't have a war against tactics and all that kind of thing. you can take actions so that it becomes no reason for them to do it anymore. in other words, they are not getting what you want out of it so they're going to stop the but it's been around as we all know since the bible and the tour and abroad, it is going to be around in the next century as well. it was loaded -- tour and koran. in 1965 alone, 1000 village chiefs, supporting south vietnam were assassinated. that was terrorism to the first degree. where i told the story many times in 1965 and i told her, if you with me yo you would have a little vietnamese girl, up to you going. her father was a village chief in moscow the night before, and her arms had been severed at the elbows. so we've seen this kind of thing

first hand painted you never do much about this in the press or the walter cronkite's of the world and all that. they were out to lunch. so these comments about the rules of engagement, we've got to forget all that. you don't need any rules of engagement. the average american fighting man or woman, and al all of the civilians that supporters and all the people and all the albums of national power, they understand what's right and what isn't. you don't have to worry about that kind of thing. in 1965 zone we fired 1 million artillery shells in south vietnam at the enemy. we killed 20 people by mistake. 20 friendly's and they were killed because a south vietnamese forward observer try to fire into the flight instead of actually knowing where the enemy was. and yet you didn't have those kinds of things. so combat is combat. it's tough, it's a nasty.

we have to have a strategy that doesn't take too much about what we're going to do, because what we're going to do is different in every situation. it's different because as a method culture, the climate of the country, et cetera. we can't handle all these things in one-china policy, one kind of low, one kind of we're doing things. that's one of our great strengths. there are certain things that are unacceptable and would unacceptable things happen, we arhave to blow it into the next arena regard to rules of engagement, regardless of collateral damage for anything else because it's totally unacceptable. that's the way it is. when you're going to do something that is unacceptable overall, you are going to pay that price. that's the way we ought to do it. we have to be quiet about it. we have to do what we think when we think we ought to do it, et cetera. propaganda as was mentioned, we are losing the propaganda war. we think propaganda is a dirty

word. that's what goes back to world war ii and nazi propaganda, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera et cetera. it's a way of life and any and all these people who don't like us, they are fueling this entry -- biggest of the internet and social media, et cetera social media, et cetera, social media, et cetera, they're social media, et cetera, there clean our clock so we've got to get smart about that kind of thing. they want to add anything by the way? great analyze of all the kinds of challenges. >> when you said that i would get up but i'm not going to say much. >> you want me to sit down and speak with i'm not going to sit down so you better say it. we've got to get out of your. >> very tough, after alfred gray. i'm not going to say anything other than mr. head coach was what the terrible dilemmas are. a no-show one in versus strategy on the other. harlan ullman in his book says, quote eyed guessing you got to make albums bigger. i would say in a way to do with

as he got to go beyond the episode of hostagetaking to give everything to as general gray said, the coaches, the places, the historical moment when these things take place. my own feeling is yonah has made a tremendous and where of terrorism. upward i don't think i could've spelled of unmet yonah many years ago. i agree with the general. terrorism is a tactic. terrorism and even more than the tactic. what we're talking about i think ultimate this sort of kind of the political configuration of this world, and can we really tackle, i know this is heresy in washington but o i'm a great believer into iran nuclear deal because when suggesting i know what could happen with the idle and all the others, i suppose when it hopes it will change the basic political configuration in the middle these overtime. it's only that way we get the correlation of forces right between turkey and iran and

arabs in israel that we have a chance. we are bogged down in the day-to-day kind of events, i agree, then we can have these seminars. i agree with the general that each case will be handled with good judgment but that isn't going to solve the world's problems. i think yonah makes me very, terrorism but he also makes me think we've got a really, sort of harlan ullman spot, the undying situations which could these conditions of terrorism. if i were an israeli i would not be as nearly, as i am being an american. and i think, do i get the last word thank you and everyone else speak with no. spent what i'm going to do is thank everyone else except al gray. i want to thank you all and now you get the last word. >> i want to add my thanks to his thanks. let's get out of here, okay? keep the faith really.

and remember that if there is an emp attack and we lose our grid, to me that's an unacceptable act. whoever does about is going to lose far more than an electronic grid, if i have anything to say about it. thanks for being with us. [applause] >> tonight on "the communicators" this summer marks the 20th anniversary of digital television. offer up tonight talks with the development of the medium and early 1990s. >> and in june of 1990 him was exactly 25 years ago cbs convinced us we should submit to the fcc for consideration as the next generation u.s. terrestrial run tests and. we were not which we wanted to do that because we were satellite and cable guys ended up whole lot to do with the terrestrial broadcast network

business but we ended up doing that all of a sudden in june of 1990 our cover was blown what we were doing. at first but when said was impossible what we were claiming but sure enough a year or so later all of our competitors were essentially falling as you can a real race. >> tonight at eight eastern on "the communicators" on c-span2. >> u.s. army officials recently held a transition ceremony honoring outgoing army chief of staff general ray odierno and his successor, general mark milley. defense secretary ashton carter and army secretary john mchugh spoke at this event at fort myer, virginia. this is almost two hours. ♪ ♪

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>> once again good morning and welcome. ..

commander-in-chief's guard is led by first sergeant jason taylor. last elements online in the continental musicians uniform is the oak guard fife and drum corps. the men and women of the oak guard 5:00 and fife corps where red coats instead of infran at this blue. the drum major is led by drum major james hague. the gun battery is led by staff

sergeant matthew white. to the rear of formation are 56 state and territory flags of the united states. first sergeant for this element is sergeant first class joseph brown. >> ladies and gentlemen, before the ceremony begins we would like to take this opportunity to recognize some distinguished guests that are in attendance today. general and mrs. eric shinseki, former united states army chief of staff and former veterans of secretary affairs. honorable and mrs. buck mckeon,

united states senate, retired. honorable and mrs. chet edwards, united states of house of representatives, retired. the honorable patrick j. murphy, united states of house of representatives, retired. the honorable robert o. werk, deputy secretary of defense. the honorable paul wolfowitz, former deputy secretary of defense. miss christine fox, former acting united states deputy secretary of defense. the honorable and mrs. louie kuldera, former secretary of the army. honorable francis j. harvey, former secretary of the army. admiral and mrs. jonathan green, chief of naval operations. lt. general yorgbulmer. chief of staff, german army. general carl are guano, former states army chief of staff retired.

general gordon sullivan, former united states army chief of staff, retired. general and mrs. frank j. grass, chief national guard bureau. honorable eric fan, acting undersecretary of army. miss lisa debrow, acting undersecretary of the air force. honorable and mrs. joe reeder, former undersecretary of the army. honorable les brownlee and miss susan, former undersecretary of the army. mr. raymond dubois, former acting undersecretary of the army. the honorable and mrs. scott kosper, mayor, city of killeen, texas. john m paxson, jr., united states marine corps, commandant of the marine corps. general and mrs. daniel allen, vice chief of staff of the army. lt. general joseph l. lingel, vice chief, national guard

bureau. general lloyd j. austin iii, commander, united states central command. general and mrs. john f. campbell, commander, resolute support mission. general and mrs. j bin ford pa the third and heather piea, former vice chief of staff arm army, retired. general john keane, former army vice chief of staff retired. general and mrs. richard a cody, former united states army, vice chief of staff retired. honorable joe darst sir, assistant secretary of the army, civil works. honorable, heidi shue, assistant secretary of the army, acquisition logistics and technology. honorable d a wada, deputy secretary of army, manpower and affairs. honorable and mrs. robert m.

spear, financial comptroller. phillip park, office of general counsel. honorable, matthew apgariv, former secretary of army for installations and environment general and mrs. david m. rodriguez, commander united states africa command. general and mrs. dennis l. via commanding general, united states army, material command. general and mrs. david perkins, united states army training and doctrine command. general and mrs. joseph vitel, commander of united states special operations command. general and mrs. robert abrams, commanding general, forcecom. general john f. kelly, united states marine corps, commander, united states southern command. admiral and mrs. michael rogers, united states navy, commander, united states cyber command. director nsa, chief, css.

admiral william b. gortney united states navy, command. charles: united states northern command. general retired and mrs. william buck kernen, board member patriot foundation. general john w. foss, united states army retired. general william tuttle, jr., united states army, retired. general and mrs. crosby e. saint, united states army retired. general william hearts something, united states army retired. general larry r. ellis, united states army retired. general john abizaid, united states army, retired. general ann e. dunwoody, united states army retired. general carter ham, united states army retired. lt. general, and mrs. robert foley retired and medal of honor recipient. sergeant kyle white, medal of

honor recipient. sergeant major and mrs. brian patagglia united states marine corps, enlisted advisor to the chairman. chief master sergeant and mrs. mitchell brush, senior listed advisor, national guard bureau. sergeant major of the army retired, kenneth preston. former sergeant major of the army. ladies and gentlemen, the history of the third united states infantry regiments reflects the growth and development of our nation. 55 well earned battle streamers, two valor unit awards, three meritorious unit commendations and five superior unit awards, a test of the old guard's record of bravery and achievement during peacetime. in 1922 the war department granted permission for the old guard to pass in review with bayonets fixed. the old guard will now fix

bayonets to the traditional beat of the drum. >> fix bayonets. ♪

♪ >> forward march.

>> ladies and gentlemen, moving into position is the commander of troops for today's ceremony. colonel john davis, commander, third united states infantry regiment, the old guard. >> present arms. >> forward, ready, march.

[background sounds] >> ladies and gentlemen, taking the reviewing stand is the host for today's ceremony, the honorable john m. mchugh, secretary of the army, accompanied by the secretary of defense the honorable ashton carter, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, martin e. dempsey and general ray odierno, general mark milley, chief of united states army. please stand for the arrival of the official party and remain

standing as honors are renderedded. >> present arms. [gunfire] ♪

[cannons firing] >> please be seated. [shouting commands]

[shouting commands] forward march. >> sound off. ♪

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♪ >> ladies and gentlemen -- [inaudible]. practiced by revolutionary soldiers. he was the continental army inspector general and witnessed the continental army first review on may 1778 during valley forge. during the review, it consisted four stages formation troops, presentation, honors and inspection you're seeing now and a march in review. as the commander of troops escorts the reviewing official through the review, the focus is on the pride, precision and discipline instilled through many hours of drills. von tube ben knew as we realize

today, this focus is also essential to win on the battlefield. established in 1784, the third nights infantry regiments, the old guard, is the army's oldest infantry regiments, and has service that predates the constitution and has continued throughout our nation's conflicts n 1948 army established the third united states infantry regiments as premier memorial affairs and ceremonial unit, rendering final honors to fallen comrades in arlington national cemetery communicating its story to the nation's citizens and world t has participated in every inauguration from president eisenhower to president obama. and it maintain as 24 hour vigil at the tomb of the unknown soldier. in addition to their ceremonial responsibility, old guard soldiers serve as the national tactical region's domestic response force. the military's first-responders to emergencies in a national

capitol region. old guard soldiers maintain their tactical and technical precision and the old guard deployed companies in support of overseas operations to the horn of africa and operation iraqi freedom. the vast majority of old guard leaders are combat experienced. old guard soldiers are coming from and returning to the deploying units in support of overseas contingency operations. whether defending our nation's capitol, honoring our country's veterans, whether serving overseas the old guard always stands ready to serve. [applause] ♪

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[background sounds] >> ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the advancing of the colors and remain standing for the united states national anthem. >> colors forward march. ♪

>> march. halt. [background sounds] >> sir, persons to be honored and colors are present.

[shouting commands] >> present arms. present arms. ♪ [playing of "the star-spangled banner"]

♪ >> please be seated. >> forward march. >> order. sound off. [shouting commands]

>> ceremonial, at ease. >> the secretary of defense has awarded the defense distinguished service medal to raymond t. odighizuwa, united states army for extraordinary meritorious service for the united states. general raymond odierno, distinguished himself as exceptionally distinguished service of staff, from department of the army. from general 2011, to august 2016. as 38th chief of staff, general odierno assured the army

provided depth and versatility to the joint force supplying combatant commanders for assistance and humanitarian relief operations and contingency operations around the world. general odierno drove strategic supporting initiatives insuring that the united states army was the foundation of the joint force and remains the greatest land force in the world. general oy did i air know insured that the army possessed the capability and capacity to provide globally responsive and regionally aligned forces as well as expeditionary and decisive land power across the full range of military operations, providing the groundwork for a global land power innetwork of interconnected nodes. simultaneously general odierno worked other joint chiefs of staff to assure that the united states armed forces stands ready to serve our nation any capacity needed and as advise our country

senior leaders as required. he led the implementing a vision for the army that synchronized integrated joint interorganizational and multinational teams positioning the army and the joint force to defend the nation in the 21st century. the distinctive accomplishments of general odierno culminate a long and distinguished career in the service of his country and reflect great credit on himself, the united states army and the office of secretary of defense, signed ashton carter, secretary of defense. general odierno has also been awarded the distinguished service medal by the department of air force and the united states coast guard. [applause]

headquarters department of army, special orders, by order of the secretary of the army, the following soldier is retired. general raymond t odierno. [applause] >> at this time, secretary mchugh is presenting the united states flag to general odierno for his faithful service to his country. senate army caucus cochairs, senator jim inhofe of oklahoma

and senator jack reed of rhode island paid tribute to general odierno in the congressional record as one of our nation's finest military officers. [applause] on the occasion of the retirement of this distinguished soldier we also recognize the outstanding service of his spouse, mrs. linda m. odierno. the secretary of defense awarded department of defense medal to mrs. linda m. -- odierno. in support of the members of the united states armed forces. since june 1976 through august of gift fifth. over the course of nearly four decades, mrs. odierno relently served as caring advocate for the military community at large,

our servicemembers around their families. as an ambassador for department of the defense and department of the army she hosted senior military and civilian leaders and selfless worked toward improving military communities and quality of life programs for our men and women in uniform. mrs. odierno served volunteer within numerous support organizations and veteran support groups to insure they were aware how to best support our military families. she enthusiastically volunteered her time and support to military and community organizations which benefited countless military families along the way. whether helping servicemembers and their families cope through deployments to iraq and afghanistan or meeting with and comforting wounded warriors and their families, mrs. odierno was always there to aid and assist with understanding and caring support. the distinguished accomplishments of mrs. odierno reflect great accomplishment on herself and department of defense. signed, ashton carter, secretary

of defense. [applause] >> mrs. odierno is being presented by the department of army for her dedicated service. by order of the secretary of the army. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, at this time a bouquet of red roses are being presented to mrs. linda odierno, on behalf of the men and women of the united states

army. also at this time, two white roses are being presented to his daughter, mrs. catherine funk, and mrs. hilda burkhardt, his mother-in-law. chief of staff coins are also being presented to his grand songs, brendon and albe funk. [applause] [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, at this time, the secretary of the army will swear in general milley as the 39th chief of staff of the united states army. assisting secretary mchugh, is general milley's wife, holly ann. [inaudible] >> rise your right hand, repeat after me. i, state your name. >> i, mark alexander milley.

>> having been appointed chief of staff army. >> having been appointed chief of staff of the united states army. >> do solemnly swear. >> do solemnly swear. >> that i will support and defend the constitution of the us. >> that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states. >> against all enemies foreign and domestic. >> against all enemies foreign or domestic. >> will bear true faith in allegiance to the same. >> that i take this obligation freely. >> that i take this obligation freely. >> without any mental reservation. >> without any mental reservation. >> or purpose much eye vision. >> or purpose of evasion. >> that i will well and faithfully discharge duties of office. >> upon which i'm about to enter. >> upon which i'm about to tenter. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> congratulations. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, at this time mrs. milley is being present ad bouquet of flowers from the men and women of the united states army and a single rose is being presented to miss mary margaret, his daughter, and a coin to his son peter. [applause] [shouting commands]

>> ladies and gentlemen, please stand as the colors are posted. >> post the colors. ♪

♪ ♪ [shouting commands] >> please be seated.

[shouting commands] >> ceremonial, colonial, at ease. >> ladies and gentlemen, secretary carter. [applause] >> secretary mchugh, my admired friend, public servant, thank you for hosting today's ceremony. it's a privilege for me to be here today to honor these two great americans and their families. and thank you also, to the large

and distinguished audience that came here today to recognize both ray odierno and what he has meant in connecting our army to all walks of life of american society that is rep sended here, today, ray, in this and the magnificent representatives of our force who stand so proud before us all. on his first day as the 38th army of chief of staff, general odierno shared with his soldiers a creed that defines his life and his duty. the strength of our nation, he said, is our army. the strength of our army is our soldiers. the strength of our soldiers is our families. that is what makes us army strong. i join everyone here today in

celebrating ray odierno's 39 years of unwaiverring commitment to army, to soldier, and to family. let me start there with ray's family. linda, you stuck by ray's side since high school. and you've given your life to the army. you're a source of comfort army families, a source of leadership in the military communities and a source of healing for wounded warriors and their loved ones. to the entire odierno phamly, linda, tony, katy, mike, we can not thank you enough for your service to our nation and your support for ray. ray's legacy is like ray himself. it simply won't fit into the space behind a podium. let me characterize it this way. ray odierno's story is our army's story. he is a consummate leader and more, the very symbol of the

u.s. army, big, strong, capable, always willing. after 9/11, under the weight of our army's mission, as important, difficult, unprecedented, and all consuming as it was, our soldiers performed exceptionally, with courage, and strength befitting the most heil-trained and professional land power on earth. no other force, no other force, could have executed or adapted the way our army did in iraq and afghanistan. for that we're all so proud and so deeply in its debt. as a leader in over 50 months in iraq, ray's tenacity helped us get through the most heated period of conflict. his operational savvy helped us surmount the insurgency.

his commanding presence calmed the confused. and his courage and compassion helped carry the burden of loss and sacrifice. i and my predecessors as secretary of defense and their commanders in chief drew great confidence knowing ray was on the ground leading our political and military work in those heroic and trying times. ray embodies, as if a symbol, army strong. ray is a big guy but even bigger is his personality, his passion, and his heart. he devotes so much time to men toking young leaders, not just because the right thing to do because he loves it. and his soldiers love him back. ray is just as likely to give you a bear hug as to give you a sturdy handshake. he speaks to you with his shoulders always forward, his

eyes always clear, arguments always sharp, each one buttressed by an unyielding commitment to his mission and his people. whether listening intently to a grieving family or looking a foreign leader in the eye to deliver the honest truth, or shaving stephen colbert's head in front of hundreds of soldiers, ray live his life as his ivy division model goes, steadfast and loyal. simply put in the post 9/11 era, ray odierno sustained and strengthened the u.s. army's statute as the world's preeminent land power of the groundwork he laid as a battlefield commander and above all as chief of staff for the army, to guide the army's transition to confront future challenges will bear fruit for years to come. each service gives our military unique and unrivaled capabilities. our planes fly high, our ships sail far, our marines act

quickly but it is our soldiers who are unmatched in their ability to seize and dominate physical terrain and human terrain. they help give our military and our nation an overwhelming edge in defending our people and making a better world for our children. america maintains that edge today, forged in two long wars, sharpened in counter terror efforts around the world and leading what must forever be a free world. we must not take that for granted. we must keep honing that edge into the future. as the world changes we must change wit. to stay unrivaled in posture, agile and ready and army strong. that charge now falls to general mark milley, our 39th army chief of staff. he is the right officer to lead the army over the next four years. to shape our force, to continue restoring its readiness, to get

there quickly and to win as our nation expects of our army. mark is a leader, a warrior, and a statesman. one story. as it happened i was with mark in afghanistan as the u.s. consulate in herat was attacked in 2013. and as we flew there i saw him take decisive command of the scene. in addition to decades of such operational experience, mark clearly also has the strategic vision needed to build on what ray started. i have confidence, i know el succeed. because he carries that same, unyielding commitment to army, to soldier, and to family. and in his case, something ray odierno down have, but mark milley has, and i do have, namely, the boston red sox.

[laughter] [applause] i also want to thank holly ann, for her leadership and service as yet another admired military spouse. to the milley family, thank you for supporting mark and for assuming this new post with him. so general odierno, general milley and both your families, for your distinguished leadership, yourselfless service, and your belief that above all our people and our principles make our military the finest fighting force the world has ever known, your country will be forever grateful. [applause]

>> old guard, halt. [shouting commands] >> ceremonial, colonial, at peace. >> ladies and gentlemen, secretary mchugh. >> thank you. [applause] really, mr. secretary, the red sox? you couldn't tell me that before the oath? sir, welcome, thank you so much for being here to your daily guidance and leadership over this not just army but the entire united states military.

we're deeply appreciative of both of that leadership and obviously for your making time to be here with us. mr. chairman, welcome, thank you too, sir, for all that you do and for joining us. and to each and everyone of our audience member, thank you so much for joining me in what is really, if not unusual, -- unusual but certainly special celebration of if not one but two great americans and two great american families. i speak of course of army general ray odierno, his bride linda, their amazing family, and also to welcome and congratulate the incoming chief of staff, general mark milley, his bride holly ann and their family. and i want to begin by repeating what i said four years ago when we first welcomed ray and linda to the pentagon as the 21st secretary of the army.

i can't think of anything more important than this job. and i can think of few aspects of this job that are more procedurally, more symbolically important than this. the transfir of authority from one chief of staff of army to another. not with weapons, not with force as we have seen in so many other places across the world. but with honor, tradition, and yes, reference. today is indeed a credit to our democratic principles. indeed a credit to our nation, but most importantly, it's a credit to the selfless men and women of profound character and conviction who take up arms and don the uniform in defense of our nation, our liberty and our freedoms. as i know you all might imagine this is a typically bittersweet moment for we are rightfully

celebrating the incredible career and contributions of ray and linda. at the same time i'm losing a battle buddy, a partner, and two good friends. in good times and often in not so good times the chief and i were tied at the hip. although he had to stand on my tiptoes to have that happen. but as anyone who has had the pleasure of serving with ray will affirm, it's a great comfort to enter a room, a hearing, or a ceremony with him by your side, exactly what i like a truly commanding presence. simply put, ray is as fine as an officer i have ever known, a leader wholly committed to the army, doing so in last four years at army headquarters. wholly to the dedicated to the people and relationships that propel our mission and to the

broader strategy framed within the department of defense. more importantly, at all times he is faith faithfully committed to the men and women of the united states army and men and women of the united states military. to all who wear the uniform and their families. as it is with me, ray can gaze out of his windows at pentagon office and view the marbled marked fields of arlington cemetery and on many days our view of arlington is one of the most striking in our nation's capitol. on most days it serves as a stark reminder of the awesome and irrefcoable responsibles of the position of chief of staff of the army. like general creighton abrams before him, ray firmly believes that soldiers are not in the army, they are the army. and it's always been his number one job to serve them well and

to serve them honorably. whether it is fighting in tikrit or visiting a wounded warrior at a hospital bed in walter reed, ray has been the consummate leader, distinguished and thoughtful. he has led with a quick mind, calloused hands and a servant's spirit. and while the army has been his profession for more than 39 years, serving this great nation and it is people, protecting his beloved army has always been his career. that there are so many of you here today, so many senior leaders, both active and retired and civilians, it is a clear and true testament to the legacy of ray odierno. as a secretary said, there is really no earthly way to fully capture the breadth and depth of ray's 39 years of service to the army and to the nation, at least not in this ceremony.

but to put it most broadly ray has made a difference everywhere he served in each post, leaving a rich and lasting legacy to his army. his grandfather, silvio, and his father, also named ray, taught him the life lesson and shared it with his own family and soldiers, do the right thing regardless what is swirling around you. as george marshall once famously said, go right straight down the road. what's best and do it frankly without evasion. to our nation's great benefit ray has lived that adage every day for the past 39 years. ray, because of your efforts, our army will forever be in your debt. but i know you haven't strifed, you haven't served alone. to linda, and the three odierno children, tony, kate and mike, you've been a powerful and ready source of strength for ray and by so doing you've served this

nation. ray drew from that strength throughout his career. for all that you have done, for all that you have sacrificed, i recognize my thanks are really inadequate, but i hope that mind combined with what really is hundreds of thousands of those whom ray has led expressed some degree of the depth of gratitude we have to you as well. ray, i know that your desire, your desire to make a difference will not end here. as you and linda resettle in pinehurst, north carolina, you i know will serve the nation and help us through our next challenges. i know as well, your legacy, your leadership, your legacy of service will not just be remembered but treasured. your kids and grandkids will see a bit more of you, no doubt. and your golf game will get what i'm told a pretty needed boost

but, as ray himself has said, much work remains to be done. and it is the character and commitment of our leaders that will carry the days that lie ahead. that's why we have once again this morning turned to one of our best, general mark milley is one of the united states military's most highly-regarded senior officers and strategic commanders. and i've had the privilege of knowing mark since his earlier days as a two-star commander at the 10th mountain division, fort drum, new york. army installation that was part of the congressional district i had the honor to represent. . .

and most recently as the commander of the united states army forces command. at all times he has led with distinction both in war and peace. mark has the personal trust of each and every one of us, the trust to guide our army through this next critical phases and as he takes the, i know he will also take the momentum of his predecessors and keep his eyes on the other bright future to the u.s. army combination and soldiers. mark, welcome back to the pentagon ranks. we are thrilled to have you

here. it's the right leader for this job and we are all grateful for your willingness to take it on. as i sat from even attempt to soldiers can't do it without the help year we appreciate your wife, your son michael, daughter mary margaret for their willingness and supporters to take on another tough assignment. to both the odierno and milley family and milley families come in thank you or what you've done and what is to come. it is because of great leaders like you and the soldiers who are privileged to lead that we remain the preeminent ground force in the world then dispense abomination. congratulations. thank you, all. army strong. [applause]

[inaudible conversations] >> ladies and gentlemen, general dempsey. [applause] >> thank you all for being here today for this great celebration of two terrific army families. i will be at not being in the

nation needs of many distinguished guests and friends in the great leaders of our military, past and present. congratulations. it's a privilege to be part of the ceremony to think and celebrate you and linda for 39 years of exceptional service and welcome mark and holly and milley. i am welcoming the joint chiefs of staff and the other former chief of staff of the army and i would like to begin by expressing the most profound compliment the professional military officers can share with each other and that is simply well done. linda, it is appropriate to begin by thanking you for your strength and compassion for soldiers and families and for being a rock, beginning with your high school days in new jersey and especially through those 50 long more than four years in iraq and for so much more. the grand arc of your

beautifully military family represent everything that is great about being part of in our nation throughout its history has led to the soldiers during life and death struggles in the defense of the united states and in support of the principles we cherish. we are especially fortunate when history of line leaders of talent passion encourage with our nations greatest challenges which assert that the case during your tenure. the west point class of 1976 is alleged to be well represented here today. [applause] have you ever noticed that put them off to the size that they can't get into any mischief. from ray stays on the field of

friendly strife, ray has been a soldier the highest character respected up and down the ranks for his relentless drive, his sharp strategic mind and most of all complete devotion to putting first men and women in uniform and their families. he's always believed developing them into tomorrow's leaders is their greatest strength in our best investment in the future. whatever the challenge, ray has raised a passionate voice on their behalf and given it to us straight. sometimes the more they can't repeat in this setting. ray, you stand among the giants quite literally a firm is history and cast a long and lasting shadow across and the joint force. you leave behind an institution fall of exceptional leaders capable of confronting the most complex challenges we face ahead and make thank you deeply for you done for our beloved army and for building the bench behind you.

your mark is not only in the history books as the 30th chief of staff but also in the hearts and souls of thousands of lives he touched in iraq and across the globe. [background sound] so first a b-52 and now an e. 17. they must like you. katie and i wish you, linda and your entire family the best and extraordinarily well-deserved retirement. personally, look forward to seeing you in north carolina at the rpl, which is code for the retired pentagon location. this reminds me it is a good time to end my remarks because nothing i say can compare to the symbolism and image you see before you. i'll end this way. mark, it is your turn. as an army will continue to learn and adapt. smaller than any time in our

lifetimes. different certainly. the best in the world, you better believe it. doing what the nation asks, absolutely. in doing so there's no more important mission manager at america's sons and daughters are ready. the best but in the best equipped and best trained force on the planet. i know you understand about an tv and i think you and your family for taking on the task. our nation has placed its trust in you both and so of way. you leave the army into the future and you will be terrific. army strong.

>> ladies and gentlemen, general odierno. >> thank you very much. thank you. the best gift i give to our soldiers. i'll try to make this short. first i want to thank secretary carter. i would be remiss if i did not think secretary gates, panetta who while i served under either in combat or hearing the pentagon. secretary make you come almost six years with incredible dedication, great partner. general dempsey, chairman, i can't thank you for your incredible leadership. thank you very much.

to my fellow joint chiefs, incredible leaders who have had a lot of tough issues we would phase and a lot of people try to make a story about lots of fighting and there's not. we understand the mission. we go forward together and try to build the best force. it's an absolute pleasure of mine to work with two professionals. i want to thank our combatant commanders out there on the front lines every day ensuring they remain the same. thank you for being here today. i want to thank the retired general officers were mentors of mind and all of the sergeant majors here, the back bone of our army and all of our civilian gas who really decided to come today. thank you so much. the classmates have 7643 years ago.

we were two weeks from gaining many of us were sure we would make it. the point i really want to make about this class we entered the academy in 1972. not the most popular place to go. it took people of extraordinary character and commitment in order to sign out. that is something special about our class that is held out through the years and we made it incredibly close. thank you all for supporting me in continuing to support our army. god bless all of you. beat navy. [applause] the soldiers on the field represent all of our soldiers. why do i say that? whether it's purging zone, old guard, they represent excellence. they represent the best of who we are.

as i look at their confidence, commitment and character, what i think about right now for the soldiers in iraq who are the best of who we have attempting to train and advise iraqi security forces. i think of soldiers in afghanistan continuing to build an afghan army. i think of soldiers in eastern europe reassuring allies. a soldier with the man appeared lithuania last year. that's who our soldiers are. during the republic of korea supporting allies, fighting the global war on terror around the world. that's why state in this for so long because of our soldiers. their dedication and commitment to this nation. i want to just take a minute to talk about her noncommissioned officer corps. what makes us different than any other army in the world her noncommissioned officers.

they are standardbearers. fair what changed our army over the last 40 years and i've had the opportunity to serve. it's been the changing nature of noncommissioned officers that has transformed our army and they continue to do that today. when i think back 39 years ago, sergeant first class brown and brooks come in the first three ncos i would not be standing here today. and it's those noncommissioned officers that continue to stand up and later a young man in women no matter how the difficult task is. to our officer corps, i truly mean this when i say i've never had a bad loss. maybe i was lucky. i had the opportunity to work incredible leaders who took the

time to mentor me, who took the time to train me, who wonder what the risk and i made growing up. they've always been there for me and continue to be here today. because of them, in my opinion was developed in officer corps like no other and today as we stand here, where the finest officer corps in my opinion in our nations history. battle tested on adaptive, flexible, innovative come able to accomplish any mission. i have complete confidence in the officers in their ability to lead us to our uncertain future. that is what makes me proud to be in the army. i would be remiss if i did not think my family. i come from a strong worded family of italian descent, the

odierno family, but also linda stanley has supported me for his long. they grounded me in all the right principles. they told me about family, closeness, moral and ethical values. the most important thing they put in me was the love of country. my father-in-law true one of the first landing class at normandy. my father served in hawaii. during the attack. they ingrained in me what it was about serving your nation. i am forever indebted to them. to my children, tony, katie and mike, i can't stand on trade thank you enough for the sacrifices you've endured. four different high schools, three different high schools around the world never wavering and always there supporting me. to this day tell me how proud

they are they had the opportunity to grow up in the army. would make me feel great as they are good people grounded. they live good lives and continue to contribute and that is what makes me most proud. i'm proud of all three of you. thank you so much for everything. to my wife, linda. 43 years we have known each other through west point, 39 years in the army, she's always been by my side. when i graduated from west point i told her we would stay five years and get out. linda, our five years are up. [laughter] she is the epitome of selfless service. she always put others before herself. she's always been by my side through the good and the bad. she's always been the strength of our family. she's been the role model for so many spouses throughout the army

and the reason is she always treated everyone with dignity, respect and a little touch of love. she sacrificed her entire life for me. i can never repay her for that. it's often hard for me to stand up here and make other people understand how much our spouses sacrificed. you don't understand and they do every day in order to make us a better army. i don't believe any other profession we count on the houses to do so many things. when that is the epitome of that. just one fact. in the last 15 years linda has attended over 500 memorial services. i want you to think about that for a minute. most of the time i was not there because i was deployed but she

was bare for our families. her dedication to wounded warriors and everything she has done, i simply can never repay you, honey. i love you with all of my heart and you have made me a better man. thank you very much. [applause] to everyone out there who are wondering about mark and holly in and has an incredible heart. and they love to hear me more than anything. that's all you need to know. this is in great hands. we are so proud of both of you would know you'll do terrific work. congratulations to you. and closing, being a yankee fan,

by the way as three to two. i just want to point that out. i am going to paraphrase a quote from the very point is that i'm the luckiest man in the world. i feel like i've been the luckiest man in the world to serve the army for 39 years alongside incredible soldiers a tremendous courage, dedication and commitment. that has been my honor for 39 years and i will never, never forget it. our army is admired and deeply respect by allies. our army is feared by our adversaries. our army is an essential part of the joint force and one that will continue to be critical to our nation's future. i know they will continue to do whatever they are asked, wherever they might be asked to do it.

they will be there prepared. the strength of our nation -- the strength of our army is our soldiers. the strength of our soldiers is family. battle nexus armor strong. god bless all of you. thank you very much. [applause] [applause] [background sound]

>> ladies and gentlemen, the 39th chief of staff of the 90s states of army, general milley. [applause] >> it is incredible i can actually call him ray now after so many years of sir and chief and for the class of 76, thanks for being here. the class of 80 out of princeton here, too. let's hear you sound off. that's not very good. just for the record, it is three to two right now, but it's only the second inning. dunford is showing maps shortly and they are all card-carrying members of the red sox nation. good morning and welcome to our distinguished guest, family and

friends in thank you for being here with your unwavering support for the united states army, the entire family is deeply honored by your presence and for the old guard, you will be done here in a few minutes, so hang in here and we will be passing to do shortly. i first want to start by thanking general ray odierno and his wife, linda. as you heard for 39 consecutive years of selfless service in peace and more to a nation and for linda, you have been an incredible light of leadership to all of us. not only spouses and families but those of us in uniform as well. she's such an incredible example, a positive example of resilience. she embodies what it really means to be army strong from all irony families to include those of us in uniform.

she is, you are in fact a giant of a man, but more importantly than being a physical giant, you are a moral giant with incredible moral purge have let our army through difficult time. you've done that with enormous grace and enormous distinction. your legacy will absolutely live on in the years to come and on a personal note, i again repeat it sounds pretty cool, i have it figured out marty or avoid. but many of you know it's been a real struggle for rate over the last couple of weeks, very difficult to give up the range of chief of staff of the united states army. why? because i am a red sox fan. my son was born in manhattan. i live two years in new york

city and ray, i want you to know that i have a very special place in my heart for the new york yankees and that would be second place. [laughter] secretary carter, i went to thank you for becoming the 39th chief of staff. i've known you for many years his senior leadership in action and you are exactly the right man to lead the entire defense of the united states into a complex and third future. a committee of the night them the entire army will give you 110% in everything we do and we will never fail. secretary mchugh, as previously noted for six consecutive years as our army secretary. i am keenly aware than i am the last of a long line of chiefs line of chief of staff that it stood by years died and i am even more keenly aware that you

too are a diehard yankees fan, at least publicly. but i want you to know full well and for the record that new york really was part of the red sox nation. during the time of the massachusetts it was part of god great baystate and i will always to my grave keeper is a closely guarded secret to you one time admitted to me at ft. drum, new york and the closest to privacy that you are indeed a closeted member of the red box nation. the score is really three to two, chief. i fully understand as a former congressman from northern new york and upstatecome you can never actually admit that. i thank you nonetheless. general dempsey, and yet another yankees fan.

thank you for your great leadership, sir and thank you for being a great chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and i look forward to irving with you in the month and years ahead. for the fellow service cheese and all fellow generals, sergeant majors and all representatives of our partner nations in the distinguished guests, thank you for being here and supporting the army. i want to single out sergeant major daily in thank him on behalf of the and the entire army for being announced in a noncommissioned officer and with him today is false of paying back who was my first surgeon. both of them start to finish represent all that is good about our army and they represent the incredible non-commissioner officer corps at this united states army. thank you all for coming. i am grateful to see many friends and colleagues here.

each of you have had a profound impact in my personal and professional life he admitted he flew in all but the world as high school classmates here, high school hockey coach, princeton hockey team is here from england and all of the world. a lot of us didn't make the prose that drive. college remains of yesteryear in all of them are not here to celebrate. they're here to confirm i actually eventually graduated. friends from the 82nd ft. hood corps, fellow company commanders in the seventh edition and fifth group in so many others, thank you all for being here. as the chief and others have mentioned, before you were representatives of army, the oldest unit in the army and what a remarkable job they do every day, every week, week in, week out, all year long.

one more round of applause. [applause] most importantly i want to my family. as the chief has said -- i guess i'm the chief now. as ray has said, our families are our strength. it is with me the last 35 years both my mother and my father has passed, but they were members of our nations greatest generation and proudly served in uniform in world war ii with my mother in the hospital of washington state tending to the wounded from the pacific. my father with the fourth marine division slugging it out in the bloody campaign in making the assault landing at saipan and finally do with gmail. though not here physically, they

like all of us in uniform, all of our parents have shaped us in ways that will be with all of us forever. both my brother, sandy and sister mary k. are here with us today and i want to publicly thank them for their unwavering imports to meet, our army and our nation. i am unbelievably lucky to have by my side and incredible one-man and holly and. she has been my guiding light, my inner strength that has kept me going through the toughest of times. she's then i can't do the sewers of inspiration in love. like many other army families come in so many army spouses, she had to be a single parent during multiple deployments to iraq, afghanistan and many other places. for countless days and hours of relentless training, she has just completed this past week, 96 hours ago her 30th move by

driving to utah from fort bragg to fort myers and that is representative of army strong. most importantly, she raised our two wonderful children. our daughter, mary margaret and her son, peter. i want to thank both of them for their love, support and sacrifice are so many years and i'm so proud of the both of them. it is our children who are the real reason we immune of one all third. some say it's education. i'm say it's money or for a variety of other reasons. no, it is for others. reserve for others and most importantly we serve for our children. a citizen of these united states, we were granted a gift, and the most precious gift of all, the gift of