1 00:00:00,103 --> 00:00:03,380 (gentle piano music) 2 00:00:03,380 --> 00:00:06,003 - [Narrator] We've never been ones for the spotlight; 3 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:10,063 not ones for fanfare or praise. 4 00:00:11,830 --> 00:00:16,233 We're driven by purpose, a calling higher than our own. 5 00:00:17,770 --> 00:00:19,383 A purpose we've fought for, 6 00:00:20,380 --> 00:00:24,723 a purpose we've bled for, a purpose we've proved. 7 00:00:26,590 --> 00:00:29,090 Our story is about resilience, 8 00:00:29,090 --> 00:00:32,263 it's about determination, and it's about strength. 9 00:00:35,060 --> 00:00:38,970 For over 70 years, in disaster and in peace, 10 00:00:38,970 --> 00:00:42,780 in tragedies and in triumph, we've led the way. 11 00:00:42,780 --> 00:00:44,280 It's who we are. 12 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,090 We are first in and last out. 13 00:00:47,090 --> 00:00:50,723 We're warriors, we're Airmen, we're civil engineers. 14 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:54,793 This is our story. 15 00:00:58,603 --> 00:01:02,270 (dramatic orchestral music) 16 00:01:18,330 --> 00:01:21,130 Our story begins long before our name. 17 00:01:21,130 --> 00:01:22,830 It was the 1940s. 18 00:01:22,830 --> 00:01:26,123 We were soldiers, and World War II was about to begin. 19 00:01:27,553 --> 00:01:28,401 - [Radio Broadcaster] We interrupt this program 20 00:01:28,401 --> 00:01:29,811 to bring you a special news bulletin. 21 00:01:29,811 --> 00:01:32,899 The Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii by air 22 00:01:32,899 --> 00:01:34,580 President Roosevelt was just announced. 23 00:01:34,580 --> 00:01:36,730 - [Narrator] We started in aviation engineer battalions 24 00:01:36,730 --> 00:01:39,230 in the Army Corps of Engineers. 25 00:01:39,230 --> 00:01:41,840 Our focus was airfields, and the mission was clear: 26 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:46,840 construct, conceal, maintain, and, when necessary, defend. 27 00:01:49,580 --> 00:01:52,220 Across Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific, 28 00:01:52,220 --> 00:01:53,950 America and her allies were depending 29 00:01:53,950 --> 00:01:56,340 on our civil engineer expertise, 30 00:01:56,340 --> 00:01:58,230 and we rose to the challenge, 31 00:01:58,230 --> 00:02:01,370 maintaining and improving existing facilities and pavements, 32 00:02:01,370 --> 00:02:03,660 standing ready to respond at a moment's notice 33 00:02:03,660 --> 00:02:06,180 to flightline and facility fires, 34 00:02:06,180 --> 00:02:08,140 camouflaging airfields, 35 00:02:08,140 --> 00:02:11,230 constructing defensive barriers to protect those airfields, 36 00:02:11,230 --> 00:02:14,550 and specializing in rapid runway repair. 37 00:02:14,550 --> 00:02:16,330 We were warriors who helped America 38 00:02:16,330 --> 00:02:17,703 lead the allies to victory. 39 00:02:25,723 --> 00:02:27,720 (triumphant band music) 40 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:29,890 America's triumph in World War II 41 00:02:29,890 --> 00:02:32,770 hinged on the success of air combat power, 42 00:02:32,770 --> 00:02:35,623 and our most senior civilian leaders took notice. 43 00:02:36,780 --> 00:02:38,530 President Truman proudly signed 44 00:02:38,530 --> 00:02:40,570 the United States Air Force into existence 45 00:02:40,570 --> 00:02:43,343 with the National Security Act of 1947. 46 00:02:44,580 --> 00:02:48,235 We were part of a new branch, a new military frontier. 47 00:02:48,235 --> 00:02:51,870 (airplane humming) 48 00:02:51,870 --> 00:02:54,890 But the ties to our Army past remained intact, 49 00:02:54,890 --> 00:02:57,193 and Army engineers were still in charge. 50 00:02:58,300 --> 00:02:59,980 They called them SCARWAF, 51 00:02:59,980 --> 00:03:03,110 Special Category Army With Air Force, 52 00:03:03,110 --> 00:03:05,970 and we relied on them to recruit, organize, train, 53 00:03:05,970 --> 00:03:09,100 and equip Air Force combat engineering units. 54 00:03:09,100 --> 00:03:11,170 Our leadership was disjointed, 55 00:03:11,170 --> 00:03:13,323 and we were not ready for conflict. 56 00:03:14,920 --> 00:03:18,220 The cracks in the structure began to show during peacetime, 57 00:03:18,220 --> 00:03:20,270 and as we turned back to a wartime footing, 58 00:03:20,270 --> 00:03:22,483 those cracks turned into canyons. 59 00:03:23,980 --> 00:03:25,810 It was the 1950s. 60 00:03:25,810 --> 00:03:28,400 Were we airmen or were we soldiers? 61 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:30,503 All we knew was that we were at war. 62 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:34,020 Korea posed a new challenge. 63 00:03:34,020 --> 00:03:35,650 Unfamiliar terrain and a lack 64 00:03:35,650 --> 00:03:37,340 of air base engineering standards 65 00:03:37,340 --> 00:03:39,210 exposed the severe consequences 66 00:03:39,210 --> 00:03:41,523 of a SCARWAF dependent Air Force. 67 00:03:42,410 --> 00:03:45,260 Our commanders estimated we were only 10-15% 68 00:03:45,260 --> 00:03:47,460 as efficient as we were during World War II. 69 00:03:48,340 --> 00:03:50,980 We were poorly organized, poorly trained, 70 00:03:50,980 --> 00:03:52,920 and poorly equipped. 71 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:55,050 We could not properly support the construction 72 00:03:55,050 --> 00:03:57,320 of airfields and facilities necessary 73 00:03:57,320 --> 00:03:59,720 to project power on the Korean Peninsula, 74 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:02,080 and therefore, could not support the flying mission 75 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:04,860 of our United States Air Force. 76 00:04:04,860 --> 00:04:06,810 In the two years of war in Korea, 77 00:04:06,810 --> 00:04:09,120 nothing hurt America's air combat power 78 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:10,963 more than weak air facilities. 79 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:14,920 Everything about how we operated needed to change, 80 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:17,420 and we didn't have much time. 81 00:04:17,420 --> 00:04:19,643 New fights were on the horizon. 82 00:04:24,267 --> 00:04:27,767 (gentle orchestral music) 83 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:33,130 Change doesn't happen overnight. 84 00:04:33,130 --> 00:04:35,910 Despite failures in Korea, we did not capitalize 85 00:04:35,910 --> 00:04:38,460 on those hard-earned lessons learned. 86 00:04:38,460 --> 00:04:40,880 In the mid-1950s and early 1960s, 87 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:43,300 we found ourselves still reliant on the Army 88 00:04:43,300 --> 00:04:44,943 for military troop construction. 89 00:04:46,100 --> 00:04:47,580 The pickup game wasn't working, 90 00:04:47,580 --> 00:04:49,433 and we needed an Air Force solution. 91 00:04:53,447 --> 00:04:55,930 It was an era of fighting for our autonomy, 92 00:04:55,930 --> 00:04:57,970 but also an opportunity to define 93 00:04:57,970 --> 00:05:00,390 our civil engineer capability. 94 00:05:00,390 --> 00:05:03,880 Maybe we couldn't build, but we could repair. 95 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:07,440 We called it BRAAT, Base Recovery After Attack. 96 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:08,890 It wasn't everything we needed, 97 00:05:08,890 --> 00:05:10,940 but it was a step in the right direction. 98 00:05:12,580 --> 00:05:14,180 When Congress asked us to consider 99 00:05:14,180 --> 00:05:16,750 having only civilian engineers in peacetime, 100 00:05:16,750 --> 00:05:18,810 our founding fathers knew this was our moment 101 00:05:18,810 --> 00:05:20,810 to fight for the organization we needed. 102 00:05:21,910 --> 00:05:23,620 With clear vision and steady hand, 103 00:05:23,620 --> 00:05:26,870 Brigadier General Tom Meredith, then Colonel Meredith, 104 00:05:26,870 --> 00:05:28,190 assembled a team to conduct 105 00:05:28,190 --> 00:05:31,370 a capabilities-based civil engineer manpower study, 106 00:05:31,370 --> 00:05:34,110 and the result proved what we'd always known. 107 00:05:34,110 --> 00:05:36,480 We needed active-duty engineers ready and able 108 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:39,280 to deploy into conflict anywhere in the world, 109 00:05:39,280 --> 00:05:40,810 and we needed civilian engineers 110 00:05:40,810 --> 00:05:42,610 who could hold our strength at home. 111 00:05:43,740 --> 00:05:47,780 Prime BEEF was our answer: Base Engineer Emergency Force. 112 00:05:47,780 --> 00:05:50,870 Airmen engineers who could deploy at a moment's notice, 113 00:05:50,870 --> 00:05:52,910 who were organized, trained, equipped, 114 00:05:52,910 --> 00:05:55,040 and ready for warfare, 115 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:57,430 and our answer came at the right time. 116 00:05:57,430 --> 00:05:59,480 The United States was again at war, 117 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:02,900 safeguarding democratic freedoms and values abroad. 118 00:06:02,900 --> 00:06:04,950 The eyes of the world were on Vietnam, 119 00:06:04,950 --> 00:06:06,593 and the conflict was escalating. 120 00:06:09,663 --> 00:06:11,430 - During which small arm fire. 121 00:06:11,430 --> 00:06:13,940 - [Narrator] In 1965, the Secretary of Defense 122 00:06:13,940 --> 00:06:15,910 was knocking on our door. 123 00:06:15,910 --> 00:06:18,860 The Marines were rapidly constructing airfields. 124 00:06:18,860 --> 00:06:20,370 Could the Air Force do the same? 125 00:06:20,370 --> 00:06:21,203 - Challenge, therefore, 126 00:06:21,203 --> 00:06:22,957 which we couldn't fail to respond to. 127 00:06:22,957 --> 00:06:25,690 - [Narrator] And thus, RED HORSE was born. 128 00:06:25,690 --> 00:06:27,100 Rapid Engineer Deployable 129 00:06:27,100 --> 00:06:29,643 Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer. 130 00:06:31,030 --> 00:06:33,270 An Air Force heavy construction capability 131 00:06:33,270 --> 00:06:35,530 not reliant on the Army. 132 00:06:35,530 --> 00:06:37,860 It was our time to shine. 133 00:06:37,860 --> 00:06:39,780 It was the 1960s. 134 00:06:39,780 --> 00:06:43,683 We were Prime BEEF, we were RED HORSE, we were Airmen. 135 00:06:44,590 --> 00:06:45,943 We were at war. 136 00:06:48,130 --> 00:06:52,203 Our motto: Can do, will do. 137 00:06:53,530 --> 00:06:55,260 Highly trained teams working together 138 00:06:55,260 --> 00:06:57,340 to support air combat power, 139 00:06:57,340 --> 00:07:00,790 we proved that airmen engineers, under airmen leaders, 140 00:07:00,790 --> 00:07:04,470 could adapt, construct, and protect airfields 141 00:07:04,470 --> 00:07:06,173 whenever, wherever. 142 00:07:08,290 --> 00:07:11,490 The war in Vietnam ended, but a new threat emerged. 143 00:07:11,490 --> 00:07:13,000 - [Reporter] There was a new urgency now, 144 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:14,340 in the wake of the unexpected-- 145 00:07:14,340 --> 00:07:17,200 - [Narrator] An era of Cold War rivalry, 146 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:18,750 and despite our new strength, 147 00:07:18,750 --> 00:07:22,223 the question remained: Were we truly ready? 148 00:07:24,060 --> 00:07:25,453 It was time to find out. 149 00:07:29,740 --> 00:07:31,020 - [Reporter] The Soviets are engaged 150 00:07:31,020 --> 00:07:34,770 in the most massive peacetime buildup of military forces. 151 00:07:34,770 --> 00:07:37,230 - [Narrator] New era, new focus. 152 00:07:37,230 --> 00:07:39,010 Readiness was the name of the game, 153 00:07:39,010 --> 00:07:41,513 and Cold War tensions were reaching new heights. 154 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:46,290 It was the 1980s, and the geopolitical chess match 155 00:07:46,290 --> 00:07:48,160 between America and the Soviet Union 156 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:50,373 meant potential war at any moment. 157 00:07:53,900 --> 00:07:55,680 American military bases, 158 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:58,253 both at home and abroad, were targets. 159 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:01,453 We needed to simulate a real war attack. 160 00:08:02,350 --> 00:08:05,490 In 1985, at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, 161 00:08:05,490 --> 00:08:08,160 the Air Force put itself to the test. 162 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:09,810 They called it Salty Demo, 163 00:08:09,810 --> 00:08:12,513 and it was unlike any exercise we'd done before. 164 00:08:13,980 --> 00:08:15,720 It felt real. 165 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:17,830 The damage to the airfield was real, 166 00:08:17,830 --> 00:08:20,750 and in the end, we were shorthanded, unprepared, 167 00:08:20,750 --> 00:08:23,477 and unable to recover the base after attack. 168 00:08:26,610 --> 00:08:28,820 While Salty Demo exposed our failures, 169 00:08:28,820 --> 00:08:31,110 it also exposed our gaps. 170 00:08:31,110 --> 00:08:34,650 In 1991, we took a step to enhance our capabilities 171 00:08:34,650 --> 00:08:38,620 by bringing EOD, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, 172 00:08:38,620 --> 00:08:41,540 and Readiness into the civil engineer organization 173 00:08:41,540 --> 00:08:45,100 to join fire protection in our emergency services. 174 00:08:45,100 --> 00:08:46,750 They had always been critical teammates 175 00:08:46,750 --> 00:08:48,100 in the airfield damage assessment 176 00:08:48,100 --> 00:08:50,580 and emergency preparedness and response. 177 00:08:50,580 --> 00:08:52,303 It was time we made it official. 178 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:58,830 Salty Demo proved that the nation depended on our readiness, 179 00:08:58,830 --> 00:09:01,300 but we needed to test the civil engineer organization 180 00:09:01,300 --> 00:09:02,760 on a wider scale, 181 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:06,490 so we held our first Readiness Challenge in 1986. 182 00:09:06,490 --> 00:09:07,810 We competed against each other 183 00:09:07,810 --> 00:09:10,940 to test our strength and gain critical readiness insights, 184 00:09:10,940 --> 00:09:15,910 force beddown, equipment operations, airfield damage repair, 185 00:09:15,910 --> 00:09:18,340 base recovery after attack. 186 00:09:18,340 --> 00:09:22,220 The goal: prepare us, inspire unity of effort, 187 00:09:22,220 --> 00:09:24,590 and show the world that we were ready to fight 188 00:09:24,590 --> 00:09:26,483 any time, anywhere. 189 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:31,740 But not everyone was convinced of our purpose. 190 00:09:31,740 --> 00:09:34,360 With the end of the Cold War, the Secretary of Defense 191 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:38,460 dropped the Defense Management Review Decision 967 in 1990, 192 00:09:38,460 --> 00:09:40,820 telling the Air Force to make drastic changes, 193 00:09:40,820 --> 00:09:42,623 to be more like the Army and Navy. 194 00:09:43,592 --> 00:09:46,060 cCvilianize all engineering at home, 195 00:09:46,060 --> 00:09:49,950 and move active-duty engineers into the Reserves. 196 00:09:49,950 --> 00:09:52,273 The Air Force response: No way. 197 00:09:53,170 --> 00:09:54,680 Unlike the Army and Navy, 198 00:09:54,680 --> 00:09:56,670 the Air Force fights from its bases, 199 00:09:56,670 --> 00:09:58,610 and needs expert airfield engineers 200 00:09:58,610 --> 00:10:01,090 ready at home and abroad. 201 00:10:01,090 --> 00:10:02,640 The defense of our purpose came 202 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:05,210 from our most senior Air Force leaders. 203 00:10:05,210 --> 00:10:06,793 We came out victorious. 204 00:10:08,430 --> 00:10:12,050 The 1990s offered constant tests of our readiness, 205 00:10:12,050 --> 00:10:14,320 from Operation Desert Storm in Kuwait, 206 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:16,830 to Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia, 207 00:10:16,830 --> 00:10:18,610 we proved the Air Force's resistance 208 00:10:18,610 --> 00:10:21,830 to DMRD 967 was worth it. 209 00:10:21,830 --> 00:10:23,330 Our structure worked. 210 00:10:23,330 --> 00:10:24,770 We were effective, and we were ready 211 00:10:24,770 --> 00:10:27,320 for the regional conflicts that plagued the decade. 212 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:33,600 But nothing could have prepared the world 213 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:34,871 for what came next. 214 00:10:34,871 --> 00:10:38,121 (haunting piano music) 215 00:10:41,390 --> 00:10:44,290 - [Reporter] Has just flashed on my screen. 216 00:10:44,290 --> 00:10:45,483 It looks like there is, 217 00:10:46,509 --> 00:10:49,143 a plane has crashed into the World Trade Center? 218 00:10:49,143 --> 00:10:51,210 - [Reporter] This just in, you are looking at, 219 00:10:51,210 --> 00:10:53,420 obviously, a very disturbing live shot there. 220 00:10:53,420 --> 00:10:54,810 That is the World Trade Center, 221 00:10:54,810 --> 00:10:57,447 and we have unconfirmed reports this morning 222 00:10:57,447 --> 00:10:59,254 - A plane hijacking before these-- 223 00:10:59,254 --> 00:11:01,643 - There's another. - Another plane just hit, oh! 224 00:11:01,643 --> 00:11:02,476 - [Reporter] The wings hit it from the east. 225 00:11:02,476 --> 00:11:03,309 - [Reporter] The second tower is. 226 00:11:03,309 --> 00:11:04,393 (reporters chattering) 227 00:11:04,393 --> 00:11:05,700 - [Reporter] As we speak is under lockdown. 228 00:11:05,700 --> 00:11:10,220 Our armed forces are taking all necessary precautions. 229 00:11:10,220 --> 00:11:13,080 - [Narrator] September 11, 2001. 230 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:14,833 The world as we knew it changed. 231 00:11:15,820 --> 00:11:18,020 Our homeland was under attack. 232 00:11:18,020 --> 00:11:20,020 The World Trade Center in New York City, 233 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:23,013 the Pentagon in Washington, DC, 234 00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:26,653 a farmer's field near Stonycreek, Pennsylvania. 235 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:30,763 As Americans, we grieved. 236 00:11:32,330 --> 00:11:35,803 As United States Air Force civil engineers, we went to work. 237 00:11:37,090 --> 00:11:39,640 Firefighters, Prime BEEF, EOD. 238 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:42,980 In all, more than 400 guard, Reserve, civilian, 239 00:11:42,980 --> 00:11:44,640 and active-duty civil engineer airmen 240 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:48,140 responded directly to the September 11th attacks. 241 00:11:48,140 --> 00:11:50,060 We contributed to rescue efforts, 242 00:11:50,060 --> 00:11:53,120 provided equipment stations, and organized, then led, 243 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:56,130 critical engineering and logistical support hubs. 244 00:11:56,130 --> 00:11:58,360 We responded rapidly and efficiently, 245 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:01,110 knowing all too well that a post 9/11 world 246 00:12:01,110 --> 00:12:02,773 meant war was on the horizon. 247 00:12:05,110 --> 00:12:06,810 We immediately mobilized in support 248 00:12:06,810 --> 00:12:08,560 of Operation Noble Eagle, 249 00:12:08,560 --> 00:12:11,100 the United States' homeland defense mission, 250 00:12:11,100 --> 00:12:13,150 and by October 2001, 251 00:12:13,150 --> 00:12:15,523 our boots were on the ground in Southwest Asia. 252 00:12:18,160 --> 00:12:21,540 In 2004, the Army, in need of our expertise 253 00:12:21,540 --> 00:12:23,210 in base operating support, 254 00:12:23,210 --> 00:12:26,440 began calling on us for in lieu of taskings, 255 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:29,170 but acting as serve-support of Army operations 256 00:12:29,170 --> 00:12:32,060 limited our efficiency and effectiveness. 257 00:12:32,060 --> 00:12:33,790 We needed airmen engineers 258 00:12:33,790 --> 00:12:36,640 under the command of an airman engineer, 259 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:40,040 so we broke paradigms, and organized for that requirement. 260 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:42,050 We centralized command of our forces, 261 00:12:42,050 --> 00:12:45,263 and tackled these demanding joint missions our way. 262 00:12:47,810 --> 00:12:49,570 The global War on Terror, 263 00:12:49,570 --> 00:12:52,200 Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, 264 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:54,760 demanded total force involvement. 265 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:57,230 We deployed through hubs like Manas and Al Udeid 266 00:12:57,230 --> 00:12:59,590 to get to where our joint brothers and sisters, 267 00:12:59,590 --> 00:13:03,170 and our coalition partners, needed us. 268 00:13:03,170 --> 00:13:06,420 We forward deployed to main operating bases like Kandahar, 269 00:13:06,420 --> 00:13:10,883 Bagram, Balad, Tikrit, Kirkuk, and Camp Victory. 270 00:13:11,830 --> 00:13:14,830 From those MOBs, we moved to austere forward operating bases 271 00:13:14,830 --> 00:13:19,430 like FOB Hammer, Q-West, Shindand, FOB Dwyer, 272 00:13:19,430 --> 00:13:22,803 FOB Rhino, FOB Warhorse, and FOB Shank. 273 00:13:23,660 --> 00:13:26,730 Where only desert existed, we built bases. 274 00:13:26,730 --> 00:13:28,660 Where runways and facilities were destroyed 275 00:13:28,660 --> 00:13:31,190 or damaged, we repaired them. 276 00:13:31,190 --> 00:13:34,250 When local allies needed new governance capabilities, 277 00:13:34,250 --> 00:13:37,380 military academies, courthouses, schools, 278 00:13:37,380 --> 00:13:40,860 water and wastewater facilities, we helped them construct. 279 00:13:40,860 --> 00:13:42,660 We served as advisors and instructors 280 00:13:42,660 --> 00:13:44,843 to build their capabilities and capacity. 281 00:13:46,330 --> 00:13:50,340 Both at home and deployed, our souls were all in, 282 00:13:50,340 --> 00:13:54,123 pouring our blood, sweat, and tears into the fight. 283 00:13:55,490 --> 00:13:57,470 When faced with the evils of combat, 284 00:13:57,470 --> 00:13:59,120 our Air Force EOD teams 285 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:02,060 demonstrated incredible courage and competence, 286 00:14:02,060 --> 00:14:03,940 with many sacrificing everything 287 00:14:03,940 --> 00:14:07,570 for our brothers and sisters in arms, for our country, 288 00:14:07,570 --> 00:14:10,143 for the global ideal of freedom for all. 289 00:14:13,950 --> 00:14:16,030 The first two decades of the 21st century 290 00:14:16,030 --> 00:14:17,810 brought new challenges, 291 00:14:17,810 --> 00:14:21,240 new tragedies, and new triumphs, 292 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:24,510 and as we look to the future, more change is upon us. 293 00:14:24,510 --> 00:14:27,100 An era of great power competition, 294 00:14:27,100 --> 00:14:29,470 defined by rapid technological innovation 295 00:14:29,470 --> 00:14:31,230 and peer competition. 296 00:14:31,230 --> 00:14:33,900 An era which requires full-spectrum readiness 297 00:14:33,900 --> 00:14:37,023 to ultimately decide victory or defeat. 298 00:14:38,330 --> 00:14:40,760 But if our history has taught us anything, 299 00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:42,880 it's that even in the face of uncertainty, 300 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:45,250 if we stay true to our principles and values, 301 00:14:45,250 --> 00:14:46,393 we are unstoppable. 302 00:14:48,810 --> 00:14:50,950 Regardless of where the next conflict occurs, 303 00:14:50,950 --> 00:14:54,750 or who we face, the Air Force will be at the forefront, 304 00:14:54,750 --> 00:14:58,070 and we, America's airmen engineers, 305 00:14:58,070 --> 00:14:59,300 will have pledged an oath 306 00:14:59,300 --> 00:15:01,610 to something bigger than ourselves, 307 00:15:01,610 --> 00:15:03,793 will be ready, always. 308 00:15:04,748 --> 00:15:08,415 (dramatic orchestral music)