SESA Keynote Speaker and 25th Secretary of the United States Air Force , Barbara Barrett
Figure 3 . ( L ) Barbara Barrett as a young girl . Figure 4 . ( R ) A description of Barrett ’ s responsibilities at McConnell ’ S Riding Academy , “ Whatever It Took . Ran the whole enchilada .”
defense , and diplomacy she refers to as “ home ”:
“ Aviation is a big part of my life and space is , too . For me , the Air Force is a very comfortable home and a place that feels like the right fit ,” she says . She adds that her position as the Secretary of the U . S . Air Force is “ an extraordinary privilege .” ( Barrett , 2019 ).
Supporting United States Airmen
“ I
also know that every Airman , when they raise their hand to defend the country and the
Constitution , is making a bigger commitment than I am . My job will be to give them the tools , give them the resources , give them the support , and get out of the way .”
During her tenure at the Pentagon , Barrett emphasized her allegiance to removing unnecessary regulations and modernizing operations toward the goal of making “ faster and smarter decisions .” ( Barrett , 2019 ).
This efficiency contributes to a much larger purpose : the U . S . Space
Force . Even from conception , she had extremely high expectations for the U . S . Space Force as she firmly states ,
“ We have to be first and best in space for the world ’ s safety and especially the defense of America .... A United States Space Force is not just a good idea ; I might even say it ’ s overdue .... It ’ s really time for us to be attentive to our dependence on space , the urgency of space , the importance of space , and the need for us to continue our lead in the warfighting domain .” ( Barrett , 2019 ).
This need to “ lead ” is not merely to be the best . Barrett details our nation ’ s vulnerability and dependence on space :
“ We are vulnerable . For example , the U . S . and the global economy are totally dependent on satellites , most especially the GPS , which is operated by the Space Force . “ It is a remarkable thing how completely dependent most Americans and people around the world are in our day-to-day lives on space . As I ’ ve said before , I think most people before their
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