Monday, March 2, 2009

President Obama made a great decision late last week. He announced late Thursday that he's keeping on the Honorable Michael Donley as Secretary of the Air Force.

Secretary Donley, along with the Chief of Staff of the Air Force General Norton Schwartz, have been very effective over the last several months on focusing the mission and priorities of the Air Force while revitalizing our relationships with the Senate and Congress, OSD and the Army, Navy and Marines.

I was in the office of the OSD/PA when the White House press release was published announcing that Secretary Donley was staying on. I got a copy of the release and I walked down the 4th Floor E-Ring to let everyone know about the breaking new. To a person, the news was met with great gladness.

And, the Secretary and Chief understand and appreciate the communication mission. Their support of our mission has been staunch and they have been personally active in telling the Air Force story. Most recently they appeared together at the AFA symposium last week in Orlando. That media roundtable--mostly with trade reporters--helped clarify the way ahead for the AF budget and the F-22.

We're looking forward to their remarks at the Worldwide. I know they'll be motivating us as we continue to tackle tough issues in the months ahead.