GENERAL PAUL SELVA: Good morning.
Mr. Secretary, service secretaries, members of the OSD staff, fellow flag officers, colleagues, friends, thank you all for being here today.
I'm -- I'm actually incredibly grateful that, because of a scheduling conflict, the chairman [of the joint chiefs of staff] can't be here.
(Laughter.)
Because I get to stand up here and say thank you to a dear friend, Bob Work.
Oh and (inaudible), thank you for making time to come join us today.
I've known Secretary Work since we were lieutenant colonels.
Most of you know that Secretary Work was born into a Marine family. His father was -- enlisted in the Marines during World War II. Went through the officer candidate program and became an officer in the Marine Corps.
And Bob lived in his footsteps, not his shadow. And in fact, when Secretary Work went off to college, in an act of defiance he joined Navy ROTC.
(Laughter.)
He was going to be a sailor. He had decided that he was not going to live in dad's shadow; that he was not going to be a follower, but a leader.
And then he went on a summer cruise on a World War II-vintage ship that didn't quite impress him. And he decided that he was going to be a Marine.
And boy, what a Marine he became: Marine artilleryman, brigade commander, base commander at Camp Fuji, adviser to the secretary of the Navy.
When I met Lieutenant Colonel Work, he was a fellow in a research program. And I remember the first time we met. We were in a seminar at Johns Hopkins University. And sitting across the table from him, my thought was, "This guy's special."
Incredibly bright and engaging, capable of taking a hard problem apart and putting it back together in a way this simple airman could understand. That is a gift. It is a gift Secretary Work has brought to every part of the institution, civilian and military, as an adviser and a consultant outside of government, as an analyst and a thinker inside of government, as the undersecretary of the Navy, and as the deputy secretary of defense.
He is incredible.
And, Mr. Secretary, we're going to miss you. So, my chance to say "thank you" comes in three forms.
Thank you as a leader for what you've done for our nation.
Thank you as a coach, because you have been coach, mentor and friend to almost every person in this room.
And thank you for being a movie critic.
(Laughter.)
Now, this comes with a spoiler alert, because that should be the sign outside of the secretary's office, because he is a movie buff and he does love movie quotes and he loves to tell you just enough to make you want to go see the movie but not enough to completely spoil it.
He is an amazing man.
I've been a colleague of his for some time, you see, because -- you all know this, many of you, those that wear uniforms -- he and I co-chair this thing called the defense management advisory group -- deputies management advisory group. And as a consequence of the fact that we work together on budgets and strategic issues, we have become the ego and alter-ego of just about every major issue in the department for the last 18 months.
And I gotta tell you, his reputation precedes him inside and outside the building. I told you he can take an issue apart, put it back together in a way we can all understand. I'm not the only person that thinks that.
In a quiet afternoon over at the White House, we were working on a particularly complex issue, and one of the people at the table looked up and said, "Where's Bob?"
And I was a little insulted by the way that --
(Laughter.)
-- their reaction to my handling of the situation was "Where's Bob?"
But what that person said next was incredibly impressive. What was said was, "In any issue as complex as this, the person we want at the table is Bob Work, because he will help us find what's good and right in our solution, because anything you give to Deputy Secretary Work will be looked at from every angle. And he will bring a solution that we can live with."
For a policymaker to say that about another policymaker is the highest form of compliment I can possibly imagine.
So, in retrospect, I shouldn't have been insulted. I should have been impressed when that person said, "Where's Bob?" because he has that reputation.
He also is a Marine's Marine. When he testified for his confirmation as the deputy secretary of defense, one of the members of the panel in the Senate Armed Services Committee said, "It will be a pleasure to have the former undersecretary of the Navy and a former Marine as our deputy secretary of defense. And I will be happy to support your nomination."
Undeterred, undeterred, Bob Work said, "Senator, please let me correct the record. If confirmed, I will serve as the deputy secretary of defense, having been the former undersecretary of the Navy, and a proud Marine."
Mr. Secretary, we are in your debt for the service you've given the nation. We will always be impressed with your capacity to take a problem apart. We curiously await your critique of the next film to be released.
(Laughter.)
And we respect the fact that before us sits a Marine who has given the better part of his adult life to the service of our nation.
God bless you, Mr. Secretary.
It is now my pleasure to introduce to you our Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter.
(APPLAUSE)
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ASH CARTER: Thanks, Paul.
Just to be clear, DMAG stands for Defense Management Action Group.
(Laughter.)
But I, too -- I, too, have had the experience in the White House of someone turning and saying, "Where's Bob?"
(Laughter.)
And you might think that felt harsh, but actually I, too, was proud.
And that's the theme of everything I wanna say this morning. And you're gonna need to bear with me here cause this is gonna be a little difficult for me.
First of all, thank you all of the leaders present, past and from around town who have come here today. I'm not surprised to see you, but it's also part of the tribute to the man we celebrate and I especially want to honor and thank this morning.
Now, as -- by now more than eight years ago, the Obama defense transition team needed help not only with Navy and Marine Corps issues. But also policy issues, acquisition, the Quadrennial Defense Review. They needed experts with a breadth and a depth on such diverse range of issues. But there is -- there is a rub. And here's what it was.
The team would need five weeks of time, it was unpaid, and it required both an ethics agreement and a leave of absence.
And as the story goes, the person we're here to celebrate responded characteristically. He said, "OK, what do you want me to do?"
And guests and colleagues, Bob's family, especially Cassandra, you -- thank you for being here today to honor someone who said, not only eight years ago, but many, many times since -- to the benefit of this department, to the whole country and very much to me personally-- OK what do you want me to do.
My good friend Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work. Today we're going to recognize Bob for outstanding work in partnership, his visionary leadership and management of the defense enterprise as deputy [secretary]. And I'm going to repay in small measure a great personal debt. And to award him our highest civilian honor, DOD's Defense Distinguished Public Service Award.
Now, being deputy secretary of defense isn't always easy, I know that, it's one of the most challenging, yet least visible roles in the department. It not only requires the right mindset, it also requires the right match between a defense secretary and a deputy.
Few secretaries of defense have also been deputy secretaries of Defense and there are two ways it could go. I could be sitting there saying, jeez I wouldn't have done it that way.
(Laughter.)
Or -- and noticing -- because you'd be acutely aware of it, what wasn't being done or the way it's been, which is I have noticed, observed, but able to relax and allowed to proceed while I did other things, everything that I knew, that a deputy secretary of defense needed to do, for the department and the secretary of defense. That's the way it's been for me. It's truly been a two-fer, I've been able to go off and do the things that I have had to do, confident, knowledgeable that everything was being done, that I wasn't doing, that needed to be done at our level.
So having seen it and lived it from both sides, I'm very thankful and proud to have had Bob work as my deputy. He understands, like few others in all of Washington, that our defense is so vital that we to whom it is entrusted have to sure it's continuity and excellence across the years and across the domains of conflict, not just air, land and sea, but also space and cyber space.
Across our whole government, across government agencies from strategic era to strategic era and from presidential administration to presidential administration. As we come to the end of this presidential administration and my time as secretary of defense, I couldn't have asked for a better partner than Bob.
Bob and I made the decision early on to sync our front office teams, to have one unified front office. Many of the members of which are here today -- and the arrangements worked so well from the good of the department, the country and certainly for me. Bob never hesitates when I asked him for help for something or to take the lead on an issue. Instead he embraces it, charges ahead just like any good Marine would.
And in a town of talkers, Bob Work is aptly named because he actually works. That's why when you need something done and done right, you call Bob Work. And more often than not, he'll say exactly what he did eight years ago, "OK, so what do you want me to do?"
He's helped me and the department tackle the five challenges we're confronting now today: the prospect of Russian aggression in Europe, especially in Europe; managing historic change in the Asia-Pacific, the single most consequential region of the world for America's future; strengthening our deterrent and defense forces in the face of North Korea's continued nuclear and missile provocations; checking Iranian aggression and malign influence and helping defend our friends and allies in the Middle East; and countering terrorism and accelerating the certain and lasting defeat of ISIL.
And at the same time, as we deal with this complex present, Bob's been particularly key as, we've also been mindful of preparing to contend with an uncertain future, because we've never been good at knowing what's around the strategic corner, ensuring that America's military is ready for challenges we don't anticipate today.
And today, ours is the finest fighting force the world has ever known. There's no other military that's stronger, more capable, more experienced, more welcomed in the world or frankly more innovative. But as Bob and many of you know well, that's not a birthright.
It's not guaranteed and we can't take it for granted in the 21st century, we have to earn it again and again. And to do so, we have to invest and we have to innovate and Bob's been the point man in helping us develop and fight for the budget investments we need, from greater lethality in the Navy, to fully resourced readiness in the Army and Marine corps, to advanced capabilities in the Air force and much, much more.
He's been indefatigable in pushing the Congress for smarter reforms, less micromanagement and more respect for the expert recommendations of our senior military and civilian defense leaders. And I know Bob isn't going to be giving it up any time soon.
Bob also knows we need to innovate for the uncertain future we face and that's why he's been with me all the way in thinking outside the Pentagon's five-sided box to ensure our technology and our plans and our management of people stay the best for decades to come. He's been the leader on our third offset strategy, driving forward a wide range of groundbreaking technologies in order to advance and sharpen our military edge and pushing the department to reflect in our budget and management the great strategic transition upon which we're embarked.
From the relative easing of great power competition in the early post-Cold War years and then over 10 years of skillful but all-absorbing focus on large counterinsurgency campaigns, to today's return to full-spectrum readiness and capabilities.
As Bob has said again and again, it's also about the strategies and the operational concepts that will leverage those technologies. We have to change the way we innovate, the way we invest and especially the way we fight with the new things that we acquire. And that's why Bob's been a leader in our renewed commitment to war gaming.
He's also helped bolster the strategic capabilities office, made sure we have the rapid capabilities offices in each of the services and a growing network of DIUx Pentagon outposts in the nation's technology hubs.
All these efforts will hone our military's unrivaled edge and they'll make -- but they also make us stronger a Defense Department inside.
As much as anyone, Bob understands what makes us in this department so special. Inside the Pentagon and across DOD, he's widely recognized as an outstanding leader, manager, always able to garner support when needed, firm hand on the wheel when I am away visiting troops or allies or when I'm a few miles off, either on Capitol Hill or in the White House.
He keeps everything running smoothly, puts out fires quickly, usually before I even know there's smoke. We're the largest institution in American and Bob Work is the key reason why all of its parts come together.
More even though the department itself, Bob takes care of its people; uniformed and civilian. As Marine artilleryman, Bob understands the burdens placed on our service men and women and their families and the gravity of what the president, I and he asked them do. He also never forgets too often maligned civilians who also make up our force.
I know how much those nearly three million Americans mean to him and also to Cassandra. And when DOD's people need something, to them also, both of you are among the first to say, OK would you want me to do. Of the many things to admire about Bob, he's a good man, he's a friend, he's a family man. It'd be hard to find anyone in the building, the department, the interagency, or in Washington with a bad word to say about him.
He's loyal, he has an unflagging sense of optimism. In a time when civility and decency of comportment and conduct seem in short supply in Washington, he's old school. And despite his seriousness, Bob's fun to work with. He's willing and able to take a step back and even take time with the staff to go off and see a movie. A building full of wonks, he has an unparalleled movie buff, more than I. "Star Wars" trivia master, very much in touch with that force also.
(Laughter.)
Indeed, it's been said, the -- not a DMAG goes by with at least -- without at least one movie reference, at least two Diet Pepsi's and Bob Work marking time with the tapping his feet.
(Laughter.)
Bob wouldn't be who he is without his family and I want to take a moment in particular, to thank them for the support they provide Bob. And Cassandra, thank you for being such a wonderful partner to Bob, for allowing him to be such wonderful partner to me, for being a great partner coupled to me and Stephanie.
I know how deeply he appreciates you and your love as well. The Work family is a model of service with their love for each other and for the country. Bob at least learned it from his Marine dad, R.G. Work, or he mentioned Silver Star recipient during the Korean War. And he and Cassandra were passing it down to Kendyl, who works in national security herself. So we're very grateful to you for supporting Bob during these busy years.
Three years ago, Bob, at your confirmation hearing, you promised to spend every waking day doing everything humanly possible to address forthrightly the pressing national security challenges that face our country. You've met that commitment and more. And this department and the nation are indebted to you. I, myself, am forever indebted to you. Thank you, thanks for your service to this nation, our values and our security.
Thanks for always saying, OK, what do you want me to do? Thank you for being one of the best partners and colleagues I could possibly have asked for.
(APPLAUSE)
MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, please stand.
(APPLAUSE)
(UNKNOWN): The citation to accompany -- to accompany of the award of the Department of Defense medal for distinguished public service to Robert O. Work.
Honorable Robert O. Work is recognized for distinguished public service as Deputy Secretary of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, from April 2014 to January 2017.
During this period, Deputy Secretary Work, led the successful development of the Third Offset Strategy, the department's crucial effort to maintain conventional deterrents and drove the department to strengthen offense analysis, cultivate innovative concepts and pursue advanced capabilities.
In addition, he definitely guided the department through three planning, programming, budgeting and execution cycles; fashioning a defense program that ensures United States military superiority for years to come. He also implemented over $7.9 billion in management reforms as the Department’s chief management officer.
In pursuit of the secretary of defense's top priorities, Deputy Secretary Work headed the nuclear deterrence enterprise review group, women in service review, force of the future implementation group and military health system review. He led three ministerial-level multilateral engagements with the Nordic and Baltic countries. And reassured their officials and bolstered military cooperation.
Lastly, he focused the department on emerging cyber, space and electronic warfare threats and directed investments to reverse deteriorating trends. The distinctive accomplishments of Honorable Work reflect great credit upon himself and the Department of Defense.
(APPLAUSE)
MODERATOR: Please be seated.
Ladies and gentlemen, the deputy secretary of defense.
DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE BOB WORK: Well, thank you, Secretary Carter, for those very kind and generous words. Far too kind, and far too generous. And to you, Paul, as well.
I'm going to say more about each of you in just a few minutes. But first, I want to welcome everyone here today. By my count, this is the 117th award, goodbye or retirement ceremony this week.
(Laughter.)
So, let's be real.
(Laughter.)
I'm relatively certain you're getting just a little bit tired of them. And having to bear one more on Friday before a long weekend -- and Friday the 13th to boot -- is especially trying. So, I'm very grateful that you would take time to be here today. And there are simply too many of you to call out and recognize. And if I started, I'm sure that I would forget someone.
So let me just say to all of you, my friends, my colleagues, my mentors, thank you. Every single person in this room, in one way or the other, has made your mark on me at some place or some time. And you've made me a better person for it. So, I owe each of you an eternal debt.
Now, you probably notice that this was billed as a recognition ceremony rather than a farewell ceremony and that's because I'll be staying just a little bit longer to help with the transition until my successor is confirmed.
(APPLAUSE)
The reason why I say this is just to tell you the significance of this will -- up until this point, has been one of the most well-kept secrets in the United States Marine Corps.
(Laughter.)
Now, it all starts back in August 1974 when I reported to Quantico as a brand new second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. And during the first several days, our staff platoon commanders were drilling into us what an honor it was to be selected and chosen as a leader of Marines. However long we served, he said, the lucky of us would serve for 20 years or more because 20 years of working with Marines is about the best you can get. And some of you, a very few of you, will be lucky enough to be a general officer Marines.
But he said, look, it is easier to become the deputy secretary than it [edit: is to become] a general in the Marine Corps.
(Laughter.)
I mean, who knew?
(Laughter.)
And 40 years later, I was lucky enough to become the deputy secretary and I received a mysterious summons from 8th and I. And I found myself in a dark room, in a basement somewhere, with commandants past and present, some in ghostly form.
(Laughter.)
And they sat me down and they said, choose the red pill or the blue pill.
(Laughter.)
Those of you who aren't movie fans are just not getting this right now.
(Laughter.)
Now, if you choose the blue pill, you will serve as other DSDs. Just don't embarrass us. But if you take the red pill, you will be given a sacred mission of great importance to the future of our Corps. Choose wisely.
(Laughter.)
So, what the heck, I said it worked for Neo so I took the red pill. And by doing so, I entered the scarlet and gold matrix and I learned that there is a mission that the Marine Corps has to have a SecDef, a DepSecDef and a chairman who are all Marines at the same time.
(Laughter.)
(APPLAUSE)
Now, there's never been a secretary who's been a Marine and there's only been one previous Marine Deputy Secretary of Defense, that was John P. White. And only one chairman before Joe Dunford. So, I had my work cut out for me. But assuming Congress agrees, that will all change in a week or so and thank goodness because I'm exhausted.
(Laughter.)
But I have a confession to make. I have only met three of my four mission commanders -- parameters.
(Laughter.)
Gen. Paul Selva [vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff], I really love you.
(Laughter.)
I have a second confession to make. Look, I am extremely embarrassed to be recognized for doing a job I absolutely love. And for doing things I simply could not have done without the help of many of the people in this room and many, many, many more besides. So, in this recognition ceremony, I'd like to spend some time recognizing all of you and the great men and women who serve in this department.
And I think that's only proper because in my citation, it does say that I speak a lot about technology, I'm associated with the Third Offset Strategy and many people assume that I am a big technophile. And I suppose I am to a certain degree.
But in every single presentation I give, when talking about technology, I always take great pains to say that the greatest competitive advantage that this Department enjoys is its people, and I believe that deeply in my heart and soul.
As General Paul Selva and the secretary [of defense] said, I was born into a Marine family. I spent my college years in NROTC. I expected to be a marine biologist and I became a biologist who was a Marine.
(Laughter.)
I served 27 years in the Marines and seven years in government service, so I have lived alongside the men and women who serve our country in uniform and also the civilian and contractor workforce that supports us all.
And there are simply no better people. They're patriotic, mission-oriented, selfless, caring and brave. No matter how crazy things get, no matter how trying or frustrating the circumstances, you can always count on the people in this enormous and great enterprise known as the Department of Defense to be there to pick you up, encourage you, and when necessary, kick you in the ass and get you moving.
(Laughter.)
Now, I'd like to tell you how I feel about some of them, starting with Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.
The Department of Defense has an important dual mission. I'm not telling anybody in this room something -- I mean, something they don't know. But it's to recruit, organize, train, equip, exercise, deploy and retain a joint force that is ready for war and operated forward to preserve, enforce or compel the peace. There's no higher mission in our country. And the thread that connects these two missions is the application and management of violence.
Now, the fundamental job of the secretary [of defense] – on the first side of the ledger -- what we refer to as the organize, train and equip side -- is to answer the question, how much is enough? And the fundamental job of the secretary [of defense] on the second side of that ledger, the deploy and employ side, is to answer the questions, how much do we need to accomplish the mission?
And the military leaders on both sides of the ledger often answer these questions differently than the secretary might. Generally in the forms of "not enough" and "more."
(Laughter.)
So one of the key jobs of the deputy secretary is to try to help the secretary resolve these different answers. And in my three years of trying to do this with Secretary Carter, it reminds me of a story that was often told by Abe Lincoln. There was a drunk taking shelter in an Illinois revival. He slept when the preacher asked, "Who are on the Lord's side?" And the entire audience rose. The preacher then said, "Who is on the side of the Devil?"
He woke the drunk up and the drunk stood up all alone. And he looked around and said, "Well, I don't exactly understand the question. But I'll stand by you, parson. But it seems we're in a hopeless minority."
(Laughter.)
So let me say, as a member of that minority of two --
(Laughter.)
-- I got to watch Secretary of Defense Carter up close and personal and to get to know him very, very well. And let me tell you, it was both an education and an honor. As former Secretary of Defense Perry said at Secretary Carter's tribute, there was probably no more qualified candidate to become the Secretary of Defense than Secretary Ash Carter.
According to -- we've looked and he is the only person that we know of who was confirmed at the assistant secretary, undersecretary, and deputy secretary level before assuming his job. And for the last seven of eight years, he's served the top three positions in the Department.
So, his preparation and experience was evident in the way he led this department and tackled the knotty security problems that we face today. And I want to personally testify to each of you and those watching and everyone in the building, what a difference your strong and steady leadership has made to this department and to our nation's security, ensuring that our military remains the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen.
And let me also say, and I can say this with certainty as a military historian, I believe that history will judge Secretary Carter as the model for a secretary of War. Clear-thinking, resolute, and relentless. So, your leadership, I know, is going to be one of the key reasons that ISIL is on its way to a lasting and decisive defeat.
I've also witnessed his enormous regard and love for the men and women in uniform and their families and I hope you know, sir, the inspiration that you've been giving to our troops and our civilians and our contractors every day. So, it has been the privilege of my life to serve alongside you in that hopeless minority as your deputy secretary. Thank you for your leadership, your trust and your friendship.
Next I'd like to say something about General Paul Selva. As he said, leading an enterprise as large as DOD is both challenging and sometimes exhausting. It requires careful consideration and melding of inputs from both civilian and military staffs and that takes patience and sometimes very contentious coalition building. And my primary partner in this regard is Paul Selva.
As he said, he sat alongside me in countless DMAGs, in Nuclear Defense Enterprise Review Group (NDERGs). I'm just going to give you a couple acronyms just to throw them in there; Advanced Capabilities Deterrence Panel (ACDP) core group meetings, force of the future implementation meetings, Women In Service Review (WISR) implementation meetings, transgender implementation meetings, I mean every single big knotty problem we face as a Department, he's been my battle buddy and wingman. He's thoughtful, steady, calm, incisive, utterly professional and a good counselor and friend.
Paul, thank you so much for everything you do for this department, the joint force, our service men and women, our civilians and for helping me sort through issues big and small. I count you as a good friend and I'm forever in your debt.
Then come the five undersecretaries. The General Counsel (GC) and the director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE). The seven partners who help me keep the engine of the department humming smoothly for the secretary of defense. Now, as has been mentioned, I am a movie fan. And I think -- tend to think in terms of movie references, so in my view, they embody the magnificent seven.
(Laughter.)
Some people like to talk about teams of rivals. Look, that simply will not work in the Department of Defense. You need people that leave their egos on the floor of the Senate confirmation floor and often their dignity.
(Laughter.)
And work as a team who don't seek money or fame, but simply want to do something bigger than themselves, who fight the good fight even when the odds are overwhelming and who cover each other's backs when under fire. That pretty much sums up those who've served in these jobs while I've been the deputy secretary. I don't have time to mention every single one of them, but let me just tell you, I'd be proud to go into battle with you at any time.
The Joint Chiefs, that's easy. They're the Guardians of the Galaxy.
(Laughter.)
Under the guidance of Star-Lord -- I mean, the chairman.
(Laughter.)
They're the ones most responsible for the health and care of our force and providing the secretary with best military advice. And when working with them, it helps to understand group-speak because depending on the content, "I am Groot" means I need a bigger army or I need 50 more ships than I told you or --
(Laughter.)
-- the Air Force is undermanned or the Marine Corps is under-resourced or don't forget about the National Guard.
(Laughter.)
Now, all kidding aside, Mark, John, Fingers, commandant, Joe, and for those who came before you, it's just been a privilege to work on -- along side you. The -- (inaudible) -- you do everything humanly possible to make sure our Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guardsmen are as good as they've always been.
Then there are 11 COCOMs and the sub-unified commanders who are on the front lines. They are the ones who further U.S. and American interests in both peace and war. And they follow the three simple rules of one of the most unknown and underrated COCOMs of all time; Dapper "Danny" Ocean.
(Laughter.)
Those were; don't mess with anyone who doesn't deserve it, don't hurt anyone unless the cross the United States of America, and play to win -- always. So whether it's confronting Russia in Europe, ISIL in the Middle East or China in the East and South China Seas, the department's own Ocean's 11 play to win, and it is a blast to watch them take the house.
The joint staff -- I first thought of them in terms of the movie "300."
(Laughter.)
Warriors, all, tough as nails, like Lt. Gen. Bill Mayville and Lt. Gen. Tony Ierardi and many, many more beside them. They give their all even when out-numbered. But then I said. "Hey wait a minute. There's about four times as many people on the Joint Staff than there were at Thermopylae."
(Laughter.)
And then I pictured them in those silly loincloths -- and I'm sorry Paul, Tony, Bill -- I just don't think they have the abs for it.
(Laughter.)
So it's got to be "Ben-Hur" and all those slaves tied to the galley --
(Laughter.)
-- who had just two goals in life; row well and live.
(Laughter.)
And boy, do they ever. And when ordered to ramming speed, it is both exhilarating and inspiring.
The three service secretaries have the most maddening job. They have the ultimate Title 10 responsibilities in their departments, but they're often treated like silent movie stars.
(Laughter.)
So that reminds me of the "Three Amigos!" That was a movie about three silent movie stars who were mistaken for heroes and had to live up to their reputation. Ray, Debbie, Eric and John before you, you have done that much -- you have done that and much more. It has been a pleasure to work alongside you, and in my book, you truly are heroes.
To the unders [undersecretaries] and vices who must suffer the cruel and unusual punishment of sitting through DMAGs, you know your movie, it's "Groundhog Day".
(Laughter.)
But I ask you to keep one thing in mind. Even though you were forced to take part in the same debates over and over again, that means Paul and I have to listen to your whining over and over and over again.
(Laughter.)
In all serious note, though, thanks for your dedication, professionalism and skill. I make better decisions because of your strength of convictions and your arguments, and I look forward to the next DMAG.
To all of those in the OSD staff and the office of the secretary, the countless action officers who fuel the engine of decisions that make this department go, to those in the executive secretary, secretary of defense communication, secretary of defense travel, secretary of defense protocol and all of those who as so ably support the secretary and me and the culinary superstars, hoorah, in the secretary of Defense mess, when I think of you, I think of two movies; "Apollo 13" and "The Martian."
Why do I think that? Because like the NASA flight team, every single day, they're working to make sure that the mission continues and they take care of all the mundane things that are safety of flight. But at some point in time, everything will go to hell.
(Laughter.)
Actually, it's about ten times a day.
(Laughter.)
And they get together, work the problem and get the secretary and me home safe. You are all spectacular.
Only two more to go. To my personal staff, look, the most precious commodity for the secretary and I is time. We have too much to do and not enough time to accomplish it. Moreover, as [Secretary of the Navy] Richard Danzig taught me, in jobs like this, all information flowing up is filtered and everything you say is amplified down. So you need to surround yourself with a special type of people, people who will protect your time, who will make sure you're only focused on things that matter, remove the filters coming up, modulating signals going down.
And if you want to have any agenda-- affirmative agenda at all in this huge democracy, you need people -- I mean enterprise, you need people who are dedicated to change and are willing to fight everyday to achieve it.
And it reminds me of one of my favorite science fiction movies of all time, "The Edge of Tomorrow." And in that movie, Earth is invaded by the deadliest enemy you could possibly image. It can set a time loop, and every day, it sees what you're doing and then it resets. So, it can counteract what you were doing. So it's an enemy that simply cannot win. And Tom Cruises' character hits the beach, literally -- I mean, this was a true Marine movie.
(Laughter.)
Hits the -- hits the beach on the counterattack and gets killed on the first day, but he wakes up in the loop and everyday he goes again until he's killed once again. He goes everyday. He dies, goes everyday, but everyday he's getting farther forward. He's figuring out what the enemy is doing and he's going forward.
Well, that's a lot like my staff. They're fighting against the world's biggest bureaucracy. I say that with the greatest of respect. It has a nature to wait you out by resetting the time clock.
(Laughter.)
So to lead this organization, you need to move in the direction -- to move in the direction the secretary says he wants to go. You have to fight over and over and over again and you die a little each day, but you come back the next.
(Laughter.)
Guys, I'm not going to pick you all out. Let me just say, I do want to pick one person out, Zach Mears came all the way from Ohio today. He was my chief of staff. Zach, I love you, man. Thank you so much for coming.
(APPLAUSE)
But they are the greatest staff that anyone could ever, ever want.
Finally, to my wife, Cassandra, she is an introvert. She hates attention. She told me no recognition, no flowers, but at the risk of raising her ire, let me just say that Cassandra was very ambivalent of -- about me coming back into the government. She knew how much time it was going to take and she knew how tired I was after being the under secretary of the Navy.
But not only did she agree to come in, but she became a true partner. She traveled with me on every one of my trips and went to places I could not see; hospitals, childcare centers, DOD schools. She met with people that I couldn't meet. She wrote handwritten notes to every single person she met. She threw parties for people in the secretariat and she became my partner.
One of my favorites Tom Cruise movies of all time, which did really bad at the box office, was a movie called "Knight and Day." Cassandra hates this movie.
(Laughter.)
She won't let me watch it. But I'm going to tell her something that she will understand. With you, without you, with you, without you. Thank you, baby.
(APPLAUSE)
That's it. I could go on; I'm certain people would start to leave. And I apologize for keeping you so long, but I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you how much I love -- I love this department and the men and women who defend our great nation, how much I love this job, how much I have loved working with Secretary Carter and General Paul Selva and everyone else, how much I have enjoyed working with all of the people over the last 32 months, how much I've depended on you and the debt and gratitude that I owe each and every one of you for your friendship and support.
Thank you so very much. God bless you all.
(APPLAUSE)