The Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff says the military must maintain the trust of the American people in spite of economic and security challenges.
General Martin Dempsey spoke Tuesday afternoon at Offutt Air Force Base. It was his first visit to Offutt since becoming Joint Chiefs of Staff. Dempsey says he’s managing three transitions as Chairman, including the impact of less defense funding on the military. “And the question we will answer, with your help, is how much smaller will that budget become and still allow us to preserve our resources necessary to live up to that responsibility we have, which is to prevent the United States from being coerced in any domain.”
Dempsey says he’s focused on making sure veterans returning home from combat get the services they need as U.S. forces leave Iraq and Afghanistan. He says it’s important that U.S. troops also maintain the faith in each other they’ve shown over the past decade.
Offutt is home to U.S. Strategic Command.