Verbatim

A Resurgent Cold War …

The Cold War mentality is now resurging and greatly increases security risks of block confrontation in the Asia Pacific. Some big power continues to promote its so-called Indo-Pacific strategy. China holds that no strategy should … aim to build exclusive military alliances against imagined threats, as this could easily lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy. The true design of pushing for NATO-like military alliances in the Asia Pacific is to hold countries in the region hostage and play up conflict and confrontation. Such attempts will only plunge the region into a whirlpool of division disputes, and conflicts.

Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu at the Shangri-La Dialogue [June 3].

… Is Not What We Seek

We won’t be deterred by dangerous operational behavior at sea or in international airspace. … We will not flinch in the face of bullying or coercion. … The whole world has a stake in maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait—the whole world. The security of commercial shipping lanes and global supply chains depends on it. And so does freedom of navigation worldwide. … The United States does not seek a new Cold War and competition must not spill over into conflict. And the region should never be split into hostile blocs.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Shangri-La Dialogue [June 2].

Home (Far) Away From Home

Building humanity’s first home on another planet will be one of the most ambitious construction projects in human history and will push technology, engineering, science, and architecture to new heights.

Icon Technology CEO Jason Ballard, whose company has a $57 million contract with NASA to research lunar construction on the moon, starting with testing of a 3D-printed building [Wired, May 23].

Cut To The Chase

We are witnessing a cultural shift. Engineers want to work on problems for the DOD. We’re going to have an explosion of defense technology. Capital is following the engineers and following DOD opening of the aperture who want innovation.

Alex Moore of 8VC, a venture capital firm in his panelist’s remarks from this year’s USSOCOM and Industry’s SOF Week Conference in Tampa, Fla., in May.

Commander’s Intent

General Brown is a proud, butt-kicking American Airman.

President Joe Biden announcing his nomination of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the White House, May 25.

Repeat After Me

How many Guardians can recite the current mission statement of the Space Force? My guess is very few.

Gen. B. Chance Saltzman in a C-Note to Guardians, asking for input in crafting a new mission statement for the Space Force, May 15.

Originalism

I don’t see anywhere in the Constitution where it says one senator gets a bug up his a_ _ and he can shut down everything for however long.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, on Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s hold on senior military promotions, at an event at the Council on Foreign Relations, [May 16].

Look Deeper

Our belief is that the Air Force cannot hire enough mental health providers, counselors, and chaplains to lead us out of this crisis. Ultimately, mental illness and suicides are symptoms. They are manifestations of something much deeper and complex. Have we asked ourselves what might be causing this? What day-to-day conditions might we be able to influence? Have we been patching up symptoms when we should be strengthening our Airmen’s bodies, minds, and spirits for the adversity they will face in life and on the battlefield?

Maj. Gen. John Klein and Chief Master Sgt. Courtney Freeman, senior leaders of the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, in an editorial [Defense One, May 31].