"Welcome Ceremony for Gen David W. Allvin, 23rd Chief of Staff of the Air Force"

Welcome ceremony for the newly confirmed 23rd Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen David W. Allvin. Gen Allvin replaces the recently confirmed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen C.Q. Brown. The ceremony is hosted by Gen Brown and the Secretary of the Air Force, Frank Kendall.
Scheduled from Nov 17 2023 10:00 AM EST to Nov 17 2023 10:58 AM EST

In First Speech as Chief, Allvin Touts ‘DNA’ of Airpower in Responding to Pacing Challenge

"Passing the Baton: Welcome Gen David W. Allvin as the 23rd Chief of Staff of the Air Force"
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md.—The Air Force’s new Chief of Staff vowed to modernize the service’s capabilities with urgency, citing the need to deter the growing challenge from China in his first public address since taking on the top job.
Airpower DNA: Allvin's First Speech as Chief

“The evolving character of war is one that privileges speed and tempo, agility, range, flexibility, resilience, and precise lethality,” Gen. David W. Allvin said Nov. 17 at a welcome ceremony in his honor. “These elements run deep in the DNA of airpower, and it is our responsibility to the Joint Force and the nation to bring these to bear to meet our pacing challenge.”

Allvin became the service’s 23rd Chief of Staff chief on Nov. 2, hours after being confirmed by the Senate in a 95-1 vote, but he was ceremonially sworn in again with more pomp and circumstance and gave his first speech.

In his address, Allvin built on his first message to Airmen released a few days after becoming Chief in which he pledged to “follow through” on the initiatives put in place by Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., his predecessor as CSAF before he was elevated to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as other previous leaders.

“We have accelerated change, and now must turn this momentum into outcomes. The clock is ticking and the time to execute is now,” Allvin said.

Allvin was nominated to replace Brown over the summer, but his confirmation had been delayed by Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s blanket hold on military nominations to protest the Department of Defense’s reproductive health policies. As vice chief under Brown, however, Allvin took over as acting chief when Brown became Chairman, and the two men emphasized their alignment in assessing the needs of the Air Force.

“I couldn’t ask for a better person to follow through and build upon the many ideas we share,” Brown said, noting Allvin’s diverse career path—a mobility and test pilot by trade, he has command experience of aerial refueling, mobility, training, and expeditionary units, as well time on staff at U.S. European Command and the Joint Staff.

“When you look at most officers’ careers, there’s a typical logical flow of progression and specialization,” Brown said. “Dave has none of those. He didn’t follow a path, but he charted a way. It’s all provided him a wide foundation to drawn upon to lead the Air Force as it faces complex and volatile global security environment.”

In a speech in Hangar Three next to the flight line at Andrews during an unseasonably warm November morning, Allvin reiterated to the crowd of defense dignitaries that the Air Force needed to adapt—and fast.

“Among the biggest challenges in pursuit of our destination is time, as the future rushes toward us at a breathtaking pace,” Allvin said.

The new Chief, who has spent much of the last decade as a Pentagon leader, said the White House, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, and Department of the Air Force all had “strong” alignment in their national security goals.

“[There is] a theme in the remarks from Gen. Brown and Gen. Allvin and myself,” Kendall said. “And that theme is a sense of urgency. We are running out of time, and we have to make changes that we need to stay competitive, particularly with our pacing challenge.”

Allvin said the Air Force is particularly well-suited to adapt to a Pacific, near-peer threat given that airpower has long been one of America’s most flexible ways to employ its military might.

Defense Now - November 2023
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Air Force Secretary Speaks at Welcome Ceremony
UNITED STATES
11.17.2023

Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall speaks, at the welcome ceremony for Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David W. Allvin.

Film Credits: Defense.gov

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