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US LEADERSHIP DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN Defense Now: Lloyd Austin's POWERFUL Leadership Speech at West Point 2024! PLAY YOUTUBE VIDEO Original article: Peter Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess
Lloyd Austin's POWERFUL Leadership Speech at West Point 2024! Defense Now Premiered Dec 4, 2024 105K subscribers ... 18,016 views ... 529 likes Defense.gov \| Pentagon Press Secretary Drops Major Announcement \| US Senate Armed Services Committee Watch as Lloyd Austin, the 28th Secretary of Defense of the United States, delivers a powerful leadership speech at West Point in 2024! In this inspiring address, Secretary Austin shares his vision for the future of the US military, emphasizing the importance of courage, resilience, and teamwork. With his extensive experience in the Army, Austin offers valuable insights on what it takes to be an effective leader, making this speech a must-watch for anyone looking to develop their leadership skills. Get ready to be motivated and inspired by one of the most influential leaders of our time! Join this channel to get access to perks: / @defensenow Defense Now \| December - 2024. • DN Dec. 2024 Members-only videos • Members-only videos Austin Speaks at West Point WEST POINT, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III gives a leadership speech Dec. 4, 2024, at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. Defense.gov \| Pentagon Press Secretary Drops Major Announcement \| US Senate Armed Services Committee Transcript 0:00 well good afternoon everybody I'm sorry I I couldn't hear that let's try that again good afternoon everybody now we're talking sorry for budding into to your lunch hour but it's great to be back at West Point this is where leadership happens and every day as Secretary of Defense I draw on the lessons and the values that I learned right here as a Cadet nearly half a century ago and of course as Secretary of Defense I am all about the Joint Force or at least I'm All About The Joint Force for 364 days a year but for just one day a year let me say Beat Navy 1:09 right got a little blood flowing there I think there are nine and a but days until we Face the midshipman on the grid iron and I am confident that Bryson and the team will be ready [Applause] you know the Army Navy game is so important because it represents discipline teamwork determination and a winning spirit and these are the same qualities that will determine your success going forward not just on the fields of friendly Strife as General MacArthur noted but in other circumstances of even greater 2:04 consequence I've seen this firsthand over my nearly 50-year career and I guess I'm officially an old gr by the way and as an old grad I thought that I'd give you a bit of advice that I've gathered over these past five decades since graduating as a member of the class of 75 courage and drive [Applause] there probably one of my classmates in the back over there how about waking him up you know you know when I first came to West Point I'd never been north of Georgia I took the first airplane ride of my life to New York City and I was 3:00 blown away by The firsties Who met me on our day back in 1971 they were clipped commanding and squared away and they just seemed like perfect people and I said to myself what am I doing here I will never be this good but the West Point made me better West Point Made Me Stronger and West Point made me wiser you know you've got a big mission ahead you're not just going into any army you're going into the United States Army and make no mistake the United States military is the finest and most lethal fighting force on Earth [Applause] 4:06 our job is to fight and win our nation's Wars we will always deter a conflict when we can but if we are forced to defend our country we will fight and we will win and we will win decisively yeah you know over the [Music] decades our uniforms have changed our weapons have changed our tactics have changed but one thing won't ever change and that's the power and the capability of our people you are the key to our strength and our War fighting Power and the security of the United States will always depend on two huge 5:07 strategic assets the talents and the commitment of the American people and the values of our democracy and I'd like to talk about both today and so let me start with our people and what it takes to lead in the United States military we are an all volunteer force and so we take really good people and we make them even better our North Star is war fighting Effectiveness we don't lower our standards for our recruits we bring our recruits up to our standards and Way Beyond and we show them how to be all that you can be and these extraordinary Patriots 6:04 demand extraordinary leadership now I've had a front row seat to the greatest stage in history I wore United States Army uniform for 41 years and I spent almost six years serving in combat with three long tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan and I've now served for four years as Secretary of Defense and after all those years of service I keep coming back to One Core tactical lesson on the battlefield troops will only go as far as they have to for poor leaders but troops will go the distance for good 7:01 leaders and I have seen this personally over and over again American soldiers will run through walls for good leaders and I mean that literally they will do amazing things they will show phenomenal courage and it is more powerful than anything that you'll ever see in any war movie but you have to lead them from the front you have to lead with principle you have to lead with guts you have to lead with humility and you have to lead by example as my first platoon Sergeant Sergeant First Class Fox Balor told me the most important thing that you must do as a leader is to take care of your people 8:00 take care of them and they will follow you anywhere you know this is the most valuable lesson that I learned in my 41 years in uniform and it's proven true time and time again when I was a one-star general in Iraq I was talking to an infantry unit right after a firefight their squad had been pinned down by heavy enemy fire and then suddenly one young Soldier got up from behind his covered position and he charged towards the enemy and he risked his own life and he eliminated the threat and saved his Squad and afterward once we had evacuated the unit and they were out of Harm's Way I approached that young Soldier and I asked asked him hey what made you do 9:06 that what made you run toward that automatic [Music] weapon and I asked him weren't you afraid and he said sir I was scared shitless and then he said but I heard my squad Leader's voice and I knew that it was going to be okay I heard my squad Leader's [Music] voice and I knew that it was going to be okay ladies and gentlemen there is no other profession on Earth where a 19-year-old kid will get up and run toward enemy f to save his buddies and that young man did so 10:04 because he trusted his squad leader he looked up to him and he respected him and he knew that his squad leader was there with him leading him and he knew that he would take care of him you know a squad leader probably never imagined the impact that he had had but you will need to be that strong steady voice for your soldiers and there will be times when all eyes and ears are on you I'll never forget the night before we led the third infantry division through the carbal Gap in southern Iraq in the spring of 2003 the fighting was really heavy and an incredible artillery duel ensued as we exchang gunfire with elements of Iraq's Republican 11:03 guard our goal was to suppress the enemy in preparation for our movement through the Gap starting the following day it was one of the most difficult maneuvers of the us-led invasion the enemy could have inflicted a good bit of damage given the complexity of the terrain we had to get an entire Armored Division through an area that was only about 2 km wide and the intensity of the fighting throughout the night was extraordinary shells were coming in close and shaking the the tent of my CP artillery was exploding all around us and so I was laser focused on the radio giving orders to the Brigade [Music] commanders and at one point I paused and looked up and I realized that all eyes were on 12:04 me and there was near total quiet there wasn't a sound in the room beyond the radio transmissions and the steady beat of the artillery beyond the walls of the [Music] tent the troops in the talk had stopped what they were doing and they were watching me intently waiting to hear what I had to say and at that moment I realized that they would follow me through fire if they trusted that I knew the way forward they wanted to know that I had a plan and that I was confident that we could execute that plan I will never forget that moment 13:00 troops look to their leaders even when you're not aware of it kingway wrote that courage is Grace Under Pressure well leadership is steadiness Under Pressure if the lieutenant panics the platoon fails if the leader loses their Compass the unit loses it its way that's what leadership means you've also got to learn from your mistakes and that means always being willing to listen and to learn from others and let me mention one of our great strengths in the US Military and that's the quality of our NCO 14:01 core you know we invested in our ncos years ago in all of our services and it has paid huge dividends I cannot think of anyone who taught me as much early on as one particular NCO and that NCO was Fox Ballard my first platoon Sergeant back when I was a second Lieutenant I was assigned to Alpha Company first Battalion 7th in West Germany and one day I was leading the platoon on a training exercise through the countryside I took a wrong turn according to the map but eventually we got our bearings and we started heading in the right direction and fox Balor didn't say anything until we got back to Garrison and then he pulled me aside and he said Hey sir sir I want to go back out to the local training area tomorrow just you and 15:04 me so the next day we went back and fox told me that we were going to go Overland navigation so I said Sant Ballard I do not need to do this I'm a graduate of Ranger school I know how to [Music] navigate and fox replied sir you missed a turn yesterday and you can't tell me that you knew where you were at that point because I know that you didn't and I am never going to let you make that mistake again it was a pretty humbling moment but he made me keep at [Music] it and I eventually went on to become the scalp platoon leader for the Battalion and that's how you get 16:04 better ladies and Gentlemen let's be clear humility is not [Music] weakness humility is a command virtue the strongest people whom I've ever known the greatest leaders whom I've ever served with have learned from their shortfalls that's part of being leader leaders of character you are training for combat you are training to deter America's enemies and if you fail to admit your shortcomings and correct them it can cost the lives of those that you're leading and so you're not here to look good you're not here to strut you are here to be effective Warf 17:01 Fighters United States military is a learning organization down to our bones and when things don't go according to plan we don't give up we don't get defensive we get better we learn from [Music] it you know success feels great but let me tell you failure feels awful I'll also tell you that you can learn a lot from times when you feel like hell and so I would challenge you to always keep learning continue to read and study history as well as policies and regulations and trade journals and be mindful as the first second Secretary of War Henry Knox put [Music] it officers can never act with 18:06 confidence until they are masters of their profession and so you've got to put in the work day in and day out and you should expect the same of those who you lead you know leadership isn't just a about Talent it's also about sweat I've learned over the years that troops will do in combat exactly what they've been trained to do exactly so you've got to put in the reps and sets you know the the great basketball players are typically the last ones to leave the court so you can't can't cut Corners Talent is a 19:03 gift but hard work is a choice and for 45 years 41 years in uniform and four years as Secretary of Defense I have insisted that no one will ever outwork me the combination of discipline and hard work is the difference between good intentions and good [Music] results and I've seen the truth of of these words demonstrated countless times through those short 45 years in uniform and as Secretary of Defense I've seen young soldiers and leaders in combat and peace time making the the impossible possible through their grit their determination their creativity and their 20:03 courage they were also that good because they operated as a team as general C crew Brown our outstanding Warfighter and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has said success takes a team but failure you can do alone in the many operations that I was a part of while we in in uniform we weren't just confident in our training we weren't just confident in our platforms we were confident in each [Music] other and that commitment to teamwork and confidence in in one another is is a huge part of what makes the United States military special we are one team 21:00 one and in today's complex National Security environment we don't have one Warrior to [Music] spare and with this in mind I do want to say just a word about the women of the United States military you know in 2003 as the assistant division Commander for maneuver during the mar on Baghdad I wanted to keep my command post right up at the [Music] front I knew that I needed to be able to see and to feel the fight and I knew that I needed to keep up with my me mechanized units and understand the battlefield conditions so shortly before we cross the line of departure I call my team together my my 22:01 CP and that that team included several extraordinary women serving in my command post and I told my team look we need to win this fight so I need to be at the front I know what will happen to me if I'm captured I have no intention of being captured and I will fight till the last bullet but the risk are serious and I am enormously proud of all of you and that W never change so if anyone here thinks that they can deploy forward that they can't deploy forward I fully understand and no one will ever think any less of 23:04 you the women and men of that incredible team looked at me and finally one of the women popped up and said sir what are you talking about those women didn't Flinch they were facing the same dangers as the men in fact they were facing more and in no uncertain terms they were telling me to stop talking and get to the fight and that is who the women of the United States military are and everywhere that I've gone on the battlefield I've seen women fighting for America and they are incredibly capable incredibly accomplished and Incredibly Brave so look if I get a little fired up about this it's just because this isn't 1950 it isn't 24:03 1948 it is 2024 and we need each and every qualified citizen who steps up to wear the cloth of our nation and any military that turns away tough talented Patriots women or men is just making itself weaker and smaller so enough already this Enterprise works because of your trust in one another you know you can surge capability you can surge troops but you cannot surge trust you build up trust day by day drill by drill trust takes a lifetime to forge in an instant to shatter and a key part of 25:04 trust is treating others with dignity and respect when I took office the numbers of sexual assaults at the mil military service acmy all of them were at alarming levels but we you and I and others tackle this head on and we've turn the tide congratulations to the soup we know that upholding our values is core to military leadership trust helps you rise through the ranks you know we have extraordinary senior leaders in this Enterprise and I have total confidence in them they don't want recognition or thanks they just want to serve with integrity and keep America safe and I fully 26:04 expect that some of you will join them one day this Academy is devoted to Excellence and so is this military but there are no free rides you've got to earn your place and I know that you will leadership takes strength of character the eagerness to work the humility to learn and the drive to succeed you know you can't just push someone into combat you've got to lead them into combat and the same can be said for most of what we do in this business and in life and I've carried the lesson and values that I've learned decades ago here at West Point and out of the field 27:03 with me to the Pentagon and they have shaped my priorities as Secretary of Defense and those priorities are defending our nation taking care of our people and succeeding through teamwork and over the past four years I am proud of the work that the department has done to do right by our service members and their families Now everywhere that you go you will be required to work with others whether they're in your own unit The Joint Force or the civil service or with allies and partners around the globe indeed the Department's most important accomplishments over the past four years have all been achieved through our close cooperation with allies and partners and that includes a Ukraine defense contact Group which brings together some 50 28:06 countries and since April 2022 I've convened this group 24 times and I am enormously proud of the work that we've achieved together it also includes the progress that we've made in the indopacific which I visited 12 times over my tenure as Secretary of defense and we built and strengthened historic Partnerships in that important region and again that's a testament to teamwork and cooperation when you leave West Point you will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our unmatched network of allies and [Music] partners This Global Network is a strategic ass asset that our Rivals envy and that our 29:03 foes want to wreck and those alliances and Partnerships deepen our security and magnify our power and working together with friends abroad has been Central to American Security ever since Lafayette kept Faith with General George Washington we value our partners we honor our allies but I still believe that America is the greatest country on Earth and one reason that we are special is the oath that you swear you see every military on Earth defends a country but we also defend a constitution the power of our military is rooted in the power of our 30:02 ideals and that is the oath that you swear and I know that you will never compromise it we are here to protect our people to defend our country and to uphold our Constitution and that is not [Music] negotiable we believe in truth that we hold self-evident that we are all created equal and that we're all endowed by our creator with unalienable rights we defend government of the People by the people and the for the people and we do not bend on matters of honor integrity or law we are here to defend the American people and the American idea you know our troops will always lay their lives on the line for their teammates and American troops will also 31:04 lay their lives on the line for the principles and the laws and the spirit of our democracy times change but the values of West Point do not change duty honor country those values will always steer you home the graduates of West Point have always been tested by history and so will you we Face serious security challenges today coercion from the People's Republic of China aggression from pu Putin's Russia malice from North Korea Iran and transnational terrorist groups and autocrats around the world who insist 32:00 that democracy's day is [Music] done but they are wrong in turbulent times America always looks to the men and women of West Point you will need your muscles your heart your [Music] brain and your spine as President Eisenhower a member of the class of 1915 once said at West Point we gauge a person's capacity by their flexible adjustment to the new and novel without sacrifice of principle or abandonment of Standards so leadership isn't just about what you do it's about who you are so I'm incredibly proud of you and to the class of 2025 I'm proud 33:03 to have you join me in just a few months as the newest members of the long gry line who I've said this before here at West Point but it is is even more important today you will join the United States Army under extraordinary circumstances but let's be clear extraordinary circumstances is what the United States Army [Music] does and you are up to the task believe in yourselves trust in your training and the education and the confidence that you've gain here as Cadets thank you God bless you and may God bless our troops h

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