Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Home

    News
    
        Newsroom

    Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Adjunct Professors

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesFive & ThriveNewsroomBiographiesAF Senior Leaders      Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III speaks to cadets Sept. 29, 2014, during his weeklong visit to the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. Welsh told the cadets that today's Cadet Wing owes its success to the achievements of previous cadets and Academy graduates. Welsh challenged the cadets to build upon the Academy's legacy once they graduate. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jason Gutierrez)140930-F-TE211-004
                        
                        
                        Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III speaks to cadets Sept. 29, 2014, during his weeklong visit to the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. Welsh told the cadets that today's Cadet Wing owes its success to the achievements of previous cadets and Academy graduates. Welsh challenged the cadets to build upon the Academy's legacy once they graduate. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jason Gutierrez)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and his wife, Betty, sit in a Behavioral Science 110 class in Fairchild Hall Sept. 29, 2014, during the Welsh's weeklong visit to the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. During the visit, they met with Airmen, cadets and civilian staff. Welsh also hosted an all call for the 10th Air Base Wing, specifically addressing civilian concerns and thanking Airmen for all they do to support the Academy's mission of developing leaders of character. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jason Gutierrez)140930-F-TE211-005
                        
                        
                        Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and his wife, Betty, sit in a Behavioral Science 110 class in Fairchild Hall Sept. 29, 2014, during the Welsh's weeklong visit to the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. During the visit, they met with Airmen, cadets and civilian staff. Welsh also hosted an all call for the 10th Air Base Wing, specifically addressing civilian concerns and thanking Airmen for all they do to support the Academy's mission of developing leaders of character. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jason Gutierrez)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

CSAF to Academy: 'Adapting to change key to success'Published Oct. 1, 2014
                    
                    By Airman 1st Class Rachel Hammes
                    
                    
                    U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
            **U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNS) --**Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III arrived at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado, Sept. 29, as part of a week-long stay.
Welsh wanted to take some time to thank Academy Airmen for the part they play here and in the Air Force.  He addressed the legacy of the Academy, the changing future and the need for new priorities.
"I'm really only here for one reason - just to say thank you, more than anything else," he said, while addressing the 10th Air Base Wing on implementing policies of common sense, communication and caring from the top down in the Air Force. "For what you do, for how well you do it, for helping these young (Airmen) grow up to be the future leaders. None of that happens without you guys. So thanks for what you do, on behalf of the Air Force and our nation."
While Welsh said he sees the Academy changing for the better, but feels more change will be increasingly necessary as time goes on.
"I see the Air Force changing over the next 10-15 years," he said. "The world’s changing around us, and the Academy's going to have to change with the Air Force. The Academy doing its own thing makes it irrelevant over time. It's like the Air Force doing its own thing versus being part of a joint team."
Welsh said he believes the key to the Academy remaining relevant is to stay in step with the Air Force at large.
"The thing we're most worried about is the rate of change," he said. "Technological change, demographic change, ideological change, and you see it in the world every day in the headlines. To be successful as a military force, we have to be able to operate ahead of that rate of change, which means we can't be slow and lethargic and hesitant to adjust ourselves.  The kind of thinking that lets you be successful in that environment starts here. It starts in the classrooms of the Academy, in the leadership laboratory here, in the competitive environment of the athletic fields. And so the Air Force Academy is kind of the cornerstone of our ability to be successful down the road. It's an inspiring place."
Some of the changes that he said concern him are the fiscal challenges of the U.S.
"We have to be willing to be part of the nation's solution to the debt problem, which means we're going to have a lower top line to our budget for a while," Welsh said. "We have to reprioritize in that top line the things we think are most important to doing the job right, and we have to figure out different ways of doing the job that are more efficient, without giving up the capability, the credibility and the success we've had in the past."
Welsh said he believes that the Academy can have a direct effect on the financial future of the Air Force.
"It's back to being willing to look in the mirror and be honest with ourselves, and not hang on to the things that are nice to have or we want to have, but maintain those things and improve those things that are absolutely must haves to do the job for the nation,” he said. “That's going to be the biggest problem, because it's hard, but we need people to be able to make those tough decisions - that's where the Academy comes in. We train them here."
Welsh also discussed Lt. Gen. Michelle D. Johnson's past and future as the Academy superintendent, and her place in bringing about the changes.
"The thing I admire the most about General Johnson is the reason I nominated her to come here," he said. "She has an open mind, she's not afraid to look at new ways of solving old problems. She's not bound by thinking - even her own thinking - about the way to do things in the past. She's willing to open the aperture and think bigger thoughts and look at new approaches. She's not scared to make the tough decisions, if she thinks it's the most right for the institution, not just herself. She's very morally courageous. She's never lost that sense of personal integrity. And I believe Michelle lives the core values, which is why I think she's a great superintendent."
As Welsh's trip coincides with Navy Week, which culminates in the football game between the Air Force Falcons and the Navy Midshipmen Oct. 4, he expressed his appreciation of the camaraderie present in the traditions and activities leading up to, and including, the game.
"The best part about Navy Week is just everyone kind of focusing on a common goal," he said. "Everyone comes together and thinks about accomplishing this thing that we're going to work at, whether we're yelling in the stands or playing on the field. And that's really, to me, what the Air Force is about. It's about focusing on common goals. And sometimes we kind of get going in different directions for different reasons - whatever they might be - but for Navy Week and Army Week we tend to come together and we focus on this goal together. Which I think makes the place more powerful."CSAF 



Gen. Mark A. Welsh III 



Academy 



cadets 



chief of staff 



U.S. Air Force Academy

Related Links
        GENERAL MARK A. WELSH III
                                June 18, 2015
                                Gen. Mark A. Welsh III is Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. As Chief, he serves as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of 660,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF unveils art commemorating 75 Years of Air and Space Power
                    
                    DAF senior leaders speak at Air Force Sergeants Association conference
                    
                    Air Force releases new memo, doctrine on mission command
                    
                    DAF selects JetZero to develop blended wing body aircraft prototype
                    
                    Recipients of Harold Brown Award 2021, 2022 honored at Pentagon ceremonyInnovation
                Popular AFRL invention supports joint military needs with mobile medical documentation
                    
                    Air Force, Army Battle Labs work with DARPA on ASTARTE, new C2 capability
                    
                    Micro-reactor pilot program reaches major milestone
                    
                    AFWERX hosts first in-person Collider event since COVID-19 pandemic
                    
                    New platform IGNITEs defense innovationMAJCOM News
                Air Force, Army Battle Labs work with DARPA on ASTARTE, new C2 capability
                    
                    AFCENT, coalition partners integrate during Agile Spartan
                    
                    AFIMSC tackles dorm, child care center needs with $1.6 billion improvement plan
                    
                    7th MXG leverages new technology
                    
                    US B-2 Spirits deploy to Keflavik AB for BTF 23-4
 Quick Links
Site MapQuestionsContact UsRSSFOIAIGAF SitesAccessibilityEEOLink DisclaimerSuicide PreventionSAPRUSA.govNo FEAR ActVeterans Crisis LineOSI Tip LineCareers
AF CareersJoin the Air ForceAF BenefitsBecome an OfficerGo ANGBecome A ReservistCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil