Courtesy Photo | Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, left, and Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr., commander of...... read more read more
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As part of his two-day tour of Colorado facilities and installations, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel visited Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station yesterday to assess current defense capabilities in the face of the nation’s new challenges.
Hagel’s stops included homeland and integrated air and missile defense briefings from officials and Canadian partners at North American Aerospace Defense Command, and Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr., commander of U.S. Northern Command and NORAD at Peterson Air Force Base.
“This facility … and the entire complex of NORAD and Northcom represent, really, the nerve center of defense for North America,” Hagel said.
The secretary’s wife, Lilibet, accompanied him and also visited facilities to meet with troops and their families to address sexual assault and other matters affecting the welfare of the force.
“It is the people that are the core of any institution,” Hagel said. “It really matters little how much money you have in the budget or how much technology you have –- if you don’t have the right people, you don’t have much.”
Hagel praised the quality and character of troops as “central to the defense of this country,” giving special recognition to those who have battled debilitating area forest fires in recent months.
“This has been a tough … time for many states in our country dealing with natural disasters,” Hagel said. “I’m very proud of the kind of contributions … that our service members have made to this community and to help others. That’s who we are, and that is part of our mission in the Defense Department.”
Story by Amaani Lyle, American Forces Press Service
| Date Taken: | 06.27.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 07.03.2025 11:55 |
| Story ID: | 507880 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 13 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Hagel Assesses Capabilities at Cheyenne Mountain Complex, by MSgt Amaani Lyle and Claudette Roulo, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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