stopped their firing. >> thanks, everybody. >> defense secretary ashton announced that general david goldstein has been nominated to be the next air force chief of staff. he is currently the vice chief. also at the announcement was air force secretary deborah lee james. this is about 15 minutes. >> good afternoon, everyone. i am very honored to bring to warrior, one ested of the most proven strategic joint force.ss our and that is general dave goldstein. i want to extend my deepest congratulations to dave on his nomination by president obama as our next air force chief of staff. colonel goldstein wrote in his ook "sharing success earning failure" quote, the single most important element of success in war is leadership and it was because of general goldstein's ry ong and also visiona leadership over a demanding uccession of roles, including commander of u.s. air forces central command, director of the joint staff and most recently vice chief of staff of the airport i recommended general goldstein to the president to serve as the next air force chief of staff. davech of these positions, has led with the courage and commitment of the combat tested pilot he is. one who has logged 4200 hours in missions t and flown in the conflicts in the vulcans, in afghanistan, and iraq. from his experience in sim com, combined experience as commander, dave developed a deep knowledge of the region where he u.s. air force is now carrying out the vast majority of air strikes against isil. it was also during that tour that he experienced the integrated air missile defense arabian gulf and developed the gulf command peration center and working closely with nations who are today critical partners in the campaign.il as confirmed air force chief of extensive military experience will be of great enefit as we continue to accelerate our efforts to deal isil a lasting defeat. as director of the joint staff and as vice chief of staff of the air force, dave has also demonstrated superb skill as a consensus builder and a manager. during the time that our joint air force's for the global vigilance, global reach and global power has only increased, general goldstein has helped to expertly manage demands on the fighter squadrons and other forces in an demand.xceptional and i myself, have worked with frequently, asein secretary, deputy secretary. -- we go back quite aways i've seen dave bring creative problem solving to bear in helping the air force manage our enterprise during a time, as i said, of insatiable demand for these resources. and as we worked together to move forward with critical new platforms including k.c. 46 tanker, the f-35 joint strike fighter and b-21 long-range strike bomber, i've seen dave's ability not just to manage current demands but to steer a course toward the air force of the next five years, the next 50 years. from his experience at the highest levels of the air force , he understands deeply the evolving nature of warfare and the threats we face. dave knows how the security environment today is far different from what we've confronted over the last 25 years. he's developed a keen appreciation for the strategic horizon, and in particular, the need to develop resilient cyber and space capabilities as well, which will allow the united states to continue to dominate across all domains. to fosterow innovation by conducting what then-chairman dempsey called a campaign of learning, program -- it's a program which drills tunnels through the walls of the pentagon and brings in experts from academia and private sector to lend insight to our efforts. across dave's career, with all of that, he's also never forgotten where our greatest strength lies, and that's in our people. and in fact, on tuesday, when his nomination went to the hill and was announced publicly, he was with one of the people who has been so vital to his own career, and one might even say to his own longevity, to his being here in the first place. he was at a summit for wounded warriors and caregivers at the time. and jeremy hardy, one of the airmen who rescued him after his f-16 was hit in serbia 17 years ago, was at his side. just happened to be at his side. great, great, meaningful coincidence. dave has never forgotten the men and women he served alongside or his responsibility to the people under his command. that's important to me, i know it's important to the president , and to all of you. his commitment to the people will ensure that the air force of the future remains as strong as the air force of today. hasice chief of staff, he demonstrated the ability to recruit and maintain talented men and women in some of the most critical fields of the future, including cyber, intelligence, battlefield airmen, from cyberspace to outer space to the defense of the global commons, every one of us , not just in this country but around the world, benefits from the security and peace of mind the united states air force provides. and there's no one more qualified to serve as our next air force chief of staff. to lead the 660,000 men and women of the air force as they confront today's full spectrum threats and prepare for future challenges. it's my hope that his nomination will move quickly through congress. i'm sure it will. i also want to congratulate an d thank dave's wife, dawn, and not here, but daughters diana and his other daughter, dani. you're getting the pattern, this will be easy to remember. this is good. because we have dave, dawn, diana, and dani. we'll all be in the same row boat here for quite a while, good to have a way to remember all that. dani is an air force captain herself. carrying forward a proud family tradition. so, i want to thank them also for their continued service and support. and finally, while there'll be ample time for celebration and congratulations, i also want to thank general mark welsh for his strong and steady leadership, as air force chief of staff over the last four years. mark and his family, especially his wife betty, have given so much to this country over so many difficult tours. i've worked so long with him that i hardly know what it will be like around here without mark welsh. on behalf of this department and a grateful nation, i want to say thank you to mark for four decades of selfless and skillful service to this country. let me now turn it over to a leader who knows general goldfein very well and will be a great partner in the time to come, and that's our excellent air force secretary, debbie james. deb? secretary james: thank you very much, secretary carter. and i too would just reich to like to take a few moments with all of you today and echo secretary carter's comments but i'd like to begin with just a few comments about general welsh. first of all, i want to thank you, mark, and you, betty, for the 40 years of dedicated service to our nation and as the secretary said, we are looking forward to celebrating your combined legacy extensively later on this year. but from day one on the job, as our chief of staff of the united states air force, general welsh has made it his daily mission to ensure that we maintain the greatest air force on the planet . and because, precisely because, of his steadfast leadership and the ability to rally our approximately 660,000 airmen of the u.s. air force, we've done exactly that. you see, it was his strategic vision that established global vigilance, global reach, and global power, as air force hallmarks, and we were able to deliver these combat capabilities to the joint force in operations enduring freedom, freedom sentinel, and inherent resolve. it was under general welsh's watch that we advanced the ball in so many ways. we improved our nuclear enterprise, while maintaining a safe, secure, and credible nuclear deterrent. we're working also diligently to modernize air, space, and cyberspace capabilities. but most importantly of all, mark and betty understand the importance of taking care of people, which is always number one with us. and together, they have championed our push to improve wounded warrior care and to professionalize airmen development, to improve diversity and inclusion in our air force, take care of our families, and the list goes on and on. these are true people individuals. and as i look forward to the future and examine today's strategic landscape, i can think of none other better suited to follow in general welsh's shoes than our next chief of staff, general dave goldfein. president obama certainly nominated a battle-proven and highly respected airman in dave, someone who also cares very, very deeply about our people and as secretary carter noted, i, too, hope his nomination will move swiftly through the process. as the 21st chief of staff of the air force, he will bring his extensive experience and unique qualifications to bear as the air force seeks to address today's increasingly complex and very challenging geopolitical environment. as you already heard, earlier in his career, he was flying combat missions. and later on, led the entire middle east air campaign in his time as the combined forces air component commander. director of the joint staff, he helped ensure the u.s.'s ability to defend the homeland and conduct missions abroad, despite what i think everyone would agree has been a highly challenging fiscal environment. and most recently, as vice chief of staff together our undersecretary he, had played a major, major role in developing our air force budget, in developing the air force's input and contribution to the third offset strategy, and also has worked tirelessly to increase our capabilities, in all three of our war fighting domains. moving forward, i know we'll be able to rely on dave's ability to partner with the congress and other stake holders to serve some of our most pressing national security concerns. now, dave, you are fond of saying that in every challenge, you are up for that challenge . and you and your family are also thankful for that. so general goldfein, many, many congratulations on your nomination. [applause] gen. goldfein: thank you for your trust and confidence. i'm reminded of a time when i was young squadron commander and our then chief of staff of the air force, john jumper, came and talked to all of us and he said something i've never forgotten . he looked at all of us and said, never forget, it's truly an honor to be chosen to lead in the united states air force. and your job every day is to be worthy of that honor. that's my commitment to you. to ensure i am worthy of this honor. not only for you, the president, madam secretary, but also for active duty, guard, and reserve who make up today's greatest air force. and if confirmed i'm also looking forward to joining my fellow chiefs and the chairman to offer creative sloughs to solutions of the complex challenges we face as a nation. so i look forward to getting started and i thank you again for your trust and confidence. [applause] >> secretary carter, can we ask you something about the afghan hospital? announcer: indiana governor announced he will vote for republican presidential candidate ted cruz in his states primary election. he also had praise for candidate donald trump. here is a portion of the interview. pence: i have met with all of the candidates. as of tuesday, i want to say clearly, i respect all three candidates in the field. trump, who i think has given voice to the frustration of millions of working americans, on the lack of progress in washington, d.c. and i and particularly grateful that donald trump has taken a strong stand for ho