Since the nation's birth, it has been the constitutional duty of our military to ensure national survival, defend lives and property, and promote vital interests at home and abroad. The enduring responsibility of the United States Air Force is to provide strategic deterrence for the nation and fly, fight and win as an integral part of the Joint Team. Together with our brothers and sisters in arms, we underwrite the national strategy of defending the homeland and assuring allies, while dissuading, deterring and defeating enemies.

We provide global vigilance, reach and power in three war-fighting domains: air, space and cyberspace.
        - Global vigilance is the ability to keep an unblinking eye on any entity -- to provide warning on capabilities
          and intentions, as well as identify needs and opportunities.
        - Global reach is the ability to move, supply or position assets -- with unrivaled velocity and precision anywhere.
        - Global power is the ability to hold at risk or strike any target, anywhere and project swift, frequently decisive,
          precise effects.

Military superiority and freedom of action cannot be taken for granted. To promote and defend America's interests, the Air Force must provide Joint Combatant Commanders tailored, innovative capabilities to secure freedom to attack and freedom from attack in and through the atmosphere, space and the electromagnetic spectrum. Such cross-domain synergies allow joint freedom of maneuver in all war-fighting domains: land, sea, air, space and cyberspace.

What we do and how we lead must reflect our core values: integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do. We draw strength from our heritage, war-fighting ethos and expeditionary mindset. Peerless precision and reliability are our nonnegotiable commitments. We will work relentlessly to earn and keep the trust of our civilian leaders, our joint and coalition partners, and the American people. We will recapture top-to-bottom excellence in our nuclear mission. We will restore our reputation in the acquisition field. We will adhere to the highest standards of personal ethics, compliance and individual performance.

With the nation facing persistent conflict for the foreseeable future, we will fully and without reservation support our Joint and Coalition partners in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other global challenges. We understand that failure is not an option. As adversaries seek new ways to undermine our strength and exploit perceived vulnerabilities, we must also prepare for an uncertain future. To this end, we will find ways to reset and modernize our Air Force that balance asymmetric, conventional and emerging threats posed by any adversary. We will build partnership capacity, find innovative ways to expand our already robust Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance support to the Joint Team, and achieve excellence across the full range of military operations -- from Irregular Warfare through Nuclear Deterrence.

Airmen are our core strength. We will recruit, train and retain the highest quality force -- able and ready to cope with 21st century challenges. We will care for Airmen and their families by providing them both the quality of service they deserve and developing the ethos, skills and leadership capacities they need to excel. We will continue to honor the fallen and we will always stand by our wounded warriors and their families, respecting their sacrifices in everything we do. In all, Airmen share a common perspective with the Joint Team: "Send me." We are ready, willing and eager to provide the Joint Force Commanders whatever they require.

Every Airman, every specialty, matters -- none more important than another. Rising to these challenges is not a choice -- it is an urgent need. The Air Force must always be ready to: see anything; range it; observe or hold it at risk; protect, supply, rescue, support, or destroy it; assess the effects, and exercise global command and control of all these activities -- across the domains of air, space and cyberspace. This is our obligation to the Joint Team. This is our obligation to America.

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