Following are excerpts from the 1995 Cushing Oration, presented by General Colin L. Powell (ret.) at the 63rd Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. Unfortunately, due to contract restrictions, General Powell’s speech is not available on tape. President Edward L. Seljeskog introduced General Powell.
Colin Powell was the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense, under Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton. In this capacity, he served as the principal military adviser to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council. Though General Powell retired from the U.S. Army on September 30, 1993, he remains active in national affairs.
It was a measure of the high regard in which he is held that people of all stations in life called out their best wishes and rushed forward to shake his hand as General Colin Powell approached the Orlando Convention Center to deliver the 1995 Cushing Oration. It was a measure of the man that he turned no one away, was unfailingly polite, traveled without entourage, and worried that Dr. Seljeskog’s wife, Peggy, might need a ride to the convention center.
The former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, strode to the podium and was greeted with a standing ovation. AANS members jammed the meeting hall with anticipation and were not disappointed by General Powell’s presentation.
Speaking on the topic of “The Management of Crisis and Change,” he offered a fascinating look at how one of the major players on the world stage responded to career and life changes. He began by referring to his retirement as “traumatic”, describing in jest how he had gone from helping to command one of the most powerful armed forces in the world one day, to a full-time spouse expected to repair a broken garbage disposal the next day.
“Find Another Enemy”
But it was General Powell’s personal account of the events leading to the end of the Cold War that was most gripping. He talked about traveling to Moscow in the spring of 1998 with then Secretary of State George Schultz to meet with Mikhail Gorbochev in preparation of President Reagan’s upcoming state visit. They went into that meeting not sure if they could trust or believe the Soviet president.
The two Americans were ushered into the impressive Hall of St. Catherine deep within the Kremlin. They were seated at a large conference table, facing President Gorbachev and his leading General. “We sat for several hours discussing the end of the Soviet Union as we all knew it and the terms for peaceful reapproachment between our two countries,” recalled General Powell. “I thought how surreal it all was. And then, President Gorbachev leaned across the table and said to the Secretary, ‘Mr. Schultz, you understand I am ending the Cold War.’ It made me shiver. Then he turned to me and said, ‘General, I’m sorry but you’ll have to find another enemy.’
“My response was: ‘I don’t want to! I’m only a few years away from retirement. Why now? Why me?’ In that moment it all changed, and my concern became how do I respond to this?”
New Purpose
He noted that he was commissioned as an officer during the Cold War and throughout the first 28 years of his career he knew what his purpose was. “Every crisis we dealt with was managed in the context of the clash between the East and West,” he said. “We knew who our enemy was and we knew who we were as a people, what our purpose was — to contain the Russians. We always felt we were in danger, but we also felt comfortable because we knew how to handle it.
“Then it all changed. The Soviets were reaching the end of their strength. The Warsaw Pact collapsed, the Iron Curtain folded and the Berlin Wall came done. And, The Soviet Union ceased to exist as a political entity. Everything I had worked against no longer mattered.”
It hasn’t been a challenge just to General Powell. His counterparts in Russia have been just as confused.”I am frequently visited by military officers from the former Soviet Union who want advice,” he recounted. “They now work for a representative-style government and find it to be a very messy way to do business. Now, for the first time they must go before a legislative body to ask for money. They ask me, ‘Why didn’t you warn us about democracy?'”
Creeping Democracy
General Powell is hopeful about the future because, as he pointed out, “Democracy is creeping over the world. It is astonishing to see what is happening. A year ago, I went to Pretoria to witness the ascension of Nelson Mandella to the Presidency of South Africa. White military officers, now subservient to their new political masters, escorted him to the podium. Five years ago it would have been unthinkable.”
Further evidence of the rise of democracy can be found even in the most staunch communist stronghold of China. “I just heard that the Home Shopping Network is going to China,” he noted with delight. “As far as I’m concerned it’s all over. Marxism cannot compete with a $10 salad shooter!”
The U.S. is now left with Cuba as the only non-Democratic nation in the Northern Hemisphere, General Powell added. “In fact, we should use the Endangered Species Act to keep Fidel Castro there just to know what one of these guys look like!”
America’s Future Role
In terms of the country’s future as a world power, it’s still unclear what form that role will take, the General said. “There are many small regional problems that we can’t solve,” he said. “The Middle East peace accords represent a time of historic reconciliation. But they are occurring against a backdrop of bloodshed in Rwanda and Bosnia. Our interest in these countries’ affairs is still unclear. We may have a regional interest and always a moral interest, but it will be increasingly difficult to figure out what it is we’re supposed to do.”
He is sure of one thing, however. “America must remain engaged on the world stage as a model of democracy and as a problem-solver,” he said emphatically. “We are still trusted like no other nation. After fighting in all the wars, America has asked for only two things from those we have vanquished. First, we sought an opportunity to raise up the people. And, second, we asked for land to bury our dead.”
Operation Desert Storm, General Powell said, was the “first challenge of the new world order.” A challenge that was met successfully. “Desert Storm was successful because we knew our mission, and we did it well. The American spirit of family was a major factor in winning the war. Our new generation — the so-called Generation X — proved itself in Desert Storm. Later, there was a feeling of pride and support throughout the U.S. We marched in every post-war parade because we needed to reestablish that emotional link between the American people and our military troops.”
Desert Storm also marked the first time that war was seen in real time on television, the General noted. “I received a call from General Swartzkoff regarding the success of that first day, when we completed 850 sorties without the loss of one plane,” he recalled. “I congratulated the General, then I spun around in my chair to watch the war on CNN.”
Looking Ahead
What does the political landscape look like in the years ahead? According to General Powell, “America wants to deal with its problems at home. Everyone senses there is something wrong with our moral structure right now. We no longer have a sense of shame. In 1992, President Bush lost because he didn’t adjust fast enough to this new thrust. In 1994, the Democrats lost because the American people felt they weren’t delivering on these new concerns. New leadership is needed to provide new ideas, not just the old rhetoric.”
In conclusion he said, “We have to stop shouting at one another. We have to believe in one another as a family.”
“You haven’t heard the last of Colin Powell!”
Following the Cushing Oration, General Powell met in a private session with AANS leaders and offered his comments on topics ranging from the revitalization of the military to his own plans for the future.
One of the first questions General Powell was asked focused on the dramatic turnaround in the U.S. military which occurred after the end of the Vietnam war. Noting that the revival of the Armed Forces was one of the more impressive accomplishments in the past two decades, the questioner said, “The Vietnam War had left the U.S. military demoralized. Even worse, armed forces personnel were viewed with disdain by much of the American public. Yet, during the Desert Storm conflict in 1991, U.S. military might was reasserted in spectacular fashion and the fighting forces were welcomed home with open arms.”
What, General Powell was asked, was the prescription for the turnaround? His response: A return to basics. “We began to demand more of our personnel,” General Powell explained. “We refused to accept disruptive behavior. We instituted a zero tolerance policy on drug use. And, we set higher performance standards.
“After the war, the draft was rescinded and we became an all volunteer force. That change allowed us to be more demanding about the type of recruits we would accept. After extensive research, we found that requiring a high school diploma was the one thing that had the most impact on the quality of applicants. Not because they were smarter, but because the very traits that led these people to earn their diploma — persistence, focus, achievement oriented — were the characteristics of a successful soldier.
“In addition, we worked hard to re-instill a sense of pride in our military personnel. They had to believe in themselves again. We also tackled the issue of racism. At our low point, we had a situation where an aircraft carrier could not leave port because of the tensions between the black and white personnel on board.
“I’ve been asked if we were really serious about the zero tolerance policy regarding drugs. I can assure you we were. No one was exempt from the random testing requirement. In fact, on the very day my appointment as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was announced during a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden, my number came up and I was tested.”
In addressing questions from the audience, General Powell also commented on the future of military physicians. He was asked about the movement several years ago to consolidate the medical service into one organizational entity rather than the existing framework which has physicians assigned to the individual branches of service.”We took a long hard look at that and decided that the benefits to be realized by consolidating our physicians into one service were minimal,” he explained. “There are just too many intrinsic differences in the individual branches of the military that impact training and day-to-day service. For instance, I couldn’t see transferring an Army physician to a Naval aircraft carrier.”
When asked if he thought recent cuts in the Federal budget had reduced American military capabilities, General Powell said that he felt current funding was “lean” but that they had not reached problem levels. “I would say that the military budget is somewhat below where I would like it to be. It has had an effect on some of what we would like to be doing — particularly with regard to compensating our service men and women — but it has not affected the military’s ability to protect the country. In my view, a modest increase will bring funding back to optimal levels.”
The General was asked if he has read Robert McNamara’s new book on the Vietnam War, wherein the former Secretary of Defense states the war was “wrong.” He said, “The Vietnam War is still too painful a memory for me. I have not read Secretary McNamara’s book. It offers me no comfort.”
General Powell spoke extensively about his military career, but was most impassioned when he described his work with young people. He frequently talks with inner city and disadvantaged youth and delivers a basic message. “I tell them, rather bluntly, the difference between right and wrong. Unfortunately, not enough adults in these youngsters’ lives are delivering that message. It’s something I urge all of you to do as well. As members of a larger community, we have a responsibility to take care of all our young people.”
With regards to the question on everyone’s mind, the General said he has made no decisions about his future, political or otherwise. He’s been focused on writing a book about his experiences as a military officer and until that project is completed he wouldn’t be making any decisions. “In terms of the Presidency, I can’t say that it holds any particular passion for me at present, but I don’t want to rule it out,” he commented.
“A number of people have been giving me some very good advice, but I don’t know what will happen when my memoirs are completed other than I hope to do something in service to the nation. It might take the form of running a charitable or educational organization, or even politics. I can tell you one thing, though. I’m not going anywhere. You haven’t heard the last of Colin Powell!”