CARLISLE, Penn. (July 24, 2015) – Army Secretary John M. McHugh delivered the capstone address to the Army War College student body in Bliss Hall, July 23, culminating the Distance Education Class of 2015’s 2nd resident phase at Carlisle.
The two-year curriculum ended formally with the class’ graduation, July 24.
McHugh offered parting thoughts about future challenges, and acknowledged the graduating students’ ongoing commitment in developing their own leadership skills to further benefit the Army and the nation.
“The kinds of leaders – the kinds of service men and women – we require are those who are able to adapt to a shifting security landscape. These are the sorts of individuals, who do not just react to change and uncertainty but lead through it,” McHugh said. “They do not just manage risk and the unknown. Rather, they embrace it to generate opportunity. People who know how to take incredibly complex problems and deliver options, not ultimatums.”
For two years, the distance education students studied and participated in a multitude of online and virtual student-faculty forums to prepare themselves for future leadership positions in a demanding international security environment with unknown future conditions.
McHugh is in his sixth year as the secretary of the Army with statutory responsibility for all matters impacting one million military members and their Families, 250 thousand civilian employees, and Army installations worldwide covering more than 13 million acres. He previously represented northern and central New York as a nine-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives.