We’re sharing some of the quotes from more than a hundred speakers at the recent ADC50 Summit + Celebration in Washington, D.C.
“The readiness of our infrastructure, whether we’re talking about our power grids, water systems, or housing areas, those are now inextricably linked to our ability to project power globally.” – Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment Dale Marks
“We support readiness and lethality by making sure you have the capabilities to partner with your installations. All our program lines are about this.” – Patrick O’Brien, director of the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation
“Readiness and lethality of the Army doesn’t begin at the gate of an installation. It begins in the communities that surround them. When a community is strong, when housing is available, when schools are good, when infrastructure is resilient, when families can plant roots, our soldiers are more focused, more stable and more ready to accomplish the mission.” – Jordan Gillis, assistant Army secretary for installations, energy, and environment
“Partnership is the difference between a project that gets done and one that stalls out because of the work the community has done – the relationship, the advocacy and the decades of showing up – the Air Force and Space Force have partners that we trust.” – Michael Borders, assistant Air Force secretary for installations, energy, and environment
“The communities are as important if not more than the leadership. The leadership can open the doors, and that’s not unimportant, but the performers are the community. It’s everybody pulling in the same direction.” – Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.)
“Our adversaries have to know they cannot prevail, and that’s going to require us to produce a lot more a lot more quickly. We can’t do it without the communities that are represented in this room.” – House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.)
“The first 50 years have made an enormous difference, and I’ve seen it in every community I’ve visited in this country. You’re supporting our warfighters in the most crucial role that they play, defending our nation and defending our freedom.” – House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-Wash.)
“In procurement and acquisition, there’s been great bipartisan work, and I think there’s an appetite to continue down that path.” – Rep. Brad Finstad (R-Minn.)
“Defense communities are that connective tissue: understanding that a military base or a post is not apart from a community, but a part of a community.” – Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.)
“[I have gained] the ability to have hard conversations in a meaningful way and to advocate for what really affects our military families back home.” – Merrianne Nissly, Participant, ADC Military Spouse Leadership Initiative
“National security starts at home. Not at the Pentagon. Not in a hearing room. It starts in the communities that surround our bases, in schools and hospitals. It starts with local leaders who show up every day to make sure the mission can happen.” – ADC President Tom Ford
ADC photo by Stephen Bobb
