________________________________________________________________________Richard S. Kem
Now, I always thought that if I was ever in such a position, I would want my own special
actions team. I see Hank Hatch with the Office for Strategic Initiatives having been smart
enough to establish his special actions team. He gave it the particular direction of strategic
initiatives, but he has unencumbered it, just like we were unencumbered in the special
actions team--from having a routine in-box. I mean, you do what seems to me to be done for
the good of the corporation. When I first came in as deputy, I saw the Office for Strategic
Initiatives and I thought, "Boy, that's really a great stroke." I've been very impressed with
their work this year.
So, your question was, "What have I been doing with the Office for Strategic Initiatives?" Of
course, Bill has direct access to the Chief and gets his guidance, and they interact together. I
think I've been a sounding board for both. I think Bill's come to see me to try things out
beforehand. I've had the Chief ask me about various things.
So, I have played in a lot of these issues and initiatives enough to be counsel and sounding
board. I've been involved very directly in putting together some of the things as we looked at
things. Either we were going to go out and get together in the Senior Staff Group and
dialogue on something, or, more specifically, on the space initiative, where I was the front
person of the effort--going down to give the speech in Albuquerque during Space '90 in
February and meet with Dr. Aaron Cohen of the Johnson Space Center to start an interaction
with NASA. I was making networking phone calls to the Space Systems Division and the Air
Force staff to open the communications door there.
Q:
Is that a new area for you?
A:
Networking was not.
Q:
No, no. The space initiative area.
A:
Yes. I had not been involved in space before.
Q:
Yes.
A:
Then I know when they recently had a briefing of the General Staff Integrating Group, where
the Chief is the member, I represented him because he was out at the senior leaders
conference.
So, I've been involved most directly in that arena. I've been involved in the nation building
mission push. As Bill and his folks put together the nation building piece, I was involved in
suggesting folks to come in and be in the skunk works, involved out at the Fusion Center in
some of the briefings and in the development of that initiative.
Later, as Colonel "Rock" [Terence C.] Salt became involved with taking on nation building, I
went over to help brief Bob Page and the ambassador designee to Poland on how we could
help in that arena. So, I've been a player both as part of the thinking and part of the doing.
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