Deborah Lee James's long road to office came to end on Jan. 24 after she was ceremonially sworn in as the 23rd Air Force Secretary at the Pentagon.
President Obama nominated James to succeed Michael Donley as the head of the department in April 2013 but her confirmation was held up in the Senate for almost six months.
The ceremony followed James' tour of the air bases responsible for the Air Force's intercontinental ballistic missile force, including Malmstrom Air Force Base, MT, where a number of missile officers have been implicated in a test cheating scandal.
She also visited F. E. Warren Air Force Base, WY, Minot Air Force Base, ND, and Air Force Global Strike Command at Barksdale Air Force Base, LA.
After opening remarks by Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh, both Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and James spoke about the challenges and priorities of the service, especially in light of allegations of cheating and drug use by some of the airmen overseeing the nation's intercontinental ballistic missiles.
"I'm deeply concerned -- as I know Debbie, Mark and all the leaders in the Air Force are -- about the overall health and the professionalism and discipline of our strategic forces," Hagel said. "Recent allegations regarding our ICBM force raised some legitimate questions about this department's stewardship of one of our most sensitive and important missions."
Hagel said he will be meeting regularly with James and Welsh to ensure the issue "has the highest level of my attention." Hagel's comments came a day after his announcement of a wide-ranging review of Air Force's nuclear weapons mission.
"Whatever the factors -- historical, institutional, cultural -- the Department of Defense and the Air Force will do whatever it takes to continue to ensure the safety, security, reliability and effectiveness of our nuclear enterprise because our security will always depend on the reliability of the men and women charged with that responsibility," Hagel said at the swearing-in ceremony.
Hagel went on to say the U.S. faced a more "dynamic and dangerous" security environment than perhaps any time in the past, even with the drawdown currently taking place in Afghanistan.
"The rise of emerging powers and dangerous rogue states, affiliated terrorist organizations and the proliferation of technology will mean more contested and complicated domains," he said.
At the ceremony, James used her speech to reiterate that her tenure will be people-focused. "I've said from the start, as the secretary I really, really want to focus on people, and that's because I am convinced people underpin everything that we do," she said. "They make a lot of sacrifices every day and we owe them a great deal."
She said fiscal and strategic challenges would force the Air Force to "make tough program and budget decisions."
This includes the implementation of one of James's priorities -- the "total force" concept, which will shape the recalibration of personnel and aircraft among the Air Force's active, guard and reserve components.
"We're going to have to make some trade-offs," James said. "We need to find the right balance between preserving the Air Force readiness of today and looking to build the readiness of tomorrow."
"I harbor no illusions; this is going to be a difficult task, a hard challenge, and we're going to need everybody's help as we forge ahead."
During Welsh, Hagel and James's addresses, special tribute was made to Under Secretary Eric Fanning, who filled in as acting secretary during James's almost five-month confirmation process.
In that time, Fanning visited 44 air bases, testified to the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force, and made dozens of Capitol Hill visits, according to Welsh.
"The best thing about having Eric as our acting secretary was that there wasn't a single day when he acted like he was acting," Welsh said in the opening address.
James's upper-house confirmation was fraught with obstacles. It was initially blocked by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) over the Air Force's controversial plan to retire its A-10 fleet and was then further delayed while Senators squabbled over filibuster rules.
The vote finally went ahead on Dec. 13, 2013, passing 79-6, and James assumed office the following week. The drawn-out confirmation was the butt of jokes at the swearing-in ceremony. "And I do want to thank the United States Senate for that swift and speedy confirmation; I'm not kidding, I really do," James said.
The ceremony was attended by many of James's friends and family, as well as dignitaries from across the armed services and government.
Since stepping down, former Air Force secretary Michael Donley has been leading an organizational review of Defense Department headquarters, including the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The efficiency drive aims to cut the OSD budget by 20 percent over five years, saving about $1 billion and cutting staffing levels to 2,200 personnel by fiscal year 2019, according to a DOD fact sheet.
Final details of the review will be published along with the Defense Department's FY-2015 budget request. -- James Drew