1) Porque es un objeto muerto. Usted es real.
2) Porque todas las películas latinoamericanas son mucho mejores por ser latinoamericanas.
Unconventional warfare or SWAT-like non-military operations, including Air Force special tactics, Army special forces (Green Berets) and Rangers, Marine Corps special operations, Navy special warfare, including SEALs (sea-air-land); combat search and rescue; the specialized military-like organizations of the CIA, DEA, FBI, ICE and other civil agencies; and the clandestine units and functions of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).
Government Organization | HQ Location | Number of Locations | Number of Contracting Companies |
---|---|---|---|
Africa Command | Stuttgart-Moehringen, AE | 2 | 19 |
Air Force | Arlington, VA | 99 | 392 |
Army | Arlington, VA | 106 | 353 |
Central Command | Tampa, FL | 6 | 64 |
Central Intelligence Agency | McLean, VA | 36 | 114 |
Defense Intelligence Agency | Arlington, VA | 22 | 317 |
Drug Enforcement Administration | Arlington, VA | 92 | 36 |
European Command | Stuttgart-Vaihingen, AE | 2 | 11 |
Federal Bureau of Investigation | Washington, DC | 448 | 173 |
Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Org. | Arlington, VA | 4 | 68 |
Marine Corps | Arlington, VA | 24 | 82 |
Navy | Arlington, VA | 56 | 385 |
Navy Intelligence | Arlington, VA | 31 | 104 |
Pacific Command | Camp H.M. Smith, HI | 6 | 27 |
Southern Command | Miami, FL | 9 | 29 |
Special Operations Command | Tampa, FL | 12 | 125 |
Company Name | HQ Location | Year Est. | Employees | Revenue | Locations | Govt. Clients |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
29-Ten Security Consulting LLC | Annapolis, Maryland | 2000 | <25 | Unknown | 1 | 4 |
A-T Solutions, Inc. | Fredericksburg, Virginia | 2002 | 101-500 | Unknown | 7 | 12 |
Abraxas Corporation | Herndon, Virginia | 2001 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 9 | 6 |
Aerovironment, Inc. | Monrovia, California | 1971 | 501-2,000 | $100 million to $750 million | 4 | 3 |
Alion Science and Technology Corporation | Mclean, Virginia | 2002 | 2,001-5,000 | $750 million to $1 billion | 20 | 12 |
Alutiiq | Anchorage, Alaska | 2002 | 2,001-5,000 | $100 million to $750 million | 9 | 9 |
Applied Signal Technology, Inc. | Sunnyvale, California | 1984 | 501-2,000 | $100 million to $750 million | 5 | 3 |
Aptima | Woburn, Massachusetts | 1996 | Unknown | Unknown | 2 | 6 |
Archimedes Global | Tampa, Florida | 2005 | Unknown | Unknown | 1 | 5 |
Artec Group, The | Tampa, Florida | 1991 | <25 | Unknown | 1 | 7 |
Assured Decisions | Columbia, Maryland | 2001 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 2 | 1 |
AT&T Corporation | Vienna, Virginia | 2000 | 2,001-5,000 | $10 billion to $50 billion | 44 | 18 |
Axom Technologies Inc. | Pasadena, Maryland | 2004 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 4 | 2 |
BAE Systems, Inc. | Rockville, Maryland | 1948 | 10,000+ | $10 billion to $50 billion | 64 | 22 |
Battlespace Inc. | Arlington, Virginia | 1993 | 26-100 | Unknown | 3 | 6 |
Berico Technologies | Arlington, Virginia | 2006 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 9 | 3 |
Blackbird Technologies | Herndon, Virginia | 1997 | 101-500 | Unknown | 11 | 10 |
Blue Canopy Federal Practice | Reston, Virginia | 2001 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 6 | 7 |
Blue Tech | San Diego, California | 1985 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 1 | 1 |
Booz Allen Hamilton | McLean, Virginia | 1914 | 10,000+ | $1 billion to $10 billion | 69 | 26 |
Brandes Associates, Inc. | Santa Barbara, California | 1990 | <25 | Unknown | 3 | 2 |
BRTRC | Fairfax, Virginia | 1985 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 1 | 2 |
By Light Professional IT Services | Arlington, Virginia | 2002 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 1 | 7 |
C4 Planning Solutions | Blythe, Georgia | 2000 | 26-100 | Unknown | 4 | 1 |
CACI International, Inc. | Arlington, Virginia | 1962 | 10,000+ | $1 billion to $10 billion | 74 | 26 |
Camber Corporation | Huntsville, Alabama | 1990 | 2,001-5,000 | $100 million to $750 million | 30 | 19 |
CC Intelligent Solutions | Raleigh, North Carolina | 2001 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 1 | 3 |
Celestar Corporation | Tampa, Florida | 2001 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 4 | 4 |
CENTRA Technology, Inc. | Arlington, Virginia | 1985 | Unknown | Unknown | 3 | 6 |
Centurum, Inc. | Marlton, New Jersey | 1969 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 5 | 16 |
Chenega | Anchorage, Alaska | 1974 | 5,000-10,000 | $750 million to $1 billion | 31 | 17 |
Computer Sciences Corporation | Falls Church, Virginia | 1959 | 10,000+ | $10 billion to $50 billion | 77 | 24 |
Concurrent Technologies Corporation | Johnstown, Pennsylvania | 1987 | 501-2,000 | $100 million to $750 million | 15 | 12 |
Cubic Corporation | San Diego, California | 1949 | 5,000-10,000 | $750 million to $1 billion | 6 | 12 |
Cyberspace Solutions | Reston, Virginia | 2008 | Unknown | Unknown | 2 | 5 |
Cybrix Group, Inc., The | Tampa, Florida | 2002 | <25 | Under $100 million | 1 | 2 |
Data Systems Analysts, Inc | Feasterville Trevos, Pennsylvania | 1963 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 8 | 6 |
Data Tactics | Alexandria, Virginia | 2005 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 11 | 3 |
Dataline LLC | Norfolk, Virginia | 1990 | 101-500 | Unknown | 10 | 11 |
Defense Technologies, Inc. | Tampa, Florida | 2003 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 3 | 3 |
Digital Receiver Technology, Inc., a Boeing Company | Germantown, Maryland | 1997 | 101-500 | Unknown | 1 | 1 |
DRS Technologies | Parsippany, New Jersey | 1968 | 10,000+ | Unknown | 16 | 9 |
Dynamics Research Corporation | Andover, Massachusetts | 1955 | 501-2,000 | $100 million to $750 million | 10 | 11 |
Dynetics, Inc. | Huntsville, Alabama | 1974 | 501-2,000 | $100 million to $750 million | 7 | 10 |
Eagan, McCallister Associates, Inc., an SAIC Company | Lexington Park, Maryland | 1984 | 501-2,000 | Unknown | 2 | 10 |
EKS Group, LLC | Tampa, Florida | 2006 | <25 | Unknown | 3 | 4 |
EOIR Technologies, Inc. | Fredericksburg, Virginia | 1981 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 7 | 7 |
Espial Services, Inc. | Pinellas Park, Florida | 2003 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 4 | 7 |
Facchina Global Services, LLC | La Plata, Maryland | 2004 | 101-500 | Unknown | 3 | 2 |
Femme Comp Incorporated | Chantilly, Virginia | 1979 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 7 | 9 |
FiberTechnologies | Moneta, Virginia | 1990 | <25 | Under $100 million | 1 | 2 |
First In Solutions | Centreville, Virginia | 2006 | <25 | Unknown | 1 | 1 |
Frontline Defense Systems, LLC | Washington, District of Columbia | 2002 | <25 | Under $100 million | 1 | 1 |
Fulcra Worldwide | Arlington, Virginia | 2004 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 1 | 7 |
Fulcrum IT Services | Manassas, Virginia | 1985 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 19 | 10 |
Futron Incorporated | Lorton, Virginia | 1994 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 3 | 3 |
G2, Inc. | Columbia, Maryland | 2001 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 2 | 2 |
Gemini Industries, Inc. | Burlington, Massachusetts | 1986 | 26-100 | Unknown | 2 | 3 |
General Dynamics | Falls Church, Virginia | 1952 | 10,000+ | $10 billion to $50 billion | 100 | 32 |
Global Technical Systems | Virginia Beach, Virginia | 1997 | 26-100 | Unknown | 1 | 7 |
Harris Corporation | Melbourne, Florida | 1987 | 10,000+ | $1 billion to $10 billion | 29 | 17 |
Hewlett Packard | Palo Alto, California | 1939 | 10,000+ | Above $50 billion | 25 | 18 |
HSS International | Lake Arrowhead, California | 1991 | Unknown | Unknown | 1 | 1 |
i2 Inc. | McLean, Virginia | 1990 | 101-500 | Unknown | 1 | 12 |
iBASEt | Foothill Ranch, California | 1986 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 7 | 6 |
Ideal Innovations, Inc. | Arlington, Virginia | 1999 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 5 | 3 |
iGov | McLean, Virginia | 1996 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 2 | 2 |
IISI Corporation | North Billerica, Massachusetts | 1988 | <25 | Under $100 million | 1 | 3 |
INDUS Corporation | Vienna, Virginia | 1991 | 501-2,000 | Unknown | 9 | 9 |
Information Manufacturing LLC | Fairfax, Virginia | 1999 | <25 | Unknown | 1 | 2 |
InovaTech Government Solutions | Fayetteville, North Carolina | 2002 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 1 | 3 |
Intellitactics | Reston, Virginia | 2003 | 26-100 | Unknown | 1 | 3 |
Interferometrics Inc. | Herndon, Virginia | 1982 | 26-100 | Unknown | 1 | 1 |
ISPA, Inc. | Atlanta, Georgia | 1983 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 1 | 4 |
Jacobs Technology | Pasadena, California | 1947 | 10,000+ | $10 billion to $50 billion | 21 | 5 |
JB Management, Inc. | Alexandria, Virginia | 1990 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 6 | 9 |
Jorge Scientific Corporation | Arlington, Virginia | 1986 | 101-500 | $100 million to $750 million | 2 | 2 |
K2 Group Inc. | McLean, Virginia | 2003 | <25 | Under $100 million | 5 | 2 |
Keane Federal Systems, Inc. | McLean, Virginia | 1965 | 10,000+ | Unknown | 7 | 11 |
L-3 Communications | New York, New York | 1997 | 10,000+ | $10 billion to $50 billion | 96 | 29 |
Leading Edge Systems | Colorado Springs, Colorado | 2002 | <25 | Unknown | 1 | 3 |
Lockheed Martin | Bethesda, Maryland | 1995 | 10,000+ | $10 billion to $50 billion | 73 | 23 |
Logistics 2020, Inc. | Chesterfield, Virginia | 2000 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 2 | 4 |
Logos Technologies, Inc. | Arlington, Virginia | 1996 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 3 | 4 |
Lukos | Valrico, Florida | 2008 | <25 | Unknown | 2 | 2 |
Lunarline | Arlington, Virginia | 2004 | <25 | Under $100 million | 1 | 9 |
MacAulay Brown, Inc. | Dayton, Ohio | 1979 | 501-2,000 | $100 million to $750 million | 15 | 13 |
ManTech International Corporation | Fairfax, Virginia | 1968 | 5,000-10,000 | $1 billion to $10 billion | 81 | 28 |
Mark Logic | San Carlos, California | 2001 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 4 | 2 |
Masy Group, The | Alexandria, Virginia | 2005 | <25 | Under $100 million | 2 | 4 |
MAV6 | Vicksburg, Mississippi | 2007 | 26-100 | Unknown | 1 | 2 |
McNeil Technologies | Springfield, Virginia | 1985 | 501-2,000 | $100 million to $750 million | 13 | 11 |
MCQ Inc. | Fredericksburg, Virginia | 1985 | 26-100 | Unknown | 1 | 7 |
MCS | Tampa, Florida | 1988 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 1 | 4 |
mediaEdge, a Division of Exceptional Software | Linthicum Heights, Maryland | 1996 | 101-500 | Unknown | 1 | 10 |
Merlin International | Englewood, Colorado | 1997 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 3 | 2 |
MicroLink, LLC | Vienna, Virginia | 1998 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 1 | 4 |
MOJA, Incorporated | Manassas, Virginia | 1995 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 5 | 12 |
MPRI, an L-3 Communications Company | Alexandria, Virginia | 1987 | Unknown | Unknown | 7 | 10 |
Navstar, Inc. | Falls Church, Virginia | 1999 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 12 | 8 |
NCI Information Systems, Inc. | Reston, Virginia | 1989 | 2,001-5,000 | $100 million to $750 million | 25 | 9 |
NEK Advanced Securities Group, Inc. | Colorado Springs, Colorado | 2002 | 101-500 | Unknown | 7 | 8 |
Nicor Global | Washington, District of Columbia | 2007 | <25 | Unknown | 1 | 6 |
Northrop Grumman | Los Angeles, California | 1939 | 10,000+ | $10 billion to $50 billion | 98 | 27 |
Oak Grove Technologies | Raleigh, North Carolina | 1998 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 3 | 13 |
Operational Intelligence LLC | Warrenton, Virginia | 2008 | <25 | Unknown | 2 | 1 |
Operational Skills Group, LLC | Seaside, California | 2000 | <25 | Unknown | 2 | 6 |
Operational Support and Services | Fayetteville, North Carolina | 1993 | 101-500 | Unknown | 1 | 6 |
Orbis, Inc. | Mount Pleasant, South Carolina | 2000 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 2 | 2 |
Organizational Strategies Inc | Arlington, Virginia | 1996 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 1 | 3 |
Praemittias Group | Highlands Ranch, Colorado | 2006 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 1 | 1 |
Professional Solutions | Alexandria, Virginia | 2002 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 4 | 11 |
Radiance Technologies | Huntsville, Alabama | 1998 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 9 | 10 |
Raytheon | Waltham, Massachusetts | 1922 | 10,000+ | $10 billion to $50 billion | 75 | 19 |
RDR, Inc. | Centreville, Virginia | 1986 | 101-500 | Unknown | 3 | 8 |
Rockwell Collins, Inc. | Cedar Rapids, Iowa | 1933 | 10,000+ | $1 billion to $10 billion | 8 | 5 |
S4, Inc. | Burlington, Massachusetts | 1996 | 101-500 | Unknown | 10 | 12 |
SAIC | McLean, Virginia | 1969 | 10,000+ | $10 billion to $50 billion | 123 | 33 |
Schafer Corporation | Arlington, Virginia | 1972 | Unknown | Unknown | 8 | 10 |
SCIA Solutions | Reston, Virginia | 2005 | <25 | Under $100 million | 3 | 2 |
Scientific Research Corporation | Arlington, Virginia | 1988 | 501-2,000 | $100 million to $750 million | 4 | 6 |
SDV Solutions, Inc. | Williamsburg, Virginia | 2004 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 1 | 4 |
Sentel | Alexandria, Virginia | 1987 | 101-500 | Unknown | 3 | 3 |
SGIS | San Diego, California | 2002 | 501-2,000 | $100 million to $750 million | 19 | 11 |
Shee Atika Services, LLC | Hudson, Florida | 2007 | <25 | Under $100 million | 1 | 2 |
Silverback 7, Inc. | Woodbridge, Virginia | 2005 | <25 | Under $100 million | 7 | 7 |
SOS International, Ltd. | Reston, Virginia | 1989 | 501-2,000 | Under $100 million | 4 | 6 |
SOTTINT | Dover, Tennessee | 1998 | <25 | Unknown | 1 | 1 |
SPADAC | McLean, Virginia | 2002 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 9 | 10 |
Special Applications Group | Tampa, Florida | 2004 | <25 | Under $100 million | 2 | 1 |
SpecTal LLC, an L-1 Identity Solutions company | Reston, Virginia | 1999 | 101-500 | Unknown | 1 | 9 |
SpecTIR LLC | Reno, Nevada | 2006 | 26-100 | Unknown | 2 | 1 |
Spectrum Communications Inc. | Hampton, Virginia | 1999 | 101-500 | Unknown | 10 | 5 |
SSA Inc. | Alexandria, Virginia | 1981 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 2 | 5 |
Suh'dutsing Technologies, LLC | Cedar City, Utah | 2003 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 2 | 10 |
Sweet Analysis Services, Inc. | Alexandria, Virginia | 1990 | <25 | Under $100 million | 1 | 7 |
Symvionics, Inc. | Arcadia, California | 1988 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 1 | 4 |
Tanager | Annapolis Junction, Maryland | 1996 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 5 | 2 |
Tecolote Research, Inc. | Lexington Park, Maryland | 1973 | Unknown | Unknown | 2 | 9 |
TeleCommunication Systems | ANNAPOLIS, Maryland | 1987 | 501-2,000 | $100 million to $750 million | 2 | 2 |
The Boeing Company | Chicago, Illinois | 1916 | 10,000+ | Above $50 billion | 43 | 11 |
TIAX LLC | Lexington, Massachusetts | 2002 | 101-500 | Unknown | 1 | 3 |
TigerSwan, Inc | Apex, North Carolina | 2005 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 1 | 1 |
Torres Advanced Enterprise Solutions | Arlington, Virginia | 2002 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 1 | 4 |
TranTech, Inc. | Alexandria, Virginia | 1989 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 2 | 4 |
Trident Systems, Inc. | Fairfax, Virginia | 1985 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 2 | 5 |
TVAR Solutions | McLean, Virginia | 2006 | <25 | Under $100 million | 5 | 3 |
Tybrin Corporation, a Jacobs Engineering company | Fort Walton Beach, Florida | 1972 | 501-2,000 | $100 million to $750 million | 3 | 4 |
Universal Hi-Tech Development, Inc. | Rockville, Maryland | 1982 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 1 | 3 |
Universal Strategy Group, Inc. | Columbia, Tennessee | 2007 | <25 | Unknown | 2 | 1 |
URS Corporation | SAN FRANCISCO, California | 1957 | 10,000+ | $1 billion to $10 billion | 36 | 14 |
USfalcon, Inc. | Morrisville, North Carolina | 2005 | 101-500 | $100 million to $750 million | 25 | 10 |
USGC, Inc. | Annapolis, Maryland | 1999 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 6 | 12 |
Varen Technologies | Columbia, Maryland | 2005 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 8 | 3 |
Visual Analytics, Inc. | Poolesville, Maryland | 1998 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 2 | 13 |
Visual Purple | San Luis Obispo, California | 1998 | <25 | Under $100 million | 1 | 5 |
VSE Corporation | Alexandria, Virginia | 1959 | 2,001-5,000 | $750 million to $1 billion | 1 | 5 |
Vykin Corporation | Tampa, Florida | 2006 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 7 | 8 |
Wave Technologies, Inc. | Herndon, Virginia | 2001 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 4 | 5 |
Westech International | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 1995 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 7 | 4 |
Western DataCom | Cleveland, Ohio | 1990 | <25 | Unknown | 1 | 3 |
Zebra Imaging | Austin, Texas | 1996 | 26-100 | Under $100 million | 1 | 6 |
Zel Technologies LLC | Hampton, Virginia | 1988 | 101-500 | Under $100 million | 25 | 9 |
ZolonTech Government Services | Washington, District of Columbia | 1998 | 101-500 | $100 million to $750 million | 2 | 2 |
The 4th Military Information Support Group (MISG) remains the active Army's only military information support operations unit.
The ranks of the 4th MISG include regional experts and linguists who understand political, cultural, ethnic and religious subtleties. With functional experts in all aspects of tactical communications, the 4th MISG offers joint force commanders unmatched abilities to influence target audiences as well as support to U.S. diplomacy.
Military information support operations are a vital part of the broad range of U.S. political, military, economic and ideological activities used by the U.S. government to secure national objectives. MISO is the dissemination of
information to foreign audiences in support of U.S. policy and national objectives.
Used during peacetime, contingencies and declared war, these activities are not forms of force, but are force multipliers that use nonviolent means in often violent environments. Persuading rather than compelling physically, they rely on logic, fear, desire or other mental factors to promote specific emotions, attitudes or behaviors.
The ultimate objective of U.S. military information support operations is to convince enemy, neutral, and friendly nations and forces to take action favorable to the United States and its allies.
Military information support operations support national security objectives at the tactical, operational and strategic levels of operations.
Both tactical and theater-level MISO may be used to enhance peacetime military activities of conventional and special operations forces operating in foreign countries. Cultural awareness packages attune U.S. forces before departing overseas.
In theater, media programs publicize the positive aspects of combined military exercises and deployments.
In addition to supporting commanders, MISO units provide interagency support to other U.S. government agencies. In operations ranging from humanitarian assistance to drug interdiction, Military Information Support Operations enhance the impact of those agencies’ actions.
Their activities can be used to spread information about ongoing programs and to gain support from the local populace.
The 2,400-member unit is also slated to grow to approximately 2,700 troops by the year 2011."
Release Date: May 9, 2011
Emory University
Atlanta
(Remarks as Prepared)
Thank you, President Wagner. I am honored to be here today at the 166th Commencement ceremony at Emory University. And let me be among the first to congratulate the Class of 2011. It is a very significant accomplishment, and you should be proud of what you've achieved.
Your finals are behind you. Class Day is over. It took a lot of hard work – it took a lot of Everybody's Pizza and Diet Coke. (And just maybe an occasional Pepsi on the sly, as well.) And it took a lot of support and encouragement. So please take a moment to thank your families and friends who helped you along the way.
Commencements like this are always a treat. I am constantly amazed and inspired by the energy on a university campus at graduation time. I have been speaking at colleges and universities throughout the year, talking about the kinds of security challenges our nation faces, and how we will surmount those challenges. One way we'll do that is through the incredible potential and creativity of young leaders like you.
This rings particularly true as Emory celebrates its 175th anniversary. Across two centuries, this university has challenged the minds and spirits of its students, and broadened our collective understanding of the world around us. I don't have to tell you that Emory students are among the most accomplished and engaged in the country, and this university ranks among our nation's finest – but I will anyway.
Emory leads the nation in the areas of HIV research, neuroscience, and the development of new medicines and vaccines. You lead in the classroom and the laboratory, but also in community engagement and environmental innovation. That is why you won the highly-competitive Presidential Award for General Community Service, and boast one of the most environmentally sustainable campuses in America.
And, lest we forget your athletic prowess – Auburn may have gone undefeated this year, but they certainly can't match 175 years without a single defeat on the football field. That's what happens when you don't have a football team!
Now, I know for many of us, it's probably hard to imagine what it must have been like to be a student here 175 years ago. Back when Emory was founded, Charles Darwin was still sailing aboard the HMS Beagle, working on his theory of evolution. The Battle of the Alamo was being waged in Texas. Martin Van Buren had defeated William Henry Harrison to become the eighth President of the United States. And Dooley, the infamous biology lab skeleton, was still roaming the earth with his vital organs intact. (By the way, since I know that Dooley sometimes merits his own bodyguards, I thought I should let you know that I've been talking to the Secret Service, one of the agencies in my Department, about getting him additional protection.)
Of course, in those days there was no Twitter, no Facebook, no CNN. The railroad and telegraph were still a few years off, and it could take weeks – even months – for news to arrive from around the world. If you wanted to chat with your friends, you actually had to go see them, even leave your dorm room. Yes, life was much tougher back then.
And I've seen major changes during my own lifetime. The parents in the audience will remember when there were only a few channels on TV – and you had to change the channel by hand. Now, if someone loses the remote control, it is a major crisis until it is found again. We prepared our term papers on typewriters. We used a slide rule. And we walked around with punch cards to program computers using Fortran. Our first cars were Ford Pintos. We wore bell bottoms and Nehru jackets. And our first cell phones looked like walkie-talkies.
I mention these things because today, we live in a world where change is a certainty – and where the pace of that change is growing ever faster. Past generations could not bank on the fact that the world would be all that different four, forty, or a hundred years in the future. But we can. This gives us greater opportunities, to be sure, but greater risks as well.
Your challenge as graduates will be figuring out how to take advantage of the dynamism of today's world – and use your unique skills – to make it better.
To do this, you will have to maintain your equilibrium, your sense of self, in some topsy-turvy conditions. Just look at the four years since you were freshmen in 2007. Our economic landscape has changed dramatically, which makes your job searches much different from those of the seniors who graduated four years ago. We had a historic presidential election in which the participation of your generation was a major part of the story. And across the world we've seen major developments such as the rise of China and India, and the recent democratic movements in countries like Egypt, Tunisia, and Bahrain.
But apart from just noting change, it is also important for us to remember that the rate of change in our world fulfills a great role. It challenges us and empowers us to shape the world according to how we envision it. And it can open doors that our society has never even imaged.
Take Twitter, for instance. Twitter did not even exist until 2006, when the seniors graduating today were in high school. Now, it is ubiquitous. You're able to Tweet during my speech because you have an app for Twitter on your smartphones. In 2006, we didn't have an app for that – we didn't have an app for much of anything.
Changes in social media and the opportunities they have created have touched us all – including the Department of Homeland Security. Today we are leveraging social media tools like FEMA's mobile website to enable victims of disasters – including victims of the recent tornadoes here in Georgia, Alabama, and across the Southeast – to register for assistance from their smart phones.
All of you will face this challenge to seize the opportunity of change – even though all of you will go on to do very different things. For some of you, the next four years of change will mean moving very far away and doing things you'd never thought you'd do – such as waking up before 10 a.m.
My own career has taken me from law school and legal practice, to elected office, and today, to a massive government agency with more than 230,000 people. There's no exact roadmap for that. But all along, I have had a strong interest in public service, and that has never waned. And I hope that all of you, no matter where your careers take you, will give thought to how your unique talents could help serve the common good.
There are always opportunities for people who are doctors or lawyers to do the important work of giving back to their communities. But there are also needs for people of all kinds of talents to volunteer. It's critical that we have people willing to give their time to do things like help children learn, or – as we've seen across the South in recent weeks – to volunteer with organizations like the Red Cross to assist after a disaster. Your communities need you.
And we also need you in government. We need our best and brightest graduates working on today's challenges. And there are many – from preventing the spread of pandemic disease to countering the ever-evolving threats of terrorism to reducing the impact of major disasters to ensuring a safe and secure cyberspace. We also need more of our experts in science or business or engineering involved in policymaking. We need a diversity of talents so that, for example, when a complex disaster like last year's BP oil spill occurs, we can immediately marshal biologists, oceanologists, physicists, engineers, and a myriad of others to deal with all of the issues presented.
My hope is that someday we will come to see public service as a common – even standard – part of any career path, whether in the private sector, academia, or elsewhere. There should not be high walls between public service and other fields. It should be normal for people from outside the government to work to help solve pressing problems. No matter what career path you begin on, you should be able to spend a couple of years in government applying your particular talents and expertise to a public challenge. This is a vision of public service that we are trying to promote, and that we will need your generation to help move forward.
So as you embark on your careers, I hope some of you will consider spending some time in government, even though at times it may seem like our government can't even agree about the source of its own disagreements.
But if you permit me to close with one more piece of advice, do not fall for the cynical view. Democracy in a big country like ours has always been noisy and contentious. If you think attack ads are bad today, even the most revered figures in our political history dealt with the rough nature of democracy – precisely because the stakes are so high and the issues are so important. This includes when John Adams was called "querulous, bald, blind, crippled, and toothless" during the election of 1800. For the record, his allies shot back that if Thomas Jefferson were elected, "The soil [will be] soaked in blood and the nation black with crimes." Thankfully, it didn't exactly work out like that.
The point is that you shouldn't be afraid to dive in. Emory has prepared you well for all of the challenges of our vibrant democracy.
Indeed, as most of you probably know, on one of the pillars of the beautiful gate here on campus there are two inscriptions. The quotes are attributed to Atticus Greene Haygood, who graduated from Emory College in 1859, and who served as president of Emory from 1875 to 1884. The first one says, "Nothing praises or pleases God like service." And the second says, "Let us stand by what is good ... and try to make it better."
To me, these quotes are as timely now as they were then. Now it is your turn to take what you find in the world and make it better. And to commence this exciting next phase in your lives.
You will find that Emory has prepared you with more than academic knowledge. This university has also prepared you in ways that you didn't necessarily expect, and that will only reveal themselves over time. The value of an Emory education cannot be measured in dollars alone. It must be measured in having the critical thinking skills that our changing society demands.
So, to all of you, I wish you the best of luck. Thank you, and congratulations to the Class of 2011!