2023 USSYP Yearbook - Flipbook - Page 27
“You are
charged with
taking the
Constitution
forward and
making a
more perfect
union.”
General Mark Milley
(OPPOSITE) General Milley
(TOP LEFT) Dr. Karlin
with Louisiana delegates
Margaret Moe and
James Stratton
(TOP RIGHT) General
Milley with Massachusetts
delegates Alexandra Tokar
and Jimmy Merino
(LEFT) SEAC Colón López
with DoDEA delegates
Kyung Joon Flannery
and Olivia Kearley
Speaking next was Ramón Colón-López, the Senior Enlisted Advisor to
the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the most senior enlisted service
member in the Armed Forces. He combined policy expertise with sharp
wit and quick humor, for a memorable interaction and generous time for
questions and answers about all of the armed forces service branches.
Dr. Mara Karlin, published author and Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Strategies, Plans and Capabilities, gave the students a deep dive into military
budget and strategic planning, and an overview of her work developing
the National Defense Strategy. Dr. Karlin offered education and life advice,
especially touting the benefits of being open to unexpected opportunities,
using her own career path, beginning as a Congressional intern to her current
position as a shining example.
UNITED STATES SENATE YOUTH PROGRAM 2023 | 25
