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LEXINGTON, Va., Nov. 2, 2016 鈥� Former White House Chief of Staff James A. Baker III defined and illustrated the meaning of leadership in a talk this morning in 麻豆女演员 Institute鈥檚 Cameron Hall. Having just received VMI鈥檚 Harry F. Byrd Jr. 鈥�35 Public Service Award, Baker made his point: 鈥淟eadership, I believe, is nothing more than knowing what to do and then doing it.鈥�

The talk was the keynote address for VMI鈥檚 seventh annual Leadership and Ethics Conference, 鈥淪trategic Leadership in Times of Global Transition: Past, Present, and Future.鈥�

鈥淣o one better understands how to apply strategic leadership in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous geostrategic environments than our distinguished guest,鈥� said Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III 鈥�62, VMI superintendent, in presenting the award.

Addressing the VMI Corps of Cadets, nearly 150 conference participants, and members of the community, Baker said the challenges the next president will face are 鈥渢ruly daunting,鈥� and noted that how well America leads in the coming years will determine 鈥渢he history of the 21st century.鈥�

Naming historic leaders from Alexander Hamilton to George C. Marshall, a member of VMI鈥檚 Class of 1901, as exemplars of the brand of leadership required, Baker directed the audience鈥檚 attention to the careers of two historic figures who were also his own associates, President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush.

Reagan, under whom Baker served as both chief of staff and secretary of the treasury, navigated the collapse of the Soviet Union through a diplomacy 鈥渆mphasizing plain talk over euphemism.鈥�

鈥淭he answer was to simply stay the course,鈥� said Baker. And, 鈥渁s the Soviet Union embraced glasnost and perestroika in the late 1980s, the final element, to the dismay of Reagan鈥檚 critics, was to support the reformers and defuse the tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union.鈥�

When the Berlin Wall went down, all questions about Reagan鈥檚 leadership were finally and fully answered.

鈥淭he Cold War was over.  The West had won.  Why?  Because President Reagan knew what to do and he did it,鈥� concluded Baker.

Baker, who led five presidential campaigns, for presidents Gerald Ford, Reagan, and Bush, and served as secretary of state and chief of staff for Bush, described how Bush further developed the new world order Reagan had helped create.

Bush, who did not believe in triumphalism, negotiated the 鈥渕other of all soft landings.鈥�

Pointing to the attainment of freedom throughout eastern Europe and Central Asia, the reunification of Germany, the peaceful breakup of the Soviet Union, and arms reduction agreements, Baker concluded, 鈥淭he Cold War ended with a whimper and not with the bang that many people had feared, and the world became safe.  Why?  Because George Bush knew what to do, and he did it.鈥�

Baker did not shy away from commenting on current events during his talk and in a question-and-answer period with the audience.  Unlike both major party candidates in this year鈥檚 presidential election, Baker said he supports the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, a major international free trade agreement.  He also suggested that the United States should respond forcefully to provocative moves from Russia.

The leadership conference continues with panel discussions this afternoon and a talk by Rand Corp. policy analyst Linda Robinson this evening.  It will conclude tomorrow with additional panel discussions, a talk by H.B. Johnson Distinguished Speaker Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, and an ethical leadership exercise.

To view Baker's keynote address, visit .

鈥� Maj. Sherri Tombarge

-VMI-