14 Sep 2007

Joint cooperation makes the Armed Forces a stonger team

There is probably not a one of us who hasn't shared in inter-service rivalries (USN vs. USAF) and intra-service rivalries such as USN (Aviation vs. Ships vs. Subs). Many of those rivalries were good spirited in nature and tend to focus on pride in ones own service. At the Pentagon level, those rivalries however lead to severe service infighting and

13 Sep 2007

Chief of Staff Message to Airmen

Airmen of the United States Air Force, So that I could better communicate my thoughts and intentions to the widest possible audience, I recently asked for the capability to e-mail all Airmen directly. Thanks to our technology experts, I now have that capability, and with this e-mail I begin what I intend to be regular correspondence with you. From

9 Sep 2007

Perseverance: is it in you?

Growing up, I remember hearing the story of the little engine who could. He was not the strongest train in the depot but he did have the biggest heart. The little engine set his mind on the goal of reaching the top of the hill and nothing or no one was going to stand in his way. The other trains would tell him there was no way he could make it so

5 Sep 2007

Balancing rights and respect

The Air Force published its guidelines on the free exercise of religion in February 2006, but some Airmen still find themselves wondering where the lines are when it comes to their faith. The religious guidelines were not written to prevent people from practicing their faith. Instead, they help protect the constitutional right of all Airmen to

28 Aug 2007

Join us at a jam-packed Air Fest event

Our largest community event featuring eight hours of non-stop excitement is right around the corner. Air Fest 2007 will take place here Sept. 2. This year's event, hosted by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, will be jam-packed with flying demonstrations, live music, food and fun for all. This event provides a great opportunity for interaction with

28 Aug 2007

Discipline starts with supervisor setting standards

Your commander calls you on the phone and says he wants to talk to you about Airman Snuffy. Your mind starts racing at 200 miles per hour because you remember last week you had to counsel him on being to work on time. Now what? As a supervisor in the Air Force, we are required to know, set, exemplify, and enforce the standards. And when necessary

19 Aug 2007

Deployments: keeping Airmen, families in our prayers

Many of our Airmen have deployed to ensure the safety of our nation and its citizens. In addition to the 13th fighter squadron, Airmen from maintenance, security forces and the logistics readiness squadrons are also deployed. Some of these Airmen recently returned home and in September we'll see the end of another AEF rotation. For some it was a

19 Aug 2007

Airman's Roll Call: Test bases lead way to streamline services

As Air Force leaders continue to shape the Air Force for the future, organizations within the Air Force have to find more efficient ways of doing business. In this spirit, six Air Force test bases are merging their services and mission support squadrons. Through this merger, the organizations will streamline processes, increase efficiencies,

19 Aug 2007

Airmen feedback and evaluation

One of the most important roles Air Force supervisors and rating officials have is to provide honest feedback and accurate assessments of the Airmen they lead. The professional development of these Airmen and our necessity to target individuals for career progression depends on this. With the introduction of new feedback and performance report

14 Aug 2007

Meeting challenges while remembering family, friends

Last week the 35th Fighter Wing met the challenges of our IRRE (Initial Response Readiness Exercise). We put our game faces on and quickly mobilized troops for our deployment to a simulated contingency. Our Airmen were right on target as they worked hard to expedite people and equipment to a wartime arena with the professionalism and proficiency