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EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh III and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody visited Nomads here Oct. 1-2.
During their visit, the two leaders toured the 33rd Weapons Load Training facility and 58th Fighter Squadron where they participated in round table discussions with officer, enlisted and civilian members alike. Nomads participated in candid discussions with AF’s senior leadership about issues and highlights regarding the F-35 Lightning II program and the role the Nomads play in bringing the fifth generation fighter to initial operational capability.
While touring the 33rd WLT, maintainers showcased innovations developed locally to reduce the amount of time aircraft are down for maintenance.
Welsh and Cody also hosted a Team Eglin all call and spoke to Airmen about changes the U.S. Air Force will implement in the future. The two leaders encouraged Airmen to stay flexible, communicate issues with leadership and take care of each other as the service evolves.
“Nobody knows your mission better then you do, nobody is better at [your job] than you and the people around you,” Welsh said. “So if you as a supervisor, you as a command, see something we should be changing to take better care of our people, to do our job better…just tell us how we need to help you by changing whatever policy [or] instruction.”
Welsh and Cody took questions from attendees on a variety of topics ranging from the integration of women into combat roles to how modernization will affect AF infrastructure.
On the heels of the recent implementation of a new enlisted performance report and introduction of Course 15, a distance-learning format Intermediate Leadership Course, Cody cautioned Airmen to seek out credible sources like the AF Link when searching for clarity on policy change. Cody also urged Airmen to look to trusted leadership and mentors for help navigating past speculation to find verified, reliable information.
“Work through it with people you’re sitting next to,” said Cody. “Work through the people you have trust and confidence in.”
Cody praised the camaraderie he witnessed during his visit and the connections shared among the Nomads he encountered. The Air Force’s senior enlisted member encouraged everyone to focus and lean on those relationships when things seem most difficult.
“When you have that [connection], all this other stuff and all these other challenges, all these things that will happen to each of us in this lifetime of service - it will get us through all of these challenges - whether it’s professional challenges in the work place or personal challenges, it will absolutely impact this and how we are able to be Airmen,” Cody concluded.
In closing, Welsh took a moment to share his take on the importance of the mission, air power and every Airman’s role in maintaining a strong force ready to fight future battles.
"The mission is to fight the nation's wars. That is what everyone in here is directly or indirectly involved in,” Welsh said. “There is no second place. You win or you die, and if we die the nation loses. You will not win a fight in the future without ‘air power’, you can't do it, so you have to be good at what you do and you [have to] get better at it every day."
| Date Taken: | 10.05.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 10.07.2015 08:46 |
| Story ID: | 178316 |
| Location: | EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 56 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, CSAF, CMSAF visit 33rd Fighter Wing, by TSgt Andrea Posey, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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