FRANCIS S. GABRESKI AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, WESTHAMPTON BEACH, N.Y. – New York Air National Guard Col. Jeffrey Cannet, commander of the 106th Rescue Wing, and 106th Command Chief Master Sgt. Edward Rittberg, conducted a series of town hall meetings with members of the 106th Rescue Wing to discuss topics from the Defense Organizational Climate Survey (DEOCS), March 6-7, 2026.
According to the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, the DEOCS is a survey conducted by the Department of War to provide commanders and leaders with information they can use to improve their unit or organizational climate.
“The DEOCS is a great opportunity for members to give their commanders an understanding of how they feel they’re being cared for on this base,” said Capt. Damina Townes, 106th Equal Opportunity director. “It’s important to give that feedback so that we know what needs to be fixed.”
The DEOCS asks questions about individuals’ experiences within their unit or organization, and about their immediate supervisor, unit commander, and leadership.
Townes explained that the survey covers many different topics.
“It talks about communication, access to care and childcare,” said Townes. “It asks if an individual has experienced discrimination or harassment. There are a lot of categories that the questions are meant to cover to provide a full view of the picture of the base.”
The town hall meetings were held to create a forum where Airmen could ask questions and share additional feedback directly with wing leadership.
Cannet emphasized the importance of the DEOCS and how the resulting feedback helps leadership better understand the needs and concerns of Airmen across the wing.
“Filling out these DEOC surveys really helps us to understand where we stand as a wing, where we have some areas to improve, what we’re doing right, what we’re doing wrong,” Cannet said.
“We owe it back to the wing to make sure that they understand that we are eyes open, ears open, we’re listening, and we are trying to take positive action to move the wing forward,” he continued.
Staff Sgt. Anthony Polidoro, who attended a town hall meeting, said he appreciated the opportunity to hear directly from wing leadership.
“It was really important to me as an enlisted member that the commander came down and directly addressed our concerns,” said Polidoro, 106th Airfield Management. “Him being able to address multiple topics while being open to both positive and negative feedback showed a leadership that Airmen can really look up to.”
106th leadership plans to continue hosting town hall meetings in the future to maintain open communication with members and ensure their feedback continues to shape improvements across the wing.
The 106th Rescue Wing based at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach, New York, operates and maintains the HC-130J Combat King II search and rescue aircraft, and the HH-60W Jolly Green II rescue helicopter. The 106th Rescue Wing is home to a special warfare squadron with pararescuemen and combat rescue officers, specializing in rescue and recovery, and deploys for domestic and overseas operations.