DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. – Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Scott Campbell led a professional development session to strengthen readiness for Airmen at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, April 3, sharing his 20 years of experience in combat leadership, service and deployments.
Campbell discussed decision-making under pressure, the importance of team cohesion and the mental resilience required to lead in combat situations, while highlighting the importance of leadership in high-threat environments that require trust.
“It’s a two way street. So when you feel that trust, don’t ever forget it,” Campbell said. “You’ll be in a position sometime where you’re going to have to trust your people to do it without your oversight and without your direction.”
Campbell’s career includes extensive experience as a combat pilot in the Middle East and Pacific theaters, where he has flown missions supporting both humanitarian relief and tactical operations, earning three Distinguished Flying Cross medals. His past demonstrates the lethal mentality the Airmen of the 355th Wing put into the everyday mission.
Campbell encouraged Airmen to apply the lessons of past conflict to the challenges of modern air combat. Campbell’s message to the Airmen of the 355th Wing was designed to connect the realities of combat leadership with the day-to-day responsibilities of enlisted personnel.
“It matters all the time, because you don’t know when you’ll be needed. You don’t know when you’re going to be called on,” Campbell said.
DM prioritizes the readiness and lethality for Airmen across the base by routinely hosting leadership-focused events to strengthen readiness and foster mentorship throughout the ranks of service members.