WEBVTT 00:01.940 --> 00:04.260 - Good afternoon from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. 00:04.260 --> 00:05.970 Thank you for joining us today. 00:05.970 --> 00:09.540 I'm Wendy Varhegyi, the Director of Public Affairs for AFMC. 00:09.540 --> 00:12.390 Joining me today is General Arnie Bunch, our Commander, 00:12.390 --> 00:15.250 as well as Chief Master Sergeant Stan Cadell, 00:15.250 --> 00:17.510 our Chief Master Sergeant of the command. 00:17.510 --> 00:19.630 We're happy to have them here today to talk to us 00:19.630 --> 00:21.990 about what's going on around the Command 00:21.990 --> 00:24.190 and answer your questions. 00:24.190 --> 00:26.170 Thank you for all the questions you have submitted. 00:26.170 --> 00:29.260 You still have an opportunity to comment on the live stream, 00:29.260 --> 00:31.100 and we will answer as many questions 00:31.100 --> 00:33.883 as we have time to do so. 00:34.870 --> 00:36.700 Before we get started with opening comments, 00:36.700 --> 00:38.130 we thought it would be interesting 00:38.130 --> 00:41.010 as a way to get to know General Bunch and Chief Cadell, 00:41.010 --> 00:43.160 to ask a few lightning round questions. 00:43.160 --> 00:46.490 So we're gonna start with both of you here real quick. 00:46.490 --> 00:48.252 Introvert or extrovert? 00:48.252 --> 00:51.550 - Introvert. - Introvert. 00:51.550 --> 00:53.830 - Climb a mountain or jump out of a plane? 00:53.830 --> 00:55.980 - Climb a mountain. - Jump out of a plane. 00:56.930 --> 00:59.290 - Would you rather be able to speak and understand 00:59.290 --> 01:00.790 every language in the world, 01:00.790 --> 01:03.195 or be able to talk to animals? 01:03.195 --> 01:04.703 - The first. - Absolutely the first. 01:08.700 --> 01:10.560 - Star Wars or Star Trek? 01:10.560 --> 01:12.590 - Star Wars. - Star Wars. 01:12.590 --> 01:13.550 - I would agree. 01:13.550 --> 01:16.193 What do you think about when you're alone in the car? 01:17.450 --> 01:19.650 - Unfortunately, what have I gotta get done. 01:21.300 --> 01:24.808 - So I guess it's thinking about what am I forgetting. 01:24.808 --> 01:27.720 What's going on that I'm not thinking about? 01:27.720 --> 01:30.400 - Exactly, given today's technology, 01:30.400 --> 01:32.650 if you were given the opportunity to travel to space 01:32.650 --> 01:33.560 would you take it? 01:33.560 --> 01:35.900 - Yes. - Absolutely. 01:35.900 --> 01:37.440 Absolutely, correct. 01:37.440 --> 01:38.823 - Ninjas or pirates? 01:40.362 --> 01:42.010 - Ninjas. 01:42.010 --> 01:43.510 - Is there a third option? 01:43.510 --> 01:44.343 - Nope (laughs). 01:45.331 --> 01:47.440 - Ninja's, I think. 01:47.440 --> 01:48.760 - Test or sustainment? 01:48.760 --> 01:50.910 Just kidding, please don't answer that one. 01:52.224 --> 01:54.100 - I don't need to get voted off the island 01:54.100 --> 01:56.000 by part of the command here. 01:56.000 --> 01:58.610 - Exactly, so sir that, we just wanted to 01:58.610 --> 01:59.932 kinda get to know you a little bit. 01:59.932 --> 02:01.210 We'll let you have the opportunity 02:01.210 --> 02:02.380 for some opening comments. 02:02.380 --> 02:03.213 - So thanks Wendy. 02:03.213 --> 02:06.700 So, everybody out there, good morning, 02:06.700 --> 02:08.950 good afternoon, and good evening. 02:08.950 --> 02:11.000 That in and of itself tells you a little bit 02:11.000 --> 02:13.260 about how diverse our command is. 02:13.260 --> 02:15.960 We're spread all around the world executing the mission, 02:15.960 --> 02:18.440 and making sure that the Air Force can do its mission 02:18.440 --> 02:20.100 each and every day. 02:20.100 --> 02:23.570 It is a honor and a privilege for Caroline and I 02:23.570 --> 02:26.480 to get the opportunity to serve as the Command Team, 02:26.480 --> 02:28.970 and get to work for you, the Airmen, 02:28.970 --> 02:31.210 of the Air Force Materiel Command. 02:31.210 --> 02:33.670 We've had the privilege of being in this role now 02:33.670 --> 02:38.670 a little over eight months, and I am consistently inspired 02:39.470 --> 02:43.770 and awed by everything that you do each and every day. 02:43.770 --> 02:46.520 So thank you for what you're doing to make us successful, 02:46.520 --> 02:48.500 and thank you for what you're doing 02:48.500 --> 02:51.470 to make the Air Force and the nation successful 02:51.470 --> 02:52.870 in doing what we need to do. 02:53.770 --> 02:56.620 You've read our New Vision, you've read our New Mission. 02:56.620 --> 02:59.213 That's been up on the screen as you logged in, 03:00.430 --> 03:01.860 so hopefully you got that. 03:01.860 --> 03:03.530 We had a big off-site where we brought all 03:03.530 --> 03:05.160 the senior leaders together to go look at 03:05.160 --> 03:07.560 what we need to do to go forward for the future. 03:07.560 --> 03:09.280 So that's not just one of us doing it, 03:09.280 --> 03:11.050 that's the command team getting together 03:11.050 --> 03:13.470 and setting that up for how we want to go forward. 03:13.470 --> 03:14.820 So hopefully, you're seeing that. 03:14.820 --> 03:16.330 You've been able to see some of the videos 03:16.330 --> 03:18.940 that we've been putting out to go forward, 03:18.940 --> 03:21.900 and we got a lot of great initiatives going on. 03:21.900 --> 03:23.640 We got the AFMC things we need. 03:23.640 --> 03:26.427 We're working on facilities, communication, IT, 03:29.166 --> 03:32.510 a variety of different areas there, leadership training. 03:32.510 --> 03:34.840 We got privatized housing. 03:34.840 --> 03:37.530 We got joint all domain command and control. 03:37.530 --> 03:40.870 We got a myriad of things that we're doing as a command, 03:40.870 --> 03:42.460 and you all are making it happen. 03:42.460 --> 03:44.820 You all are the ones doing all the hard work, 03:44.820 --> 03:46.990 and I look forward to your questions 03:46.990 --> 03:49.430 as we go forward here, Chief. 03:49.430 --> 03:51.250 - Yeah, I just also want to say thank you, 03:51.250 --> 03:54.090 and thank you for the time to log in, 03:54.090 --> 03:56.100 and kind of your interest in hearing 03:56.100 --> 03:57.680 what's coming from the command team. 03:57.680 --> 04:02.280 We're excited to be part of your team and the work for you. 04:02.280 --> 04:05.100 General Bunch and I are trying to get out 04:05.100 --> 04:07.730 and see and talk to many of you out there in the field, 04:07.730 --> 04:09.120 but we know that we're not getting, 04:09.120 --> 04:11.600 with a command this size, we don't have the opportunity 04:11.600 --> 04:13.040 to see and talk to everyone. 04:13.040 --> 04:15.990 So using venues like this to kinda get the message out, 04:15.990 --> 04:19.100 and to hear directly from you is extremely important. 04:19.100 --> 04:21.510 So thank you for taking time for that too. 04:21.510 --> 04:23.810 Really looking forward to kinda hearing from you 04:23.810 --> 04:25.370 and hearing what's on your mind, 04:25.370 --> 04:29.160 and hearing an opportunity to discuss 04:29.160 --> 04:30.960 what's going on in this great command. 04:30.960 --> 04:33.080 Look forward to your questions. 04:33.080 --> 04:34.400 - Okay, thank you both. 04:34.400 --> 04:36.720 So General Bunch, we hear you say a lot, 04:36.720 --> 04:38.970 you know, that AFMC is the most important command 04:38.970 --> 04:40.970 to achieve the national defense strategy. 04:40.970 --> 04:43.490 You mentioned new mission, vision, strategic plan, 04:43.490 --> 04:47.340 but could you kinda explain why you think as AFMC 04:47.340 --> 04:48.250 is the most important? 04:48.250 --> 04:51.070 What do we do that really makes us stand out, 04:51.070 --> 04:52.790 and lead the way for the NDS? 04:52.790 --> 04:53.760 - So, it's a great question. 04:53.760 --> 04:57.360 It's one that I hope every airman in AFMC 04:57.360 --> 04:59.563 is ready to answer when they get asked. 05:00.920 --> 05:04.870 We're the most diverse, complex command, that's out there. 05:04.870 --> 05:08.900 We do all of the development of the new science 05:08.900 --> 05:10.390 and technology to make sure 05:10.390 --> 05:13.500 we have a technological advantage. 05:13.500 --> 05:16.670 We do all the acquisition of everything 05:16.670 --> 05:18.130 with the exception of space, 05:18.130 --> 05:22.090 everything from uniforms to nuclear modernization, 05:22.090 --> 05:23.613 and everything in between. 05:24.560 --> 05:27.500 We are sustaining legacy fleets that no one else 05:27.500 --> 05:30.470 other than our unbelievable Airmen doing all the great work 05:30.470 --> 05:33.350 in the Depot and running the supply wings, 05:33.350 --> 05:35.863 and managing the supply chain could keep flying. 05:37.692 --> 05:39.690 And we do all the testing for everything 05:39.690 --> 05:41.020 that's coming online to make sure 05:41.020 --> 05:42.420 that when it goes the field. 05:43.330 --> 05:45.830 All of those, the Air Force counts on us for, 05:45.830 --> 05:47.540 for all those systems. 05:47.540 --> 05:50.290 Underlying that as a foundation is all the great work 05:50.290 --> 05:51.840 done in the Air Force installation 05:51.840 --> 05:54.090 and Mission Support Center, to make sure 05:54.090 --> 05:57.140 that our Airmen, have the right facilities, 05:57.140 --> 06:00.860 have the right services, have the right childcare, 06:00.860 --> 06:02.710 can do the contracting. 06:02.710 --> 06:06.140 All of those things together are why I believe 06:06.140 --> 06:09.770 what we do each and every day is so important 06:09.770 --> 06:11.863 to our ability to execute our mission, 06:13.559 --> 06:17.160 and I talked about this in multiple forums. 06:17.160 --> 06:19.270 I talk about my fellow MAJCOM commanders. 06:19.270 --> 06:21.190 I talk about it when I'm with the media. 06:21.190 --> 06:22.990 I talked about it at Air War College 06:22.990 --> 06:25.053 just a week and a half ago. 06:27.340 --> 06:30.570 We do our wartime mission each and every day, 06:30.570 --> 06:34.090 and we have to act like that, and we have to do our mission, 06:34.090 --> 06:36.500 because of the contribution. 06:36.500 --> 06:40.410 If we're not successful, the Air Force cannot be successful. 06:40.410 --> 06:41.780 So, as you can probably tell, 06:41.780 --> 06:44.280 I'm a little bit passionate about this one, 06:44.280 --> 06:46.650 because I really truly know what you're doing 06:46.650 --> 06:48.510 and how much it contributes to everything 06:48.510 --> 06:50.580 that's going on across the Air Force. 06:50.580 --> 06:51.660 - Sir, thank you. 06:51.660 --> 06:53.010 So, Chief Cadell for you. 06:53.010 --> 06:55.260 As our enlisted leader, what are you seeing 06:55.260 --> 06:59.060 as the big issues affecting our enlisted force, 06:59.060 --> 07:01.120 things like the promotion testing changes, 07:01.120 --> 07:04.050 fitness retention, and how are we addressing those issues? 07:04.050 --> 07:06.450 - Yeah, so thanks Wendy. 07:06.450 --> 07:09.420 I can tell you, our enlisted forces 07:09.420 --> 07:10.840 is the best in the world. 07:10.840 --> 07:14.099 When I think about our Air Force and how proud I am 07:14.099 --> 07:17.350 to serve the airmen that wear the uniform. 07:17.350 --> 07:19.140 Our enlisted force are the backbone of that. 07:19.140 --> 07:21.420 So, I think highly of them. 07:21.420 --> 07:23.920 As you mentioned, there are some things going on 07:23.920 --> 07:25.780 in our Air Force, some changes, 07:25.780 --> 07:28.540 some things that they've got the focus 07:28.540 --> 07:31.200 of many of our senior leaders, 07:31.200 --> 07:34.380 whether that's promotion testing for our senior NCOs. 07:34.380 --> 07:37.260 Recently we removed the promotion, 07:37.260 --> 07:40.560 the testing portion of the promotion for senior NCOs, 07:40.560 --> 07:42.430 and it's only a boarding process, 07:42.430 --> 07:44.090 and that's created a lot of angst, 07:44.090 --> 07:46.010 and questions and concerns from folks out there. 07:46.010 --> 07:47.490 What does that mean? 07:47.490 --> 07:49.153 How do I compete? 07:51.240 --> 07:54.100 Are my records gonna be compatible for the Board? 07:54.100 --> 07:55.290 How are they gonna look at that? 07:55.290 --> 07:56.710 So, all of those questions come up. 07:56.710 --> 07:58.560 So some things that we're doing with that. 07:58.560 --> 07:59.770 We just had a meeting last week, 07:59.770 --> 08:02.520 we were talking about how do we give better feedback 08:02.520 --> 08:06.640 to those individuals who not only just get a board score, 08:06.640 --> 08:07.960 but really kinda help them decrypt 08:07.960 --> 08:09.680 what that board score means, 08:09.680 --> 08:12.020 and provide them better feedback on that. 08:12.020 --> 08:14.170 So we have a team up at up at HAF 08:14.170 --> 08:15.003 that's currently working that, 08:15.003 --> 08:17.620 and they've got that for action. 08:17.620 --> 08:20.360 They're actually doing a test right now, 08:20.360 --> 08:22.350 on the next Senior Master Arm Promotion Board 08:22.350 --> 08:24.407 to kinda take a look at that and see if there's any value 08:24.407 --> 08:26.910 in kind of breaking that out, 08:26.910 --> 08:29.110 and kinda decrypting that, and making more sense of it. 08:29.110 --> 08:31.040 So, we'll see how that comes out, 08:31.040 --> 08:32.370 but that is absolutely something 08:32.370 --> 08:34.690 that's on our enlisted forces mine. 08:34.690 --> 08:38.740 The other we get questions fairly often is about fitness, 08:38.740 --> 08:40.550 and what is that? 08:40.550 --> 08:42.450 You know, the changes to the fitness pieces, 08:42.450 --> 08:45.253 there's a lot flying around on social media about, 08:46.440 --> 08:50.530 the decoupling the waist measurement 08:50.530 --> 08:53.963 from the actual, the rest of the fitness test. 08:53.963 --> 08:56.700 We've looked into that, and I tell you my personal view is 08:56.700 --> 08:59.525 I don't think there's a lot of value in that. 08:59.525 --> 09:03.240 We do think that there may be value in doing the, 09:03.240 --> 09:06.370 what we're doing our test based on right now, 09:06.370 --> 09:10.750 is on looking at doing mock test or diagnostic test, 09:10.750 --> 09:13.670 basically making a time where an individual 09:13.670 --> 09:16.360 can go take a fitness test early, 09:16.360 --> 09:18.784 and if they score well, and they're happy with their score, 09:18.784 --> 09:21.323 they can say I like that, and it counts. 09:22.750 --> 09:25.150 The thought behind that is it kind of lowers 09:25.150 --> 09:26.950 a little bit of the anxiety 09:26.950 --> 09:28.590 that goes in with fitness testing, 09:28.590 --> 09:30.573 and that's what our hope is that be able to do that. 09:30.573 --> 09:33.430 The idea is that we want to fit culture. 09:33.430 --> 09:36.370 We really want people not to just to be 09:36.370 --> 09:38.870 taking the fitness test, to be passing it. 09:38.870 --> 09:39.772 We actually want you to have 09:39.772 --> 09:42.230 a culture of fitness all year round, 09:42.230 --> 09:44.070 and that's really our focus on that. 09:44.070 --> 09:45.370 So those are just a couple of things 09:45.370 --> 09:47.980 on the mind of our enlisted force, 09:47.980 --> 09:49.350 and not just our enlisted force, 09:49.350 --> 09:50.360 I think that really applies 09:50.360 --> 09:51.890 to all of our uniform folks. 09:51.890 --> 09:53.130 Sir, do you have any more on that? 09:53.130 --> 09:54.910 - Yeah, so one of the things that I would, 09:54.910 --> 09:57.520 and I completely echo what you said 09:57.520 --> 09:59.850 with the changes we're making to the enlisted system. 09:59.850 --> 10:01.560 I think those are all warranted. 10:01.560 --> 10:03.870 I think what we're seeing, and we've talked now about 10:03.870 --> 10:05.950 for our officers developmental categories, 10:05.950 --> 10:08.450 and how do we develop officers so they're better prepared 10:08.450 --> 10:11.690 for senior leadership positions, 10:11.690 --> 10:15.470 senior leadership positions in their specific career field, 10:15.470 --> 10:16.810 and how do we develop 'em? 10:16.810 --> 10:17.800 Do we send 'em to school? 10:17.800 --> 10:20.280 All those all those are designed to get after 10:20.280 --> 10:22.800 developing the workforce we need for tomorrow. 10:22.800 --> 10:24.370 It's not because there's anything wrong 10:24.370 --> 10:25.770 with the workforce that we have today. 10:25.770 --> 10:28.800 We have unbelievable Airmen across the board, 10:28.800 --> 10:31.890 but we're trying to do something that we've kind of watched. 10:31.890 --> 10:34.580 We haven't made major changes in quite a while, 10:34.580 --> 10:37.540 and what we're really trying to do is change, 10:37.540 --> 10:40.780 so that we can retain, so that we can educate, 10:40.780 --> 10:43.370 and that we can develop, so that we're developing 10:43.370 --> 10:46.700 the workforce we need for the Air Force we need 10:46.700 --> 10:48.830 for the future, and the leaders we need. 10:48.830 --> 10:51.470 So that's really what the focus on both the enlisted 10:51.470 --> 10:54.200 and the officer side is all about. 10:54.200 --> 10:57.180 On the physical fitness, you gotta do it. 10:57.180 --> 10:59.760 It's part of the job, we gotta do it every year. 10:59.760 --> 11:03.670 The beta test is really to alleviate some of that stress 11:03.670 --> 11:06.470 that many of us get when we go in to take the test, 11:06.470 --> 11:08.480 and not have a one or a zero, 11:08.480 --> 11:11.350 where it can show up in your record, and it can hurt you, 11:11.350 --> 11:13.560 but to give you a chance to do that. 11:13.560 --> 11:16.900 Now, for those that want to decouple the waist measurement, 11:16.900 --> 11:20.240 and the rest of the test, I am the one 11:20.240 --> 11:24.380 that's probably against that, as much as about anybody else. 11:24.380 --> 11:27.010 I based that on the fact that I used to box, 11:27.010 --> 11:31.750 and when I boxed, I would lose a lot of weight, 11:31.750 --> 11:34.370 not the wisest thing that I had ever done, 11:34.370 --> 11:36.750 and I knew what it did to my body. 11:36.750 --> 11:39.060 What we need or airman that are in fitness, 11:39.060 --> 11:41.600 and focus on fitness throughout the year, 11:41.600 --> 11:44.950 not try to do something drastic to make a waist measurement, 11:44.950 --> 11:46.190 and then do something different. 11:46.190 --> 11:48.590 So that's really where our focus is, 11:48.590 --> 11:51.840 and just to make sure everybody kinda understands 11:51.840 --> 11:53.890 the position that I've taken. 11:53.890 --> 11:56.200 - So talking about fitness, we know that the Air Force 11:56.200 --> 11:58.370 is looking to do its own program. 11:58.370 --> 12:01.140 Do we anticipate the beta test that AFMC is doing 12:01.140 --> 12:04.300 to change much, or will that just be about consistent 12:04.300 --> 12:06.340 with what the air force will be doing? 12:06.340 --> 12:09.280 - So, I'll take that one, and Chief you can add in. 12:09.280 --> 12:11.870 Right now, what we have gone with. 12:11.870 --> 12:14.520 We have been in dialogue with other major commands. 12:14.520 --> 12:15.353 We've talked with everybody else 12:15.353 --> 12:17.220 about kinda what's going on, 12:17.220 --> 12:20.930 and we believe that we're pretty close. 12:20.930 --> 12:23.340 We might have to tweak a little around the edges 12:24.180 --> 12:26.140 when the Air Force policy finally comes out, 12:26.140 --> 12:26.973 but what we're doing right now, 12:26.973 --> 12:29.310 and what you are doing right now, 12:29.310 --> 12:31.040 is you're giving us valuable feedback 12:31.040 --> 12:32.280 on whether this works or not. 12:32.280 --> 12:35.580 We were just out with the field last week out at Langley, 12:35.580 --> 12:40.100 and got to visit the supply chain group there, 12:40.100 --> 12:42.130 and they were talking about how they were utilizing it. 12:42.130 --> 12:45.330 They had some questions about it, which I welcomed, 12:45.330 --> 12:46.390 but we're right now trying 12:46.390 --> 12:47.700 to collect data for the Air Force. 12:47.700 --> 12:50.460 It might tweak around some, but I think we're pretty close. 12:50.460 --> 12:52.050 - Yeah, sir I would absolutely agree. 12:52.050 --> 12:56.820 I think that our beta test is gonna actually inform 12:56.820 --> 12:58.000 the bigger Air Force policy. 12:58.000 --> 13:00.720 I think they're interested in the information 13:00.720 --> 13:03.420 that we get back, so that if we need to tweak anything 13:03.420 --> 13:05.150 for the bigger Air Force policy, 13:05.150 --> 13:07.223 it'll just even make it better. 13:09.170 --> 13:10.800 - So General Bunch, we continue to hear a lot 13:10.800 --> 13:12.580 about privatized housing in the news 13:12.580 --> 13:13.413 and from our senior leaders. 13:13.413 --> 13:15.550 Do you have any updates that you could give us 13:15.550 --> 13:16.990 on some of the specific issues 13:16.990 --> 13:18.520 and how we're addressing them? 13:18.520 --> 13:21.543 - Yes, so, for everyone out there. 13:23.020 --> 13:28.020 We, as senior leaders owe you a safe living conditions 13:28.810 --> 13:30.460 for you and your family. 13:30.460 --> 13:33.450 Safe and secure living conditions for you and your family. 13:33.450 --> 13:35.930 If you believe you do not have that, 13:35.930 --> 13:38.740 or if you are encountering any issues, 13:38.740 --> 13:41.290 my encouragement to you is please reach out 13:41.290 --> 13:43.700 to your military housing office, 13:43.700 --> 13:46.130 or reach out to your chain of command, 13:46.130 --> 13:48.660 because this is commander business 13:48.660 --> 13:50.020 to make sure we're taking care 13:50.020 --> 13:52.020 of our airmen and their families. 13:52.020 --> 13:54.980 We recruit airmen, we retain families, 13:54.980 --> 13:56.690 and we've got to get this right, 13:56.690 --> 13:58.570 and we got to make some strides. 13:58.570 --> 14:01.350 There are a lot of initiatives going on. 14:01.350 --> 14:03.460 One of the big ones that I will say 14:03.460 --> 14:05.580 that not everybody's tracking exactly. 14:05.580 --> 14:08.560 Most have heard of some of the initiatives we got going on, 14:08.560 --> 14:13.360 but this one, we actually added 200 plus personnel 14:13.360 --> 14:16.080 that are going out into the military housing offices 14:16.080 --> 14:18.680 are gonna be, and it'll depend on the base size. 14:18.680 --> 14:21.780 Those are all on the Unit Manning Documents. 14:21.780 --> 14:25.200 They've been given direct hire authority to go do that. 14:25.200 --> 14:27.950 So, all the installations across the Air Force 14:27.950 --> 14:29.500 should be looking at that. 14:29.500 --> 14:31.980 They should be going out and filling those roles. 14:31.980 --> 14:34.670 We have put in place a resident advocate. 14:34.670 --> 14:39.530 That resident advocate is to work with the military members 14:39.530 --> 14:41.730 who are living in those homes, 14:41.730 --> 14:43.890 so that they can work with the project owner, 14:43.890 --> 14:47.540 to make sure their concerns are being addressed. 14:47.540 --> 14:49.880 We're coming out with a new Bill of Rights. 14:49.880 --> 14:53.120 I am going to a roundtable meeting tomorrow 14:53.120 --> 14:55.930 with the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force, 14:55.930 --> 14:57.596 and the Office of Secretary of Defense, 14:57.596 --> 14:59.990 where we'll be sitting down with the project owners 14:59.990 --> 15:03.600 for all privatized housing, and going over this tomorrow 15:03.600 --> 15:06.740 for about two hours with the Honorable Henderson, 15:06.740 --> 15:09.480 as well as the service secretaries, and the service chiefs, 15:09.480 --> 15:12.690 and we'll be working through that Bill of Rights. 15:12.690 --> 15:16.070 We are taking steps to where you may not have 15:16.070 --> 15:19.210 to pay your rent, while you're in the middle of a dispute. 15:19.210 --> 15:21.830 We're still working out the final details of this, 15:21.830 --> 15:23.970 so that we can get those resolved 15:23.970 --> 15:26.400 and you are not feeling burdened, 15:26.400 --> 15:28.870 and go to more of a situation you would find 15:28.870 --> 15:30.970 if you weren't living in a privatized home, 15:30.970 --> 15:33.460 but living in a off-base house. 15:33.460 --> 15:35.890 One of the recent things Congress just passed, 15:35.890 --> 15:40.020 if there's a dispute over utilities that now 15:40.020 --> 15:44.530 they can't bill you more, because we don't have 15:44.530 --> 15:48.500 a very good database that shows what each home costs 15:48.500 --> 15:50.640 from an energy perspective, 15:50.640 --> 15:52.790 and we are trying to work our way through that 15:52.790 --> 15:54.900 to make sure that what you're paying for utilities 15:54.900 --> 15:57.570 is really what you should be paying for your utilities. 15:57.570 --> 15:59.970 So that was one that Congress got involved with. 16:03.400 --> 16:04.810 Right now we have six bases 16:04.810 --> 16:06.540 that are kinda highlighted above others 16:06.540 --> 16:08.280 that have had some issues. 16:08.280 --> 16:10.130 I am getting monthly updates. 16:10.130 --> 16:12.220 Those are going to the Vice Chief or Staff of the Air Force 16:12.220 --> 16:13.710 and the Under Secretary to the Air Force, 16:13.710 --> 16:16.200 with the appropriate MAJCOM commanders 16:16.200 --> 16:19.330 that own those installations being involved. 16:19.330 --> 16:20.630 This one is personal or me. 16:20.630 --> 16:22.810 We've got to take care of our families and I look at it, 16:22.810 --> 16:25.020 I'm looking at it from two perspectives. 16:25.020 --> 16:27.410 The first perspective is we have installations 16:27.410 --> 16:28.900 within Air Force Materiel Command 16:28.900 --> 16:31.620 that I need airman to be able to focus on their mission, 16:31.620 --> 16:33.140 and not worry about the homes 16:33.140 --> 16:35.090 that they're living in on the bases. 16:35.090 --> 16:37.800 So that's, as the Commander of AFMC, 16:37.800 --> 16:39.550 I want those installations those Airmen 16:39.550 --> 16:41.730 that are AFMC Airmen taken care of. 16:41.730 --> 16:43.610 The other one though with the Air Force installation 16:43.610 --> 16:45.760 of Mission Support Center working for AFMC, 16:46.990 --> 16:49.270 I'm focused on the whole Air Force. 16:49.270 --> 16:53.070 I've gone to many bases, and when I go to those bases, 16:53.070 --> 16:55.120 I'm almost always going through privatized housing 16:55.120 --> 16:58.360 to talk to residents, talk to the installation commander 16:58.360 --> 17:00.340 to find out how we can better support. 17:00.340 --> 17:02.430 So we have a lot of initiatives. 17:02.430 --> 17:05.810 My big ask is, if you're a commander, 17:05.810 --> 17:08.860 and someone says they have an issue with housing, 17:08.860 --> 17:10.440 I need you listen to 'em. 17:10.440 --> 17:11.900 I need you to get it routed up. 17:11.900 --> 17:13.500 I need to take care of 'em. 17:13.500 --> 17:16.890 If you're a resident, an airman, living in a privatized home 17:16.890 --> 17:20.680 and you are having issues, please bring it to someone 17:20.680 --> 17:23.470 in your leadership's attention, so that we can make sure 17:23.470 --> 17:25.950 you get the right level of support. 17:25.950 --> 17:27.500 - Thank you sir. 17:27.500 --> 17:29.070 - Can I just add to his? 17:29.070 --> 17:30.700 As General Bunch, you can obviously see 17:30.700 --> 17:32.920 he's passionate about this, and it's because it is 17:32.920 --> 17:33.930 the families and affects that, 17:33.930 --> 17:37.440 so, if you if you didn't think there was much going on, 17:37.440 --> 17:40.300 on that road, you quickly learn that there's a lot going on 17:40.300 --> 17:42.170 and there's a lot of focus on making sure 17:42.170 --> 17:43.700 we get this right for our airmen. 17:43.700 --> 17:46.500 So I encourage you, if you're an airman living in housing, 17:46.500 --> 17:48.150 or if you're a spouse living in housing, 17:48.150 --> 17:49.940 please reach out and get help. 17:49.940 --> 17:52.300 You got a first sergeant, you've got commanders, 17:52.300 --> 17:56.080 you've got folks out there who want to help you, 17:56.080 --> 17:57.581 and get the things right. 17:57.581 --> 18:00.650 So, please reach out to them, and make sure to give them 18:00.650 --> 18:03.072 an opportunity to work these issues for you. 18:03.072 --> 18:04.672 - You've got Residence Councils. 18:06.130 --> 18:07.950 There is a lot out there. 18:07.950 --> 18:10.260 Now I have to say, some of this 18:10.260 --> 18:11.760 is not gonna happen overnight. 18:12.630 --> 18:14.800 It's gonna take us some time, but I can tell you 18:14.800 --> 18:17.730 we are trying to put a lot of effort into this area 18:17.730 --> 18:19.370 because it's critical for being able 18:19.370 --> 18:21.200 to care of our airmen and their families. 18:21.200 --> 18:22.290 - Thank you both. 18:22.290 --> 18:23.940 So Chief, we'll direct this to you. 18:23.940 --> 18:26.090 Last fall the Air Force conducted a resilience 18:26.090 --> 18:29.190 tactical pause to combat the rising suicide numbers. 18:29.190 --> 18:31.430 Can you talk a little bit about the result of that pause, 18:31.430 --> 18:34.250 and what the Air Force and AFMC are doing 18:34.250 --> 18:37.180 to address the shortages in mental health providers? 18:37.180 --> 18:39.300 Is there any consideration to embedding 18:39.300 --> 18:41.400 these providers in our squadrons and units? 18:41.400 --> 18:42.610 - Yeah, so thanks for the question. 18:42.610 --> 18:45.060 I'll attack it first and then give General Bunch 18:45.060 --> 18:46.750 an opportunity to kind of hit on this too, 18:46.750 --> 18:47.590 because this is passionate. 18:47.590 --> 18:50.320 This is, again, we talked about taking care of airmen, 18:50.320 --> 18:51.620 and that last question. 18:51.620 --> 18:53.003 This is really it too. 18:54.511 --> 18:55.920 The big picture piece is why did we do 18:55.920 --> 18:59.060 the resiliencing tactical pause? 18:59.060 --> 19:01.860 The reason we did is because we've seen an alarming number 19:01.860 --> 19:04.890 of people who were doing destructive behavior 19:04.890 --> 19:06.950 to their selves, and decide to take their lives. 19:06.950 --> 19:08.100 They didn't see a way out. 19:08.100 --> 19:09.890 They didn't see an opportunity for 19:09.890 --> 19:11.810 what tomorrow would look like. 19:11.810 --> 19:14.720 So we really said, hey we gotta take a pause here, 19:14.720 --> 19:18.390 and take a look at what can we do differently, 19:18.390 --> 19:21.040 and the idea of that resiliency tactical pause 19:21.040 --> 19:23.440 was not to say, hey, we think this is it. 19:23.440 --> 19:24.800 We're done, we fixed it. 19:24.800 --> 19:27.600 This was really just an opportunity to get feedback 19:27.600 --> 19:29.905 from the force, and kind of hear from you, 19:29.905 --> 19:33.060 what's going on out there, and then what can we do 19:33.060 --> 19:36.110 to hear, to do differently? 19:36.110 --> 19:37.600 We got lots of feedback, 19:37.600 --> 19:39.750 and we're utilizing some of that feedback. 19:39.750 --> 19:42.620 But let me tell you one thing I think that's important 19:42.620 --> 19:47.568 as part of this whole discussion about resiliency, 19:47.568 --> 19:51.620 is that, I think the bottom line with resiliency piece, 19:51.620 --> 19:54.430 it comes with having individuals 19:54.430 --> 19:57.960 who are willing and open to seek help. 19:57.960 --> 20:02.480 So part of this is us looking to how do we de-stigmatize 20:02.480 --> 20:03.930 an individual go get help, 20:03.930 --> 20:06.200 whether that's for mental health, or chaplains, 20:06.200 --> 20:08.120 or anyone else that's out there, supervisors, 20:08.120 --> 20:09.910 first sergeants, there's lots of different 20:09.910 --> 20:12.283 helping agencies out there. 20:13.320 --> 20:16.840 So, when we talk about resiliency tactical pause, 20:16.840 --> 20:19.900 it is kind of a beginning point as I look at this, 20:19.900 --> 20:21.740 but we have to build those relationships, 20:21.740 --> 20:24.917 and open up that connectedness between our force. 20:24.917 --> 20:29.220 We just started in another effort called AFMC Connect, 20:29.220 --> 20:31.630 where we're trying to actually connect our force 20:31.630 --> 20:33.680 and really it's to kinda get people talking, 20:33.680 --> 20:35.530 getting people to open up about things 20:35.530 --> 20:36.910 that are going on their lives, 20:36.910 --> 20:39.030 and share with other individuals who are there 20:39.030 --> 20:41.280 to kind of help, and hear what's going on, 20:41.280 --> 20:44.610 and provide them resources out there 20:44.610 --> 20:46.920 within your organizations. 20:46.920 --> 20:49.950 The bottom line is there's lots of resources out there, 20:49.950 --> 20:50.783 and you gotta be able to reach out, 20:50.783 --> 20:52.810 and you gotta feel comfortable with that, 20:52.810 --> 20:55.660 but having that individual being willing 20:55.660 --> 20:59.100 to kind of make their self vulnerable and open up 20:59.100 --> 21:00.770 is extremely important with that. 21:00.770 --> 21:03.660 So, what I will tell you is, 21:03.660 --> 21:06.620 anytime we talk about resiliency, it's got to be something 21:06.620 --> 21:10.330 that we're looking at as a whole person piece there, 21:10.330 --> 21:12.080 whether that's a spiritual piece, 21:12.080 --> 21:14.890 whether that's the mental health piece, 21:14.890 --> 21:18.630 whether that's the physical piece, whatever that is, 21:18.630 --> 21:21.460 it's looking at the whole person portion in here, 21:21.460 --> 21:24.570 and in offers and resources that are out there. 21:24.570 --> 21:26.950 Bottom line is, there's help available 21:26.950 --> 21:29.713 for anyone who is struggling with anything, 21:30.820 --> 21:34.630 any type of destructive behavior, harming themselves, 21:34.630 --> 21:35.670 and we need to make sure that we're 21:35.670 --> 21:37.662 plugging them into the resources 21:37.662 --> 21:39.810 that are available out there. 21:39.810 --> 21:44.323 You talked a little bit about the mental health providers, 21:44.323 --> 21:46.670 and the shortage there. 21:46.670 --> 21:48.591 What I'll tell you is I think this is not something 21:48.591 --> 21:50.480 specific to the Air Force, 21:50.480 --> 21:54.630 this is a wider national issue, where we are, as a nation, 21:54.630 --> 21:57.110 are short in mental health providers. 21:57.110 --> 21:59.710 We're doing things to look for options 22:00.714 --> 22:03.630 or opportunities out there to kind of make sure 22:03.630 --> 22:05.530 that people are available to help, 22:05.530 --> 22:08.710 and there's lots of efforts going on that from A1Z 22:08.710 --> 22:10.940 is our folks that are up at HAF, 22:10.940 --> 22:12.580 and kind of looking at a policy standpoint 22:12.580 --> 22:15.140 and how do we bring people more mental health providers 22:15.140 --> 22:17.500 into the force, and how do we sustain those, 22:17.500 --> 22:19.040 and take care of those that are in Air Force. 22:19.040 --> 22:22.423 So lots of efforts going on in this arena, 22:23.410 --> 22:24.900 but the bottom line I think I want 22:24.900 --> 22:27.910 to kind of foot stomp here, is that for those folks 22:27.910 --> 22:30.143 who are need help, please reach out. 22:31.010 --> 22:35.220 There is help available, and don't wait 22:35.220 --> 22:39.250 'til it gets to a point where you don't know what to do. 22:39.250 --> 22:40.780 Reach out early and often. 22:40.780 --> 22:43.590 Connect with those individuals in the workforce around you. 22:43.590 --> 22:44.590 They're there to help you. 22:44.590 --> 22:47.340 We want to be there to help you if you're struggling 22:47.340 --> 22:49.061 or you know someone is struggling. 22:49.061 --> 22:52.333 Don't let it fester, get after it, so, sir. 22:53.210 --> 22:57.570 - So, anyone out there that thought we did 22:57.570 --> 23:01.380 the one day downtime, have the tactical pause, 23:01.380 --> 23:03.130 and thought they were doing the high five 23:03.130 --> 23:06.370 and the happy dance, 'cause we had solved the problem. 23:06.370 --> 23:08.390 You're completely wrong. 23:08.390 --> 23:11.660 That was a step in a process. 23:11.660 --> 23:14.440 Last year, if you read the news this morning, 23:14.440 --> 23:17.200 112 suicides across the Air Force 23:17.200 --> 23:20.720 of uniform members, last year. 23:20.720 --> 23:25.420 10 year high, 24 civilians. 23:25.420 --> 23:28.489 Last year for Air Force Materiel Command we had 15, 23:28.489 --> 23:30.623 12 civilians and three uniform. 23:31.580 --> 23:33.033 We are not out of this. 23:34.330 --> 23:37.500 We are trying to get resources for mental health. 23:37.500 --> 23:38.890 There's a conference next month, 23:38.890 --> 23:41.400 to see what we can do to try to address that. 23:41.400 --> 23:43.790 We are trying to make sure the helping agencies 23:43.790 --> 23:47.120 that we've been using, our employee assistance programs, 23:47.120 --> 23:48.650 and those things are available. 23:48.650 --> 23:50.710 We just renegotiated a contract to make sure 23:50.710 --> 23:52.890 we had that available for everybody. 23:52.890 --> 23:55.330 So there's a lot of effort going into that. 23:55.330 --> 23:57.540 Here's what I ask you though, out there 23:57.540 --> 23:59.963 as an airman within this command. 24:01.070 --> 24:05.330 I love all 85,000 plus airmen, that work in the command, 24:05.330 --> 24:06.453 love everyone of you. 24:07.360 --> 24:10.890 No matter how much I love you, there is no way 24:10.890 --> 24:14.070 that I'm gonna know that something is happening 24:14.070 --> 24:17.080 in a young airman's life at Edwards Air Force Base, 24:17.080 --> 24:19.000 that's working on the flight line, 24:19.000 --> 24:23.380 or a contracting officer working at Tinker, 24:23.380 --> 24:25.960 or a depot worker at Robins. 24:25.960 --> 24:28.040 There is very little probability 24:28.040 --> 24:30.580 that it's gonna bubble up to my attention. 24:30.580 --> 24:34.410 To handle this we have to do it at the local level. 24:34.410 --> 24:38.040 It's got to be the small groups, you've got to connect. 24:38.040 --> 24:41.200 You've gotta take that chance and ask someone 24:41.200 --> 24:44.980 when they come in and they start showing up at work late, 24:44.980 --> 24:47.660 or they come in and their uniform's not right, 24:47.660 --> 24:50.050 or they start dressing differently. 24:50.050 --> 24:54.360 Take that bold step and ask 'em if they're okay. 24:54.360 --> 24:56.890 Only through that kind of an engagement 24:56.890 --> 24:58.780 are we gonna be able to get after this, 24:58.780 --> 25:02.930 and take care of our most valuable resource, the airmen, 25:02.930 --> 25:06.073 the men and women that make this command successful. 25:07.540 --> 25:10.630 - Important topic, and you mentioned the AFMC Connect, 25:10.630 --> 25:13.170 so new program launching out. 25:13.170 --> 25:14.550 We did get a little bit of feedback 25:14.550 --> 25:16.390 that this is another program, 25:16.390 --> 25:19.390 and it's just gonna take more time away from the mission. 25:19.390 --> 25:20.520 What do you say to that, 25:20.520 --> 25:24.650 and how do we do this while we balance the mission, 25:24.650 --> 25:27.205 and, you know, people's lives. 25:27.205 --> 25:30.360 - So I'll start Chief, I'll let you kind of finish. 25:30.360 --> 25:33.450 It's not really intended to be a training burden. 25:33.450 --> 25:37.740 It's actually intended to be a way to give people topics 25:37.740 --> 25:40.660 to talk about, to build that connectedness, 25:40.660 --> 25:42.350 that I kind of referenced a minute ago 25:42.350 --> 25:46.280 to make that for frontline effort contact, 25:46.280 --> 25:48.220 and making sure we're looking out for each other 25:48.220 --> 25:51.957 to bring that up as you do your mission on a regular basis. 25:51.957 --> 25:54.620 It's not intended to go, I gotta go train 25:54.620 --> 25:57.350 for X number of hours on this or that. 25:57.350 --> 25:59.920 This is really another tool we're trying to bring forward 25:59.920 --> 26:03.970 so that we can build that connectivity at that working level 26:03.970 --> 26:07.150 so that we are looking out for each other along the way. 26:07.150 --> 26:10.200 - Yes sir, I would just add that it is. 26:10.200 --> 26:11.680 It's a tool in your toolbox, 26:11.680 --> 26:13.800 and this is something that we're trying to really start 26:13.800 --> 26:15.070 and try to see if it works. 26:15.070 --> 26:16.590 If it doesn't work, then we'll look somewhere else, 26:16.590 --> 26:19.780 but the reality is, is that we want to provide you 26:19.780 --> 26:24.780 as both supervisors, employees, leaders out there, 26:25.182 --> 26:27.590 a tool for your toolbox. 26:27.590 --> 26:30.120 The axle it's connecting with individuals 26:30.120 --> 26:31.980 is that human touch, that we're 26:31.980 --> 26:33.580 really trying to strive after. 26:33.580 --> 26:35.910 many times we get so busy in our work lives, 26:35.910 --> 26:39.080 and get so busy with things that are going on around us, 26:39.080 --> 26:40.880 that we forget really what's in front of us, 26:40.880 --> 26:43.120 and it's those people that sit next to you, 26:43.120 --> 26:45.530 that's people that are surrounded each and every day, 26:45.530 --> 26:47.543 and we lose contact with them. 26:47.543 --> 26:50.660 The AFMC Connect is, it's just a simple thing, 26:50.660 --> 26:53.470 a way to sit down and talk about things that are going on, 26:53.470 --> 26:55.170 and we're gonna give you subjects 26:55.170 --> 26:57.220 to kind of open up and start dialogue, 26:57.220 --> 26:58.500 but that's really what it's about. 26:58.500 --> 27:00.400 It's kind of making contact with those individuals 27:00.400 --> 27:01.910 around you, starting a dialogue, 27:01.910 --> 27:03.710 getting to know those folks around you. 27:03.710 --> 27:05.453 I'd encourage you to talk to the individuals 27:05.453 --> 27:07.550 that are sitting next to you, or working around you, 27:07.550 --> 27:08.820 get to know who they are. 27:08.820 --> 27:10.460 What makes them tick? 27:10.460 --> 27:12.283 Why do they do what they do? 27:13.450 --> 27:16.110 Getting to know 'em in a little bit deeper level. 27:16.110 --> 27:19.110 We call it a little bit of intrusive leadership. 27:19.110 --> 27:21.660 Get to know them as much as they're willing to allow you 27:21.660 --> 27:23.970 into their bubble, little bitty circle, 27:23.970 --> 27:26.020 but that's really what AFMC Connect is about, 27:26.020 --> 27:26.880 it's getting to know the people 27:26.880 --> 27:28.780 that you work with each and every day. 27:29.990 --> 27:32.070 - The Chief hit on one of the normal talking points 27:32.070 --> 27:35.220 that I use, I quote General Hoffman who 27:35.220 --> 27:36.380 when I was a Wing Commander, 27:36.380 --> 27:38.330 he was the MAJCOM Commander, and he said, 27:38.330 --> 27:42.250 be as intrusive as your people will allow you to be Arnie. 27:42.250 --> 27:44.650 The reality of it is unless we ask some hard questions 27:44.650 --> 27:46.640 every now and then, you won't know that, 27:46.640 --> 27:49.790 and you might be able to answer the lightning questions 27:49.790 --> 27:52.640 without us having to answer them ourselves. 27:52.640 --> 27:55.130 You may know whether an introvert or an extrovert. 27:55.130 --> 27:55.963 So anyway. 27:57.130 --> 27:59.110 - So one of the questions that came in online 27:59.110 --> 28:02.910 was somewhat related to this, knowing your workplace. 28:02.910 --> 28:04.870 How do you manage bullies in the workplace, 28:04.870 --> 28:06.730 and toxic work environment? 28:06.730 --> 28:08.380 And what are some tools for that? 28:13.270 --> 28:17.200 - Every airman that works in Air Force Materiel Command 28:17.200 --> 28:22.110 should have the ability to be given the opportunity 28:22.110 --> 28:24.410 to be fully successful in their workplace, 28:24.410 --> 28:29.410 without any form of harassment of any nature whatsoever. 28:29.870 --> 28:31.990 If you do not believe you are getting that, 28:31.990 --> 28:34.900 and you believe you're being bullied or anything else, 28:34.900 --> 28:36.630 that needs to go to supervisors. 28:36.630 --> 28:40.630 If supervisors are not responding, it needs to go levels up. 28:40.630 --> 28:43.450 That is something we cannot have in a workplace 28:43.450 --> 28:45.480 that's as professional as ours, 28:45.480 --> 28:48.020 doing a wartime mission each and every day. 28:48.020 --> 28:50.460 We're in a constant battle for talent. 28:50.460 --> 28:53.930 We cannot allow that to go on in this command. 28:53.930 --> 28:58.310 So, if you experience it, nip it immediately, 28:58.310 --> 29:00.310 and bring it someone's attention. 29:00.310 --> 29:02.900 If you're a leader, and you see it, 29:02.900 --> 29:06.420 you gotta stop it, or you will set a new standard. 29:06.420 --> 29:09.230 You cannot walk by a problem. 29:09.230 --> 29:12.070 If you're a commander, or you're a command Chief, 29:12.070 --> 29:16.070 or you're a Chief, or you're a Squadron, whatever it is, 29:16.070 --> 29:18.200 and you see something like that happen, 29:18.200 --> 29:20.110 you have got to immediately take action 29:20.110 --> 29:21.540 or it will foster a belief 29:21.540 --> 29:23.570 that other behaviors can be allowed, 29:23.570 --> 29:26.760 and you cannot allow that to happen in a workplace 29:26.760 --> 29:30.120 that we're trying to develop to give everyone 29:30.120 --> 29:33.635 the opportunity to be successful. 29:33.635 --> 29:34.910 - [Wendy] Sir, appreciate that. 29:34.910 --> 29:36.130 - Sir, I think you said it best. 29:36.130 --> 29:36.963 I don't know if there's anything 29:36.963 --> 29:38.673 I can add to that, but amen. 29:41.270 --> 29:43.350 - All right, shifting gears just a bit. 29:43.350 --> 29:46.930 Can you provide the status of the AFMC We Need initiative, 29:46.930 --> 29:48.940 and talk about some recent wins and efforts 29:48.940 --> 29:50.330 that we have underway. 29:50.330 --> 29:53.333 - So, let me start by saying thank you. 29:54.750 --> 29:57.853 We asked you for your feedback, and you gave it to us. 29:58.780 --> 30:02.070 It was over 80,000 comments that we got back, 30:02.070 --> 30:05.480 and we've started a lot of initiatives. 30:05.480 --> 30:08.290 As you'll recall, the big ones that you brought up, 30:08.290 --> 30:13.290 facilities, IT, leadership, communications. 30:13.840 --> 30:16.580 What I would tell you is we have initiatives going in, 30:16.580 --> 30:18.190 after a lot of those. 30:18.190 --> 30:21.110 On the facilities this year is the first year 30:21.110 --> 30:23.720 that we have gotten a higher percentage 30:23.720 --> 30:25.270 of the amount of money we need 30:25.270 --> 30:30.020 to do our facilities restoration and modernization 30:30.020 --> 30:32.830 facility sustainment, restoration, and modernization, 30:32.830 --> 30:34.770 and we're out executing those programs 30:34.770 --> 30:36.280 to try to create a better workplace. 30:36.280 --> 30:39.820 We're also looking at ways where we have manning crunches, 30:39.820 --> 30:43.130 to be able to move people off-base, in some places, 30:43.130 --> 30:44.650 to give them the right workspace 30:44.650 --> 30:45.670 and be able to take care of 'em. 30:45.670 --> 30:48.500 So that's what we're doing on some of the facilities, 30:48.500 --> 30:50.450 but you'll recall what I told you, 30:50.450 --> 30:53.670 in one of the addresses, facilities and IT 30:53.670 --> 30:55.160 are gonna be two of the hardest ones 30:55.160 --> 30:57.157 that we have to try to go work. 30:57.157 --> 30:59.520 They're ones that are gonna take me more time, 30:59.520 --> 31:02.430 us more time to try to get you a better answer. 31:02.430 --> 31:07.430 On IT, we have our team building together strategies 31:07.840 --> 31:08.963 of what it would take. 31:09.860 --> 31:11.180 Where could we invest? 31:11.180 --> 31:15.593 What could we do to improve the work environment? 31:17.500 --> 31:19.680 We are collecting metrics on what we're losing 31:19.680 --> 31:22.740 from productivity because the IT is down, 31:22.740 --> 31:24.320 and we're starting to use those. 31:24.320 --> 31:26.420 I am starting to do those, and messages 31:26.420 --> 31:27.920 that I'm giving the senior leaders 31:27.920 --> 31:29.810 about how important this is, 31:29.810 --> 31:32.500 for you to be able to do your mission. 31:32.500 --> 31:35.023 We are also one of the test cases for 5G. 31:36.100 --> 31:38.800 Hill Air Force Base, is one of the 5G test cases. 31:38.800 --> 31:41.190 We'll see how that plays out, and we'll see 31:41.190 --> 31:43.710 if we can grow that even further. 31:43.710 --> 31:46.230 So that's what we're kinda doing in the IT area. 31:46.230 --> 31:48.360 On the communications piece, 31:48.360 --> 31:50.010 we're having a virtual Town Hall. 31:51.360 --> 31:52.830 That's a lot of communication. 31:52.830 --> 31:54.660 The goal is to let you know how important 31:54.660 --> 31:57.770 what you're doing is, and how it contributes. 31:57.770 --> 31:59.820 Another one that we just did last week, 31:59.820 --> 32:01.720 that may or may not have made it out 32:01.720 --> 32:04.700 into a lot of the media yet, General Holmes, 32:04.700 --> 32:06.050 the Air Combat Command Commander 32:06.050 --> 32:09.770 and I signed an agreement that we're gonna attach 32:09.770 --> 32:14.250 or align program offices with mission wings, 32:14.250 --> 32:17.880 and we're gonna foster a dialogue, and a communication 32:17.880 --> 32:19.310 between that mission wing 32:19.310 --> 32:21.340 and what they're doing on a day to day basis, 32:21.340 --> 32:24.950 and how the program office, and the sustainment center, 32:24.950 --> 32:27.490 and the research lab, and everybody who are contributing 32:27.490 --> 32:29.540 to getting that mission done. 32:29.540 --> 32:31.160 We did it with Air Combat Command first, 32:31.160 --> 32:32.390 because quite frankly they had 32:32.390 --> 32:34.660 the biggest portfolio programs. 32:34.660 --> 32:36.450 We're gonna grow that out into each 32:36.450 --> 32:39.940 of the other major commands. to try to give you 32:39.940 --> 32:41.780 a better sense of how what you're doing 32:41.780 --> 32:46.270 contributes to the mission, and gives them an opportunity 32:46.270 --> 32:48.040 to better understand what you're doing, 32:48.040 --> 32:50.510 and some of the challenges you face. 32:50.510 --> 32:53.160 We are on a communications journey. 32:53.160 --> 32:56.160 A lot of it was internal, we're doing some of that here. 32:56.160 --> 32:57.900 We're working some other things. 32:57.900 --> 33:00.540 We're sending out more emails about things. 33:00.540 --> 33:02.840 I know you're reading some of it. 33:02.840 --> 33:05.320 I got an email from someone telling me 33:05.320 --> 33:08.130 I had a grammatical error in my message 33:08.130 --> 33:10.950 that I sent out on mentoring the other day. 33:10.950 --> 33:14.410 I sent an apology email, and all I will say is, 33:14.410 --> 33:17.120 Mrs. Ware, my junior teacher in high school 33:17.120 --> 33:19.600 who told me I would never amount to anything 33:19.600 --> 33:21.240 is very disappointed right now. 33:21.240 --> 33:23.190 So, we'll try to do better on that one. 33:24.180 --> 33:27.560 Two weeks ago we were out at New York City 33:27.560 --> 33:30.070 talking to a bunch of think tanks and leaders, 33:30.070 --> 33:30.960 so we're really trying 33:30.960 --> 33:33.110 to get after the communications piece. 33:33.110 --> 33:35.253 One more, I'll touch on leadership. 33:36.290 --> 33:38.990 We are working within the headquarters, 33:38.990 --> 33:40.080 we're working with a test center, 33:40.080 --> 33:42.710 we're working with a sustainment center 33:42.710 --> 33:45.210 to get after one of the big issues you brought forward 33:45.210 --> 33:49.330 that you do not believe our first level supervisors 33:49.330 --> 33:52.150 are getting the training they need in many cases, 33:52.150 --> 33:55.140 and they're not holding people accountable. 33:55.140 --> 33:57.720 That training we're working on. 33:57.720 --> 34:00.730 The accountability piece is in all of our discussions 34:00.730 --> 34:04.550 at our squadron commander materiel leader classes, 34:04.550 --> 34:06.430 and we're having those dialogues to make sure 34:06.430 --> 34:08.100 we're holding the people accountable 34:08.100 --> 34:10.390 that aren't doing their mission. 34:10.390 --> 34:11.223 - [Wendy] Sir, thank you. 34:11.223 --> 34:12.710 - Can I hit on that a little bit there too. 34:12.710 --> 34:15.410 So as you heard, General Bunch mentioned 80,000 comments, 34:15.410 --> 34:17.590 so lots of feedback. 34:17.590 --> 34:20.360 The other effort that General Bunch has setup 34:22.148 --> 34:27.148 is we set up an office to say commanders initiative office 34:27.150 --> 34:28.590 within the headquarters here, 34:28.590 --> 34:30.880 to kind of look at those comments, 34:30.880 --> 34:32.090 and kind of pull those together, 34:32.090 --> 34:34.600 and make recommended changes and things are going. 34:34.600 --> 34:37.830 So that office is on there, and they're sitting there now, 34:37.830 --> 34:39.000 looking through these comments, 34:39.000 --> 34:40.600 going through them and trying to help us 34:40.600 --> 34:42.200 decipher them, and kind of get back 34:42.200 --> 34:43.710 and get after those types of issues. 34:43.710 --> 34:45.820 So, this is not something that just kind of 34:45.820 --> 34:47.730 took those comments and just let 'em go. 34:47.730 --> 34:50.610 He's actually invested time, and invested energy 34:50.610 --> 34:52.810 and personnel into kind of hearing from you, 34:52.810 --> 34:55.020 and kind of looking at those those comments. 34:55.020 --> 34:55.853 - Sir you want to comment? 34:55.853 --> 34:57.047 - Yeah, I got one other one I gotta throw in, 34:57.047 --> 34:58.670 and I'm glad you brought up the team 34:58.670 --> 35:00.400 that works under General Schaefer, 35:00.400 --> 35:02.810 and I get a monthly review of what they're doing, 35:02.810 --> 35:04.040 and another one that I should have 35:04.040 --> 35:06.290 talked about that I didn't. 35:06.290 --> 35:08.600 We are trying to cut our hiring timelines. 35:08.600 --> 35:10.350 We're working our way through that. 35:11.590 --> 35:14.150 We did like a 10% reduction last year, 35:14.150 --> 35:17.150 we did 19% the year before. 35:17.150 --> 35:19.100 We are really trying to get after this. 35:19.100 --> 35:21.830 We're expanding out what we're doing to try to hire, 35:21.830 --> 35:23.660 so that we can use different authorities. 35:23.660 --> 35:26.450 we're making a lot of progress in that area. 35:26.450 --> 35:28.560 We also gave back time off awards 35:28.560 --> 35:31.339 is something that can be done under the AcqDemo closeout. 35:31.339 --> 35:34.020 That was one you asked for that we put in place. 35:34.020 --> 35:37.810 So we are taking a lot of steps on these initiatives. 35:37.810 --> 35:40.860 Some of the comments that came back, 35:40.860 --> 35:44.190 we labeled as very negative comments. 35:44.190 --> 35:46.430 That's probably not exactly the vernacular we used 35:46.430 --> 35:48.210 but it's close enough. 35:48.210 --> 35:50.910 And what we did was, we made sure those of course, 35:50.910 --> 35:53.000 we're not attributable to anybody, 35:53.000 --> 35:55.500 but if they highlighted problems that we had, 35:55.500 --> 35:58.960 we took those things and parsed them to the right teams 35:58.960 --> 36:01.290 to go look at whether we needed to take more aggressive 36:01.290 --> 36:02.990 action to try to get after things. 36:05.040 --> 36:07.800 - So as part of the AFMC we need. 36:07.800 --> 36:10.600 We just launched a new initiative called Idea Scale. 36:10.600 --> 36:12.670 Chief, can you can you talk a little bit about 36:12.670 --> 36:14.810 what Idea Scale is, and what kind of ideas 36:14.810 --> 36:16.990 are you looking at from across the command? 36:16.990 --> 36:20.460 - Great, thanks Wendy, so Idea Scale's another initiative 36:20.460 --> 36:21.420 that we've got out there. 36:21.420 --> 36:23.390 We know that there's innovation going on 36:23.390 --> 36:24.500 within this command. 36:24.500 --> 36:27.440 We've got great individuals out there 36:27.440 --> 36:29.070 who are doing innovative things 36:29.070 --> 36:31.159 each and every day, trying to do their jobs, 36:31.159 --> 36:36.159 figure out ways to do jobs smarter, faster, safer, easier, 36:37.470 --> 36:38.683 and those are happening. 36:39.615 --> 36:40.620 We see it all the time. 36:40.620 --> 36:42.990 So Idea Scale is just an opportunity 36:42.990 --> 36:46.414 to get your feedback, to kind of bring those ideas in, 36:46.414 --> 36:48.800 in a format that we can kind of look through 36:48.800 --> 36:50.390 and kind of hear, and kind of figure out 36:50.390 --> 36:53.250 which one of those ideas do we need to kind of invest in, 36:53.250 --> 36:56.590 to kinda make sure that we're getting 36:56.590 --> 36:59.590 kind of action behind, and kind of bringing those up 36:59.590 --> 37:04.590 to make 'em happen, to really get them going for you. 37:04.660 --> 37:06.740 That's really what we're trying to do with Idea Scale, 37:06.740 --> 37:10.060 but the big picture piece is, it's not individuals 37:10.060 --> 37:11.330 that are up in the headquarters. 37:11.330 --> 37:12.400 Well there's great Americans 37:12.400 --> 37:14.790 working up here in the headquarters, the reality is, 37:14.790 --> 37:17.890 is the great ideas are coming from people down in the field, 37:17.890 --> 37:21.180 whether that's at our depots or whether that's at Wings, 37:21.180 --> 37:22.650 or down at the Squadron level. 37:22.650 --> 37:25.400 It's people out there doing the job each and every day, 37:25.400 --> 37:27.120 and they're doing great things, 37:27.120 --> 37:29.020 and they say hey I got an idea, 37:29.020 --> 37:30.710 I think we can do this better. 37:30.710 --> 37:32.600 And what do I do with that idea? 37:32.600 --> 37:35.100 Well here's an opportunity just to go 37:35.100 --> 37:37.050 to log on to Idea Scale, put it in there, 37:37.050 --> 37:40.680 tell us what you think, and give us that feedback, 37:40.680 --> 37:42.560 and let us get the experts in there 37:42.560 --> 37:44.550 to kind of look through that, and kind of evaluate it, 37:44.550 --> 37:46.310 and see if that's something we can make happen, 37:46.310 --> 37:48.259 and maybe spread it across the force, 37:48.259 --> 37:51.920 and a bigger impact across our entire force. 37:51.920 --> 37:54.400 The reality is, is we're looking for your feedback. 37:54.400 --> 37:56.350 We need that information. 37:56.350 --> 37:58.550 If we're gonna get better, we can't keep doing things 37:58.550 --> 37:59.650 as we've been doing them. 37:59.650 --> 38:03.300 We gotta look for inventive ways, and that's you, 38:03.300 --> 38:04.630 that's you out there. 38:04.630 --> 38:07.150 So, what I would ask is supervisors, 38:07.150 --> 38:11.500 sometimes I know we're the worst sometimes, right. 38:11.500 --> 38:14.450 We've been doing things one way for a long time, 38:14.450 --> 38:17.740 and we'll look at it and say, no, I don't see anything. 38:17.740 --> 38:20.650 I would ask you to kind of take a look at that, 38:20.650 --> 38:24.140 kinda retool your thinking, kinda look for those ideas. 38:24.140 --> 38:27.600 Encourage your folks out there to kind of look 38:27.600 --> 38:28.950 for better ways of doing things, 38:28.950 --> 38:31.620 and ask them to put those ideas in there, 38:31.620 --> 38:34.090 help us to get better at what we're doing. 38:34.090 --> 38:36.890 The reality is, is we don't need anybody. 38:36.890 --> 38:39.150 You don't have to ask for permission to put 'em in there. 38:39.150 --> 38:41.950 You can go in there and put an idea in Idea Scale today. 38:43.543 --> 38:45.110 So I hope you will, I hope you help us 38:45.110 --> 38:46.770 to make things better, because that's really 38:46.770 --> 38:49.580 what we gotta if we're gonna continue to be 38:49.580 --> 38:53.380 the best Air Force, and the most powerful air force 38:53.380 --> 38:56.100 in the world, we need your ideas 38:56.100 --> 38:58.150 to kinda keep us on line there. 38:58.150 --> 39:00.740 - The only thing I'd add to that, Chief, 39:00.740 --> 39:02.800 is that we don't do the hard work, 39:02.800 --> 39:05.170 you do out in the field each and every day. 39:05.170 --> 39:08.290 So keep those ideas coming in, and the reality of it is, 39:08.290 --> 39:10.980 none of us is as smart as all of us. 39:10.980 --> 39:13.750 We need to harvest those good ideas from everyone, 39:13.750 --> 39:14.890 and be able to bring those in 39:14.890 --> 39:17.490 so that we can make the command operate 39:17.490 --> 39:20.400 more efficiently, more effectively, faster, 39:20.400 --> 39:23.390 so that we are better enabling the Air Force 39:23.390 --> 39:25.560 to do its mission each and every day. 39:25.560 --> 39:26.590 - Okay, thank you. 39:26.590 --> 39:29.530 So, also something that was addressed in the AFMC, 39:29.530 --> 39:31.680 we need to be holding leaders accountable. 39:31.680 --> 39:33.780 Obviously, many of us are aware of, you know, 39:33.780 --> 39:36.370 recent leadership changes across the command. 39:36.370 --> 39:38.710 Could you address that for for the audience here? 39:38.710 --> 39:41.110 - So I won't talk any specifics here. 39:41.110 --> 39:45.780 What I will say is, leadership and command 39:45.780 --> 39:49.280 is a sacred trust that you get, and you go run. 39:49.280 --> 39:51.280 There is no higher calling than being a leader 39:51.280 --> 39:52.273 in our Air Force. 39:53.160 --> 39:55.040 That to me, if you're wearing the uniform, 39:55.040 --> 39:58.140 that's what many of us have tried to get 39:58.140 --> 39:59.293 to the point we are. 40:00.150 --> 40:02.053 If you're in those roles, lead. 40:03.130 --> 40:05.750 We take anything very seriously. 40:05.750 --> 40:07.180 We expect everybody to hold up 40:07.180 --> 40:08.780 the standards we're looking for. 40:11.010 --> 40:15.953 So, all I will say is, leadership is critical. 40:17.130 --> 40:20.700 We need you to lead, and we're gonna hold all of us 40:20.700 --> 40:22.340 accountable for what we do. 40:22.340 --> 40:23.540 - Sir, thank you. 40:23.540 --> 40:25.950 So when we talk about retention, 40:25.950 --> 40:27.760 why our civilian Airmen only offered 40:27.760 --> 40:31.960 75% of tuition assistance, while military provided 100%? 40:31.960 --> 40:34.690 Considering many civilians serve for over 30 years, 40:34.690 --> 40:37.693 isn't higher tuition assistance a retention incentive? 40:38.540 --> 40:40.900 - It can be, such a great question. 40:40.900 --> 40:45.900 So, what I would say is given that we have over 65,000, 40:46.240 --> 40:49.970 I think, civilian airmen within the command. 40:49.970 --> 40:51.610 There becomes a budgetary limit 40:51.610 --> 40:53.400 on how much we spend in these areas 40:53.400 --> 40:55.800 that we have to take account for. 40:55.800 --> 40:59.030 It's not perfect, but we have made some strides. 40:59.030 --> 41:02.330 We've opened it up now to go for associate's degrees. 41:02.330 --> 41:04.090 We've opened up the opportunity to take 41:04.090 --> 41:07.680 more than one class at a time with tuition assistance. 41:07.680 --> 41:11.230 We've tried to make the program more usable and better. 41:11.230 --> 41:13.760 Where we haven't been able to maybe get everything 41:13.760 --> 41:16.410 with tuition assistance, we've tried to use 41:16.410 --> 41:19.890 the Acquisition Workforce Development Funds, 41:19.890 --> 41:22.220 and that's another one that we'll have to go look at, 41:22.220 --> 41:24.220 and see what we can supplement training 41:24.220 --> 41:25.750 and everything else with. 41:25.750 --> 41:27.430 That one's a little more challenging now, 41:27.430 --> 41:29.170 because we're in a budget constraint environment 41:29.170 --> 41:31.900 in some cases, and we're trying to watch that. 41:31.900 --> 41:36.900 The other one I would encourage our airmen to utilize, 41:36.940 --> 41:39.670 the Civilian Developmental Education Program. 41:39.670 --> 41:42.493 That window to apply is open through March. 41:43.580 --> 41:45.320 We offer a lot opportunities to do things 41:45.320 --> 41:47.620 like Squadron Officer School. 41:47.620 --> 41:50.287 We do some fellowships, we do Air Command 41:50.287 --> 41:53.220 and Staff College, Air War College. 41:53.220 --> 41:55.740 I would encourage you to look for those opportunities 41:55.740 --> 41:59.230 to grow your knowledge base and increase your knowledge, 41:59.230 --> 42:01.410 and be able to move out on that. 42:01.410 --> 42:03.630 So, I can't give you a great answer that I'm gonna move it, 42:03.630 --> 42:06.110 or go try to get it to 100. 42:06.110 --> 42:09.980 I can say that it's a pretty good program to give you 75%, 42:09.980 --> 42:12.120 to try to get an Associate's, or a Bachelor's, 42:12.120 --> 42:16.340 or a Master's, or a Doctorate, and we will continue 42:16.340 --> 42:19.500 to look at ways to make it as user friendly as we can 42:19.500 --> 42:21.130 and open that aperture. 42:21.130 --> 42:23.520 - Thank you, so we've had several questions come in 42:23.520 --> 42:26.820 on the Fit 4 Life Fitness Program and Sustainment Center. 42:26.820 --> 42:28.490 Can you provide an update on that? 42:28.490 --> 42:32.210 - So right as we did our first virtual Town Hall, 42:32.210 --> 42:34.910 was when that kind of got released, 42:34.910 --> 42:37.530 and at the time, it said it was suspended, 42:37.530 --> 42:41.800 and it was in August, when it was done. 42:41.800 --> 42:43.840 Right now, it's still suspended. 42:43.840 --> 42:45.934 General Kirkland and his team will relook at it 42:45.934 --> 42:48.210 in August of this year, 42:48.210 --> 42:50.520 and then they will let me know what they've decided 42:50.520 --> 42:52.110 based on the facts that they found, 42:52.110 --> 42:54.680 and the data and how the productivity is going. 42:54.680 --> 42:57.490 So it's still suspended for right now. 42:57.490 --> 43:01.890 You can still utilize, if you're a government civilian, 43:01.890 --> 43:05.580 you still utilize all the fitness facilities at no cost, 43:05.580 --> 43:09.680 and we know that's something that's out there, 43:09.680 --> 43:10.810 and we will look at it, 43:10.810 --> 43:13.590 and we'll give you a better answer later on. 43:13.590 --> 43:14.780 - Okay, thank you. 43:14.780 --> 43:16.730 So it's another one that came in online is, 43:16.730 --> 43:18.235 when can we expect to find out about 43:18.235 --> 43:21.380 the Senior Leader Enlisted Commissioning Program results? 43:21.380 --> 43:24.250 - Yeah, so that's a great question. 43:24.250 --> 43:25.890 Let me talk to you a little bit about the process, 43:25.890 --> 43:29.293 because that seems to confuse folks sometimes. 43:30.629 --> 43:32.840 So, the way the process works is, 43:32.840 --> 43:35.540 this is an opportunity for senior leaders 43:35.540 --> 43:37.640 to look and select individuals 43:37.640 --> 43:40.920 to go to commissioning sources, whether that's ROTC, 43:40.920 --> 43:42.870 or whether that's some other 43:42.870 --> 43:44.960 commissioning source around there. 43:44.960 --> 43:48.490 Most of them are in the ROTC or OTS lanes there, 43:48.490 --> 43:52.440 but the way that process works is senior leaders, 43:52.440 --> 43:54.740 usually four star commanders, 43:54.740 --> 43:56.830 some other HAF staff level, 43:56.830 --> 43:58.000 some of our senior leaders out there, 43:58.000 --> 44:01.373 they selected individuals as an opportunity to say, 44:03.538 --> 44:05.810 and obviously the package goes up, 44:05.810 --> 44:08.090 there's a board that's held, 44:08.090 --> 44:09.600 and those individuals are selected, 44:09.600 --> 44:13.870 but before the announcements are made, 44:13.870 --> 44:16.160 we look across the whole spectrum, 44:16.160 --> 44:18.340 just to make sure that we're not missing anything, 44:18.340 --> 44:21.073 make sure that we've dotted all of our T's, 44:22.335 --> 44:23.830 or dotted our Is, crossed our Ts, 44:23.830 --> 44:26.460 and we've done all of our homework for that process. 44:26.460 --> 44:28.501 So that's really kind of what's happening right now. 44:28.501 --> 44:31.530 Bottom line is, once that we get the okay 44:31.530 --> 44:33.650 from the HAF staff, that we can release those results, 44:33.650 --> 44:35.110 we will absolutely do that. 44:35.110 --> 44:36.240 It should be coming soon. 44:36.240 --> 44:38.630 I think it's scheduled within the next two weeks, 44:38.630 --> 44:40.810 but we'll get an answer on that for sure, 44:40.810 --> 44:42.860 and get back, provide that for you, 44:42.860 --> 44:44.330 the follow on piece here. 44:44.330 --> 44:46.797 - Thank you, so Chief, while we're at you, 44:46.797 --> 44:49.610 can you talk a little bit about why do we 44:49.610 --> 44:52.080 still require official photos and fitness score sheets 44:52.080 --> 44:53.317 for the Outstanding Airman of the Year, 44:53.317 --> 44:56.270 and not for Senior NCO Enlisted Promotion Boards, 44:56.270 --> 44:58.030 especially E8, and E9. 44:58.030 --> 45:00.699 - Yeah, so this question comes up occasionally, 45:00.699 --> 45:03.530 and it's a great question when you start looking at it. 45:03.530 --> 45:05.023 It's like, why do we do this? 45:06.556 --> 45:07.500 There seems to be a disconnect there, 45:07.500 --> 45:09.590 but I tell you, I don't really think there is. 45:09.590 --> 45:12.140 I see those as two separate processes. 45:12.140 --> 45:14.440 When we start talking about promotion, 45:14.440 --> 45:17.660 we don't currently provide photos 45:17.660 --> 45:19.550 for promotion boards to consider, 45:19.550 --> 45:22.550 and when we're really look at promotions we're looking at, 45:22.550 --> 45:25.220 who do we think could perform at that next level? 45:25.220 --> 45:29.803 Who's ready to perform at whatever that next rank level is? 45:29.803 --> 45:32.040 And we kind of look at their background, their history, 45:32.040 --> 45:33.700 and then we look at the potential to serve 45:33.700 --> 45:35.170 in that next higher role, 45:35.170 --> 45:38.540 but when we're looking at, for selecting someone for 45:38.540 --> 45:40.330 12 outstanding every year, 45:40.330 --> 45:44.650 this is one of our premier programs within our force, 45:44.650 --> 45:47.900 so we're trying to recognize those experts in their field 45:47.900 --> 45:49.520 who are doing outstanding things, 45:49.520 --> 45:53.593 and really representing our force to the American public. 45:54.795 --> 45:57.220 As part of that is there is a little bit of a looking at 45:57.220 --> 45:59.870 making sure that they're meeting standards, 45:59.870 --> 46:03.121 and there's nothing that would surprise us 46:03.121 --> 46:05.000 from a photo, so it does it, 46:05.000 --> 46:07.060 but the bigger picture piece I think is that 46:07.060 --> 46:11.280 we're also using those photos, as ways 46:11.280 --> 46:13.760 for those people selected to highlight them 46:13.760 --> 46:15.990 around our force, whether they're gonna be 46:15.990 --> 46:17.740 displayed in magazines. 46:17.740 --> 46:21.140 If you go over here in Dayton, to the National Museum 46:21.140 --> 46:22.940 of the Air Force one of the walls you see 46:22.940 --> 46:24.490 is our 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year. 46:24.490 --> 46:26.950 Those photos are displayed up there. 46:26.950 --> 46:29.190 They're also displayed at the Pentagon, 46:29.190 --> 46:31.080 at the headquarters Air Force. 46:31.080 --> 46:34.720 So I think there is value in having those photos 46:34.720 --> 46:36.320 for the the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year, 46:36.320 --> 46:39.100 but I don't think that that makes sense to do 'em 46:39.100 --> 46:40.910 for our promotion boards. 46:40.910 --> 46:42.413 I draw a difference in there. 46:43.404 --> 46:46.270 - So, the topic that's been on everybody's mind 46:46.270 --> 46:48.300 across the Air Force is the stand up 46:48.300 --> 46:49.690 with the Space Force, of course. 46:49.690 --> 46:52.050 So can you talk a little bit about how you anticipate 46:52.050 --> 46:55.960 that will affect AFMC and what opportunities might there be 46:55.960 --> 46:57.960 if somebody wants to transfer into Space Force 46:57.960 --> 46:59.800 in the uniform side. 46:59.800 --> 47:02.370 - That's a great question, and there is a lot going on, 47:02.370 --> 47:04.440 and I would encourage you to read all the news, 47:04.440 --> 47:08.270 and daily you're seeing a lot of articles, 47:08.270 --> 47:09.700 there are a lot of moving pieces, 47:09.700 --> 47:12.620 so I'll give you where I think we are today, 47:12.620 --> 47:14.460 and I'm sure some of this will change, 47:14.460 --> 47:16.690 but I'll tell you where we're at right now. 47:16.690 --> 47:20.020 For Air Force Materiel Command and the airmen 47:20.020 --> 47:23.160 that work within Air Force Materiel Command, 47:23.160 --> 47:26.350 I don't see a ton of change immediately 47:26.350 --> 47:29.020 with what we're doing on a day to day basis. 47:29.020 --> 47:31.778 We are still gonna provide the installation 47:31.778 --> 47:34.470 mission support for everybody. 47:34.470 --> 47:36.020 That's not gonna change. 47:36.020 --> 47:38.260 We will continue to do that. 47:38.260 --> 47:43.260 We will continue to do research in science and technology 47:43.410 --> 47:45.693 to support the Space Force. 47:46.750 --> 47:51.750 We may make a change to where some of those individuals 47:52.450 --> 47:54.370 are part of the Space Force, 47:54.370 --> 47:57.743 but they work in the Air Force Research Laboratory. 47:59.040 --> 48:02.550 But that may not be limited to one particular directorate, 48:02.550 --> 48:04.150 because the way that I look at it, 48:04.150 --> 48:07.210 technology doesn't really know its applicability 48:07.210 --> 48:08.610 until you tell it. 48:08.610 --> 48:13.450 So last year, the team that won the Outstanding Team Award, 48:13.450 --> 48:17.110 and a certain criteria that dealt with space, 48:17.110 --> 48:20.820 was a space situational awareness, 48:20.820 --> 48:24.800 and it was out of Rome, New York, not Kirtland, 48:24.800 --> 48:26.960 where the Space Vehicles Directorate is, 48:26.960 --> 48:29.640 and so we will create an environment 48:29.640 --> 48:32.960 so that the science and technology we're doing in sensors, 48:32.960 --> 48:37.960 or in info, or materials, or human performance, 48:38.690 --> 48:42.270 all of those, and the Space Vehicles Directorate 48:42.270 --> 48:45.020 can all feed back in to where we need to go 48:45.020 --> 48:47.920 for the Space Force to develop that technology, 48:47.920 --> 48:51.630 and to keep that capability as a war fighting domain 48:51.630 --> 48:53.390 to make us dominate in space, 48:53.390 --> 48:56.213 which is what we're supposed to do, and we need to do. 48:57.290 --> 48:59.460 The other piece that we're talking about 48:59.460 --> 49:02.530 and we want to make sure that we look at very much 49:02.530 --> 49:06.680 as we go forward, we don't want to create a situation 49:06.680 --> 49:11.680 where we become so insular with our force 49:11.790 --> 49:15.550 that people can't go to the Space Force and back 49:15.550 --> 49:18.420 in an acquisition type an environment. 49:18.420 --> 49:20.970 If it's communications, well communications could apply 49:20.970 --> 49:23.410 to how we're gonna do, communicate to space, 49:23.410 --> 49:26.500 communicate to the Navy, communicate to anyone, 49:26.500 --> 49:28.840 we need to create enough permeability 49:28.840 --> 49:31.270 so that we can move people back and forth 49:31.270 --> 49:35.230 and develop the right leaders to be better prepared 49:35.230 --> 49:39.470 so that we can seamlessly apply Air and Space power 49:39.470 --> 49:41.470 to get the nation's missions done. 49:41.470 --> 49:44.320 So I really don't believe it's gonna change dramatically 49:44.320 --> 49:46.720 for us, at least not right now. 49:46.720 --> 49:50.340 We may have some individuals that become 49:50.340 --> 49:51.690 part of the Space Force. 49:51.690 --> 49:53.490 All those things are being worked. 49:53.490 --> 49:55.403 There's nothing finalized right now, 49:57.670 --> 49:59.380 but we want to be able to allow people 49:59.380 --> 50:02.880 to move back and forth, and what my message 50:02.880 --> 50:05.640 to AFMC is, we need to make 50:05.640 --> 50:10.600 General Chief of Space Ops Raymond successful. 50:10.600 --> 50:12.210 We need to make it successful, 50:12.210 --> 50:14.360 because space is a war fighting domain, 50:14.360 --> 50:16.860 and the work we do for them each and every day 50:16.860 --> 50:19.370 is our wartime mission, and we gotta make sure 50:19.370 --> 50:22.040 we do it so that we remain dominant in that environment 50:22.040 --> 50:24.090 that we count on so heavily. 50:24.090 --> 50:25.340 - Thanks, so we're down to just 50:25.340 --> 50:26.580 our last couple questions here, 50:26.580 --> 50:29.670 but I would be remiss if we did not ask about the S&T 2030 50:29.670 --> 50:31.650 and where we are with that strategy. 50:31.650 --> 50:33.620 - So, great question. 50:33.620 --> 50:36.610 The Science and Technology 2030 strategy 50:36.610 --> 50:38.573 was signed out by Secretary Wilson. 50:39.610 --> 50:41.140 When we first got here, 50:41.140 --> 50:44.040 when I first arrived I asked the team 50:44.040 --> 50:46.560 to build an implementation plan, 50:46.560 --> 50:48.650 and they have built that implementation plan, 50:48.650 --> 50:51.543 and we're already off executing that implementation plan. 50:52.580 --> 50:54.740 Couple things that are big focus areas 50:54.740 --> 50:57.240 of the whole S&T 2030. 50:57.240 --> 51:00.150 Competition, we are in a competition. 51:00.150 --> 51:02.520 We need ideas to compete, to get funding, 51:02.520 --> 51:05.500 and to move forward, and if they're not making the progress 51:05.500 --> 51:08.680 that we need them to make, then we're gonna off ramble. 51:08.680 --> 51:11.820 We need to make sure that we open up an environment 51:11.820 --> 51:15.020 where we can take ideas from academia, industry, 51:15.020 --> 51:19.040 others, as well as internal to the research laboratory, 51:19.040 --> 51:21.470 and be able to take those and do the right research 51:21.470 --> 51:22.860 and move that forward. 51:22.860 --> 51:24.750 So that's a big focus area. 51:24.750 --> 51:28.760 We have realigned the way we look 51:28.760 --> 51:30.740 at some of our bigger programs. 51:30.740 --> 51:34.870 We've established a process to develop ideas 51:34.870 --> 51:37.570 and select vanguard programs. 51:37.570 --> 51:41.600 Vanguard programs, which we have three of those right now. 51:41.600 --> 51:43.740 One for space, one for weapons, 51:43.740 --> 51:46.740 and one for low cost attributable systems, 51:46.740 --> 51:50.650 and those programs are we believe game changers 51:50.650 --> 51:52.830 in the way that we can employ airpower. 51:52.830 --> 51:55.020 We're managing those programs differently 51:55.020 --> 51:58.860 than we have in the past, and this is a big topic 51:58.860 --> 52:01.820 that we had just last week with Air Combat Command, 52:01.820 --> 52:05.100 with General Holmes, and Dr. Roper, and with the AFMC 52:05.100 --> 52:06.970 as to how we move forward on those. 52:06.970 --> 52:09.230 So that one's another big effort. 52:09.230 --> 52:12.680 So we really have put a lot of emphasis in it. 52:12.680 --> 52:14.310 We gotta get the right people. 52:14.310 --> 52:15.510 That's another big emphasis area. 52:15.510 --> 52:17.918 How do you get the right people in? 52:17.918 --> 52:20.030 We built an implementation plan. 52:20.030 --> 52:22.040 We're probably not moving as quickly 52:22.040 --> 52:25.080 as some people want us to, but we're off and running, 52:25.080 --> 52:26.010 we're on a plan. 52:26.010 --> 52:28.530 I'm getting regular updates and I'm very happy 52:28.530 --> 52:30.660 with how the team's moving forward. 52:30.660 --> 52:32.520 - Thanks sir, so for both of you, you know, 52:32.520 --> 52:34.790 as we we kind of wrap things up here, 52:34.790 --> 52:37.170 talk about how you find balance in your life, 52:37.170 --> 52:38.163 just real briefly. 52:39.530 --> 52:40.523 - I'll start sir. 52:42.640 --> 52:46.560 So, I will tell you, when I think of balance, 52:46.560 --> 52:49.090 with work-life balance, 52:49.090 --> 52:50.800 I don't usually use the word balance, 52:50.800 --> 52:53.410 I kind of use the word rhythm, because I think 52:53.410 --> 52:55.270 that it's more like a sine wave, 52:55.270 --> 53:00.270 and it's sometimes I do better at home, sometimes I don't, 53:00.810 --> 53:03.680 and usually the first vector I get from that 53:03.680 --> 53:04.950 is usually my spouse. 53:04.950 --> 53:08.070 Rhonda will tell me when I don't got it right, 53:08.070 --> 53:12.460 so, bottom line, I strive to kind of work 53:12.460 --> 53:16.600 to get a balance in there, or a sine wave in there, 53:16.600 --> 53:19.530 however you look at that, but the reality is, 53:19.530 --> 53:21.981 is I'm probably not the best at, 53:21.981 --> 53:22.960 I'm probably not the best example, 53:22.960 --> 53:25.380 but I do strive to make those times. 53:25.380 --> 53:28.530 I think that family's important, right. 53:28.530 --> 53:29.780 It's extremely important. 53:31.430 --> 53:36.163 So, our families, they give so much for this, 53:37.127 --> 53:38.270 to allow us to serve. 53:38.270 --> 53:40.210 So we owe them to make sure that we are 53:40.210 --> 53:42.000 spending valuable time with them, 53:42.000 --> 53:45.280 and my spouse is very good about that. 53:45.280 --> 53:47.460 Rhonda, she'll let me know if we don't get it right, 53:47.460 --> 53:49.230 and we'll work on that. 53:49.230 --> 53:50.670 We'll spend some time doing other things, 53:50.670 --> 53:52.890 but I guess what I'm saying is 53:52.890 --> 53:54.960 it's something that we're constantly working on, 53:54.960 --> 53:58.380 constantly looking at, and kind of evaluating 53:58.380 --> 54:01.970 each and every day, to kind of take a look at where am I at? 54:01.970 --> 54:03.650 Do I need to spend more time at work, 54:03.650 --> 54:05.420 because there's a project going on, 54:05.420 --> 54:06.870 there's something going on. 54:06.870 --> 54:07.840 We got to take care of this, 54:07.840 --> 54:09.860 or is there some times where I can say okay, yeah, 54:09.860 --> 54:11.370 I need to take a little bit of a knee, 54:11.370 --> 54:14.200 and I gotta focus on things at home a little bit too. 54:14.200 --> 54:17.050 So, it's something that we've constantly got to be after. 54:17.989 --> 54:22.730 - So, balance, it's always an interesting dialogue. 54:22.730 --> 54:26.270 When I went to a group commanders course, 54:26.270 --> 54:29.510 I had an individual explain to me, who was our mentor, 54:29.510 --> 54:31.010 he was a Lieutenant General, 54:31.010 --> 54:33.550 and I've used his quote ever since then. 54:33.550 --> 54:36.570 He said anybody that tells you that they've got work, 54:36.570 --> 54:39.780 family, spiritual, and fitness, and health 54:39.780 --> 54:43.813 all perfectly balanced, those people are liars. 54:44.750 --> 54:48.530 The reality of it is, it's never all perfectly balanced, 54:48.530 --> 54:51.110 and you constantly have to make decisions 54:51.110 --> 54:53.800 on where you're gonna put your emphasis and what you need. 54:53.800 --> 54:57.130 I, much like the Chief, I spend a great deal of time 54:57.130 --> 55:01.753 on what I refer to as the WAP, the Wife Appeasement Plan, 55:02.610 --> 55:05.090 because I often do get this out of balance 55:05.090 --> 55:07.240 with the amount of focus that I put at work, 55:07.240 --> 55:09.230 and what I'm doing for the mission, 55:09.230 --> 55:12.223 and there are times that you have to step away from that. 55:13.573 --> 55:16.030 I do not want you to run out of family 55:16.030 --> 55:18.490 before you run out of Air Force. 55:18.490 --> 55:20.293 Families are critical. 55:21.620 --> 55:23.550 If you're a military member out there, 55:23.550 --> 55:25.300 and you've done a bunch of PCSs, 55:25.300 --> 55:27.653 go home and tell your spouse thank you. 55:28.590 --> 55:31.500 They are the best value the American taxpayer gets. 55:31.500 --> 55:32.853 We don't give 'em a penny, 55:34.040 --> 55:36.590 And we go do cool jobs in the uniform, 55:36.590 --> 55:39.750 and they try to find schools, doctors, 55:39.750 --> 55:43.540 places to worship, sports teams, all those things. 55:43.540 --> 55:45.897 So, if you haven't gone home and said thank you, 55:45.897 --> 55:47.410 You may be a little out of balance, 55:47.410 --> 55:49.610 you might need to go home and say thank you. 55:49.610 --> 55:52.010 But the reality of it is, there are times 55:52.010 --> 55:53.960 that the mission's just gotta come first, 55:53.960 --> 55:56.633 and that's where I will personally go home and say, 55:57.570 --> 56:00.693 Caroline, I gotta do this, here we go. 56:01.960 --> 56:06.780 And there are other times that I will come here and say, 56:06.780 --> 56:07.730 you guys got this. 56:07.730 --> 56:09.140 I gotta to get away for the weekend, 56:09.140 --> 56:11.110 so that I get back with the family, 56:11.110 --> 56:13.310 or you need to get that quiet time 56:13.310 --> 56:15.010 to get your spirituality right, 56:15.010 --> 56:17.030 and get yourself more comfortable, 56:17.030 --> 56:19.110 or you've not been working out. 56:19.110 --> 56:22.930 You gotta get after it, so it's a constant give and take, 56:22.930 --> 56:26.780 that I don't believe we ever get perfect, 56:26.780 --> 56:29.070 but it is one that we do need to think about, 56:29.070 --> 56:30.810 and we need to listen to those around us. 56:30.810 --> 56:34.350 There are times that we will not understand 56:34.350 --> 56:35.670 the amount of stress we're under, 56:35.670 --> 56:38.284 until someone comes to you and says, 56:38.284 --> 56:42.290 boss, you need a week off for everybody's sake. 56:42.290 --> 56:44.460 So we just need to be willing to listen, 56:44.460 --> 56:46.920 and that's part of that, knowing each other 56:46.920 --> 56:50.040 and having that constant communication, 56:50.040 --> 56:51.760 and being willing to ask that tough question 56:51.760 --> 56:53.460 every now and then along the way. 56:53.460 --> 56:54.480 - Okay, thank you. 56:54.480 --> 56:56.040 Well this has been a fast hour. 56:56.040 --> 56:57.710 We're actually almost at the end of the hour here, 56:57.710 --> 56:59.060 so I just want to offer you 56:59.060 --> 57:01.830 some brief parting shots before we go. 57:01.830 --> 57:05.520 - So thank you, I just want to say this is the first time 57:05.520 --> 57:08.070 we've done this in this format with both of us together, 57:08.070 --> 57:10.980 really, really, hopefully get some good feedback 57:10.980 --> 57:14.090 from you all on what we can do to improve, 57:14.090 --> 57:17.190 but the reality is, is this is an opportunity 57:17.190 --> 57:19.230 for us to kind of share with you what's going on 57:19.230 --> 57:21.630 in the command and what's going on around our Air Force, 57:21.630 --> 57:22.790 and to hear from you. 57:22.790 --> 57:26.343 We thank you for spending some time to that, to hear that. 57:27.180 --> 57:29.390 If you hear nothing else from anything I said, 57:29.390 --> 57:32.600 I just wanted you to hear this, and that is, thank you. 57:32.600 --> 57:34.790 Thank you for what you do for our mission. 57:34.790 --> 57:36.900 Thank you for what you do for our country. 57:36.900 --> 57:39.810 Thank you for what you do for AFMC. 57:39.810 --> 57:41.930 As you heard, I truly believe 57:41.930 --> 57:43.710 this is the most important MAJCOM, 57:43.710 --> 57:45.380 for all the reasons that you heard, 57:45.380 --> 57:48.060 and because of that, it's only that way 57:48.060 --> 57:52.600 because of you and for what you do for the AFMC family. 57:52.600 --> 57:54.690 I asked you to think about some of the things 57:54.690 --> 57:57.205 we talked about, specifically about taking care of yourself, 57:57.205 --> 57:59.810 taking care of those folks that are standing around you, 57:59.810 --> 58:03.370 that sit next to you, that work around you. 58:03.370 --> 58:04.780 Look out for them. 58:04.780 --> 58:05.880 Please take care of that. 58:05.880 --> 58:07.810 We look forward to seeing you as we come out there 58:07.810 --> 58:10.880 and visit the installations around the AFMC. 58:10.880 --> 58:12.950 Thank you very much, and look forward 58:12.950 --> 58:14.100 to talking to you soon. 58:15.010 --> 58:19.810 - So for me, thank you for taking the time to dial in, 58:19.810 --> 58:22.043 and watch, and see it all. 58:23.970 --> 58:25.173 I really appreciate it. 58:26.370 --> 58:27.830 We do want your feedback. 58:27.830 --> 58:29.670 If this doesn't work, let us know. 58:29.670 --> 58:31.970 We'll try to do something else, 58:31.970 --> 58:33.790 but it's an opportunity for you to get us 58:33.790 --> 58:37.403 kind of candidly giving you where we're at. 58:39.160 --> 58:41.123 Thank you for what you do. 58:42.310 --> 58:44.913 It is an honor and a privilege to work for you. 58:45.760 --> 58:49.970 You are unbelievable, and you all inspire me every day 58:49.970 --> 58:54.410 to come to work, and you make it a joy to come in and enjoy. 58:54.410 --> 58:59.210 When I come out and see you, you inspire me 58:59.210 --> 59:01.050 to go fight another budget battle. 59:01.050 --> 59:03.710 You inspire me to go to another meeting. 59:03.710 --> 59:06.490 You inspire me to go try to remove roadblocks 59:06.490 --> 59:09.850 and get you the resources you need to get your mission done, 59:09.850 --> 59:13.130 because you're the ones that are doing the tough mission. 59:13.130 --> 59:15.950 Keep doing your wartime mission each and every day. 59:15.950 --> 59:18.760 Lean into with the right sense of urgency. 59:18.760 --> 59:21.280 We'll get you answers to all the other questions, 59:21.280 --> 59:23.990 and if you had some you didn't want to ask, 59:23.990 --> 59:26.033 I'm in the Global, okay. 59:27.700 --> 59:30.340 Open shots fire away, okay. 59:30.340 --> 59:31.510 Thank you very much. 59:31.510 --> 59:32.553 - Sir, thank you. 59:32.553 --> 59:34.580 I appreciate your time today for both of you. 59:34.580 --> 59:37.240 I think this was valuable session for all. 59:37.240 --> 59:39.330 And out there, thank you too for joining us. 59:39.330 --> 59:41.670 I'll echo those thoughts, and just as a reminder 59:41.670 --> 59:44.530 this whole session will be on its entirety in Facebook 59:44.530 --> 59:48.550 as well as the AFMC DVID's page with the full transcript 59:48.550 --> 59:50.450 in the coming days here, so thank you.