Category: Aviation

Source: United States Air Force

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) —  

Dressed in the bright whites, deep blues and dense blacks of their service uniforms, Airmen, Marines, Sailors and Soldiers returned this year to honor and remember their fallen explosive ordnance disposal brethren May 4.

The annual memorial ceremony, in its 55th year, took place at the Kauffman EOD Training Complex on Eglin.

The schoolhouse’s commandant, Navy Capt. Steven Beall, welcomed guests and explained why they return to the memorial on the first Saturday of May each year. This specific Saturday is designated National EOD Day. 

“We’ve been guided here from different places, different generations and services, united in purpose, driven by conviction and a promise that we remember,” said Beall. “We will never forget those who gone before us. We will never forget their bravery, courage and sacrifice.” 

The significance of the Memorial brought the Department of the Air Force’s top leadership to the event.  Air Force Chief of Staff David W. Allvin and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi were in attendance. Allvin was the keynote speaker.

Moved by the reverence of the ceremony, Allvin said instead of delivering his planned speech, he’d rather speak from the heart about the honor he felt to be there.

Allvin said he didn’t feel right sitting in the ceremony’s place of honor but would rather be among those currently wearing the EOD badge and hearing their stories. He also said he’d rather be among the gold star families and understand the hardships that came with their loss. 

“You have a wound that never really heals. Every first Saturday in May it opens up again,” said the general. “You may dread this, but you do it because it’s a commitment to the memory and honor of those whose names are on this wall.” 

Allvin continued saying even if he’d attended the ceremony and sat by himself, he would not have felt alone. He said there’s a shared experience among those in attendance of reverence, honor, commitment and selfless service.

“I could be sitting anywhere, and I’d have the same sense of gratitude, respect, and absolute admiration for those in the EOD profession,” Allvin said. “Ceremonies like this remind us we have something in this country worth fighting for and we should recommit ourselves to the effort.

Each service then presented a wreath with the banner “We Remember” in front of their specific memorial as each name is solemnly read aloud. This year, no new names were added to the Memorial Wall. The all-service total stands at 344.

At the ceremony’s conclusion, the area around the Wall got very quiet. The only sounds came from the sandy grit beneath the joint-service color guard’s tapped shoes as they marched toward the Memorial to retire the colors. The next sounds blasted away the quiet as Eglin’s honor guard performed a three-round rifle volley. As the rifle echoes settled and the smell of gun powder filled the air, Taps played to end the ceremony.

Afterward, families and EOD technicians both past and present descended upon the Wall for pictures, to touch the engraved brass name or just remember a fallen hero.

 

 

Source: United States Air Force

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) —  

Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall flew in the front seat of the X-62A VISTA at Edwards Air Force Base, May 2, to experience firsthand the unique aircraft, which incorporates machine learning and highly specialized software to test autonomous flying and other cutting-edge capabilities.

The most potent feature of the X-62A – called VISTA for Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft – is its new capability to develop and test flying capabilities in real-time using machine learning and live agent integration. This technology was successfully tested through a collaboration with Defense Advanced Research Project Agency’s Air Combat Evolution program. The team was a finalist for the 2023 Robert J. Collier Trophy as an acknowledgement for their breakthrough efforts.

“The potential for autonomous air-to-air combat has been imaginable for decades, but the reality has remained a distant dream up until now. In 2023, the X-62A broke one of the most significant barriers in combat aviation. This is a transformational moment, all made possible by breakthrough accomplishments of the ACE team,” Kendall said.

The research division of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School leads overall program management responsibilities for the X-62A. The division’s primary focus is to lead research that accelerates multidomain capabilities for the warfighter, while embracing challenges to rapidly test novel technologies.

About four years ago the team set out to improve VISTA’s already unique test-training capabilities, which historically allowed it to simulate another aircraft’s flying characteristics, but they didn’t stop there. They created a new capability altogether – one that did not yet exist in the Department of Defense. They saw the possibility to transform VISTA into a vehicle for incorporating and testing artificial intelligence theory through real-time use of live agents.

VISTA’s initial capabilities were reimagined, reworked and fundamentally expanded, culminating in an upgrade that was completed in 2022 and featured three new highly specialized software suites with significantly more computing power to make it all work.

“AI is really taking the most capable technology you have, putting it together and using it on problems that previously had to be solved through human decision making. It’s automation of those decisions and it’s very specific,” Kendall said.

During Kendall’s flight, the X-62A conducted a variety of tactical maneuvers utilizing live agents that responded in real-time to a simulated threat. He completed a series of test points, which were parts of an aerial dogfight within an operation that validated the models and tested its performance. Sitting in the front seat, the controls of the X-62A remained untouched by both Kendall and the safety pilot in the backseat throughout the entire test flight.

Source: United States Air Force

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (AFNS) —  

In this week’s look around the Air Force, Airmen can now submit applications to become warrant officers in information technology and cyber career fields, two industry partners are awarded contracts under the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, and the Five and Thrive initiatives expand to include Reservists and their families. (Hosted by Staff Sgt. Milton Hamilton)

Watch on DVIDS | Watch on YouTube
For previous episodes, click here for the Air Force TV page.

Source: United States Air Force

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —  

When Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin looks closely at the service he leads, he sees plenty to like.

“The U.S. Air Force remains the best, most capable and lethal in the world,” Allvin said. “But that status is not guaranteed into the future and will only be realized if we adapt and shape the Total Force more precisely to meet the challenges we face today.”

One challenge that particularly draws Allvin’s attention is the “fragmentation” of effort and organization across the Air Force.

“Over the last three decades, our Air Force has incrementally become more fragmented across the four focus areas of our reoptimization effort – developing capabilities, developing people, generating readiness and projecting power. This gradual diffusion was the result of decisions made in the context of a different strategic environment. After some deep introspection, we know we cannot let this continue. Reoptimization will align our force to best compete, deter and if required, win in today’s volatile strategic landscape.” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin

The Air Force’s recently announced reoptimization initiative is designed to attack fragmentation and better align the force. As the pace of change accelerates and the threat posed by the pacing challenge grows, a fragmented force slows the Air Force enterprise down, hampers modernization and limits integration, Allvin says. He also acknowledges change can be difficult but knows it is nothing new to the service.

“The twenty-two chiefs of staff who proceeded me all shaped our Air Force to meet the rising challenges of their time,” Allvin said. “They and their contemporaries never blinked in the face of an adversary, and neither will we. They led change to ensure our Air Force was always the strongest in the world – now it is our turn.”

In making the “Case for Change,” Allvin highlighted the need to solidify the service’s currently splintered approach and unify the fragmented nature of planning and operations.

“To forge ahead, we must prioritize organizational alignment, streamline decision-making and place mission outcomes above narrow functional competence,” he wrote.

The Air Force’s ambitious plan to “reoptimize” the service in the face of Great Power Competition was released in February. It recognizes the need for a more holistic approach.

For example, the plan establishes Integrated Capabilities Command. ICC fuses disparate modernization efforts from across the Air Force into a centralized structure and process to produce capabilities aligned with a single force design.

“We do not have the time or money to keep designing and building the pieces of our Air Force separately, hoping we can solve the integration challenges after the fact,” Allvin said. “ICC will ensure deliberate integration of mission systems and that the platforms we engineer and operate align with those systems.”

ICC will be formed largely by aggregating the expertise resident in the current major commands and Air Force headquarters that are charged with modernizing elements of the force within their individual portfolios.

“We currently develop capabilities largely within our major commands, and as a result don’t build our Air Force in an integrated manner from the start,” Allvin said. “Years ago, the direction to reduce the size of management headquarters staffing increasingly drove decision-making down to MAJCOMs who are not designed to have an enterprise perspective. That will not cut it in today’s strategic environment. We must eliminate the stovepipes and integrate across the enterprise to be one Air Force.”

In addition to establishing ICC, reoptimization will solidify how the service trains and develops Airmen.

One specific goal is refocusing training to produce what the Air Force is calling, “Mission Ready Airmen.” This approach, the Air Force “Case for Change” document states, will emphasize “the need to transcend syllabus-driven, technical training for specialized roles with an appreciation of their overarching role in a challenging environment and as empowered members of small teams tasked with anticipating and solving complex, undefined problems under contested conditions.”

“Airmen are multi-capable by design,” Allvin said. “To make them ‘Mission Ready Airmen,’ we owe them development policies and programs with an enterprise view, plus a common competency baseline, so our force develops evenly across career fields. Currently, we see uneven development and skewed mission alignment across functional communities – that is not what the Joint Force nor the mission demands.”

The scope of reoptimization extends to readiness as well. Under the new approach, the priority will be on mission readiness rather than a narrower functional competence.

“We must be ready to face tough, complex combat scenarios,” Allvin said. “To be as prepared as possible, we are taking a hard look at ourselves so we know what we truly can and cannot do as an entire service, not just in one or two functional areas. The mission-focused assessments and inspections we are instituting will help us do this, as will the large-scale exercises we are implementing as part of reoptimization.”

Operationally, the Air Force says reoptimizing will “create coherent, standardized and well-defined “Units of Action” to present a clear and cohesive structure for effective combat operations and force presentation … These wings will prioritize readying whole units that can be combat effective on Day One of a conflict. They will train together and, as applicable, deploy and fight together — enhancing their ability to provide direct support to combatant commanders.”

“For 20 years, we piecemealed forces into the counter-violent extremist organization fight because that is what the Joint Force required. Crowdsourcing to deploy and fight is a losing proposition against the pacing challenge,” Allvin said. “It is also unfair to Airmen. They need to know and train with the team they are going to fight alongside. Reoptimization addresses that by assembling units of action and aligning training to focus on mission, not function.”

In presenting the plan for reoptimizing and its 24 major actions, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall acknowledged the same problem. “Over more than two decades, we have optimized to support post-9/Il conflicts and demands; this is not what the nation needs for the coming decades of strategic competition,” he said.

Reoptimization is also designed to prevent the all-too-common problem of “pieces” available to commanders not being able to work together because each was developed and deployed largely in a vacuum. This problem is not unique to the Air Force. Commanders across the Joint Force cope with this dynamic.

While China is the main driver to depart from fragmented decision-making, development and operations, senior Air Force leaders say bringing in a more aligned, comprehensive perspective will have clear benefits across the entire service.

“I think that is just going to help warfighting capability be developed more holistically in the future,” Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich told Air and Space Forces Magazine on April 3. “That’ll be a benefit, no matter where the conflict is. So, even though it’s optimized for China … we’re pretty bad at predicting where we’re going to have a conflict. If we end up fighting somewhere else in the world, whether it’s the Middle East or elsewhere, I think it’ll have a benefit.”

Source: United States Air Force

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) —  

In an open area of the Eglin Air Force Base range known as B-70, a group of Air Force field grade officers and black-shirted innovators huddled together above an eight-pound model aircraft as they raced against their deadline to build it.

The group of officers and innovators, known as Black Phoenix, created a goal for themselves to design, create, build, and fly an unmanned aerial system within 24 hours. Around the 22.5-hour mark, the team secured the tail pieces and lastly, the propellers. The final step on a journey, that started more than six months prior, was to put the UAS in the air.

The officers began the project as part of their Blue Horizons fellowship. Blue Horizons is an Air Force Center for Strategy and Technology mission that is part think-tank, part incubator that promotes unconventional thinking and processes to Air Force problems with strategic impact.

The Black Phoenix crew is one of five teams wrapping up those projects after year-long fellowships.

Their three-person team took on the task of evaluating how to rapidly adapt small UASs, their technology and payloads based on the need and environment.

“Small UASs are becoming a new warfighting capability,” said Col. Dustin Thomas, a Blue Horizons fellow and Black Phoenix team member. “However, the Air Force can’t rapidly change these aircraft based on the threat environment or quickly use new technologies to meet the needs of a specific mission. Our project aims to find ways to change that.”

To take their project from the theoretical to practical, the team turned to Titan Dynamics, a small aerospace company focused on rapid and cost-effective UAS designs and development.

“We went in search of a young, smart, new start-up company, who was willing to take on a big risk,” said Lt. Col. Jordan Atkins, Black Phoenix member. “We couldn’t be more impressed with their ability to yield a miracle like this in only two months.”

The team used Titan’s software automated design software to create an aerodynamic UAS body based on weight, power, dimensions, and payload in less than 10 minutes. That design code gets fed into 3D printers to create the lightweight UAS body parts. Once all the pieces are printed, the team builds the newly created UAS designed specifically for its mission parameters.

Black Phoenix took this method and first tested it in Southwest Asia in March with Task Force-99 with some success. Then, they brought that test data and lessons learned to Eglin for their final in-the-field tests. They sought out the Air Force Chief Data and AI office’s Autonomy Data and AI Experimentation proving ground, which aims to accelerate development and experimentation in programs like the Black Phoenix project.

“Eglin is trying create a space to test small UASs and new technological capabilities very quickly,” Thomas said. “Historically, the Air Force is relatively slow in adapting and testing these technologies, and Eglin is trying to change that paradigm. We wanted to partner with them and be a part of that paradigm shift.

In support of the ADAX proving ground, the 413th Flight Test Squadron’s Autonomy Prime flight flies autonomous UASs regularly, and new aircraft and autonomy customers come to Eglin AFB to test their technologies.

During Black Phoenix’s week at Eglin AFB, the team tested six autonomous aircraft using the quick create, build, fly method for various missions including an eight-pound personnel recovery UAS that would deliver supplies to a simulated Airman behind enemy lines.

Sometimes the aircraft flew successfully and other times, when the team pushed the boundaries, the aircraft crashed. The successes and failures were all part of Black Phoenix’s goal to gather research on the feasibility of the rapidly created UASs idea.

What they did discover was regardless of flight or crash, the internal autonomy hardware and the payload within were virtually unharmed. To build back and try again meant only reprinting the outer UAS structure at a cost of around $20 to $50.

“We’ve taken big risks this week in flying so many new aircraft for the first time, but the risk is also low because these entire aircraft are built from commercial off-the-shelf items, so the financial investment is small,” said Lt. Col. Peter Dyrud, Black Phoenix team member.

After the test, the Black Phoenix team will put together their findings and present their study evaluation to the secretary of the Air Force Secretary and Air Force chief of staff in May.

Source: United States Air Force

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) —  

On Jan. 28, 2022, Gen. Mike Minihan, commander of Air Mobility Command, tweeted, “Warrior Heart. No Stigma.” with a screen shot of his calendar revealing an upcoming mental health appointment, thus beginning a movement within AMC to eliminate stigma, lower barriers and increase access and options to support Airmen mind, body and craft.

It also inspired the establishment of AMC’s Warrior Mental Health working group, which focused their effort on establishing pathways to care, strengthening command teams, and reviewing where necessary, advocating for updates to mental health policy based on current standards.

In a major step forward in lowering barriers, the Air Force’s mental health waiver policy in both the Air Force’s Medical Standards Directory and Aerospace Medicine Waiver Guide has been updated to allow for Airmen to receive 60 days of treatment for mental health concerns before a return to duty waiver to fly is required. This change benefits Airmen across the Air Force seeking treatment for stress, post-traumatic stress and other mental health-related maladies.

Maj. Jane Marlow, a C-130J Super Hercules pilot and the Warrior Mental Health working group lead, was motivated by personal experience.

“Like so many of my peers, I delayed seeking care until I was in a non-flying assignment because I knew that, as a pilot, the moment I picked up the phone to schedule that appointment, I would be grounded for an indefinite period,” Marlow said. “The trauma care I went through was life changing. I knew that I was, without a doubt, a safer pilot, a better leader, and a stronger wingman because of the care I received – yet I was still required to spend months in a non-flying status because of my diagnosis.”

Thanks to Marlow, her cohort, and medical experts, that has now changed.

Prior to the updated MSD, special-duty Airmen faced significant amount of time in a non-flying status while undergoing evaluation, treatment, and mandatory stabilization periods prior to being able to submit a waiver for return to duty. These long periods could have harmful impacts on careers, including delaying upgrades, formal training, and eligibility for developmental programs and opportunities.

Now, for mental health diagnoses, there is no longer mandatory stabilization timelines. In addition, flight surgeons can submit a waiver for an Airman seeking mental health treatment to return to flying status without a waiting period.

“If you want to look at a pilot with PTSD, you’re looking at one right now,” Minihan said to his command teams during the Spring 2024 Phoenix Rally. “This policy affects me and if it affects me, it affects someone in your unit—they have it, haven’t sought help for it and suffering in silence. It is incredibly powerful work by this team to lower the barriers to mental health care for our Warrior Airmen.”

The Warrior Mental Health working group included more than 50 aircrew members, 12 aviation psychologists, a pilot physician, flight surgeons across the Joint Force, and a specialized doctor from NASA.

Two of the key contributors were Lt. Col. Sandra Salzman, C-130J pilot and Lt. Col. Carrie Lucas, AMC behavioral health branch chief.

They were warned it could take 5-10 years to achieve the policy changes they sought, but through passionate leadership and by presenting sound evidence, they inspired change within a year.

“As a pilot-physician, I have the unique opportunity to advocate to the policy-making leadership as a subject matter expert.” Salzman said, “In this capacity, I presented new considerations based on mental health medical research and operational truths. Based on these new considerations, [the working group] suggested portions of the mental health policy be amended, considering our evolving understanding of human responses to stress and development of resilience through early treatment.”

“From a mental health perspective, this precedent-setting policy change is exactly what we need and is in line with General Minihan’s charge to reduce stigma and allow for Airmen to seek help when needed,” Lucas said.

Source: United States Air Force

COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. (AFNS) —  

The auditorium was filled to capacity with instructor pilots, students and support personnel from across the 14th Flying Training Wing. The loud competing conversations were suddenly silenced by the entry of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi, as they walked onto the Kaye Auditorium stage.  

“What do we have now?” asked Allvin to the room full of Airmen. “And how do we make it as ready as possible for the potential threat that is out there?”  

Allvin and Flosi visited Columbus Air Force Base on April 25-26 to meet with Airmen and discuss their vision of tomorrow’s Air Force.   

 

During an all-call, Allvin and Flosi addressed great power competition and the importance of a rapid mobile networked response to emerging threats while capitalizing on the effectiveness of existing resources.  

“We have to change our mindset of how we’re optimizing in this era of great power competition,” Allvin said.  

Allvin then opened the floor to Airmen to share their areas of focus for mission readiness, quality of life and advancements in training.  

Allvin and Flosi were asked how the Air Force can target areas for improvement while executing the new vision of reoptimization.   

 

“There are always things we can improve,” Flosi said. “We want to re-instill a warrior ethos and a sense of purpose. We are asking leaders across the Air Force to look at ways to articulate the ‘why.’ What does it mean to be an Airman in the Profession of Arms?”  

Columbus Airmen contribute daily to the strategic importance of agile combat employment through the production of new pilots and deployment ready forces.   

“Find ways to make us more lethal and ready today,” Flosi said. “The time is now.”  

Through innovations in training such as the Fighter/Bomber Fundamentals course, Task Force 14, mid-tier device simulators and joint exercise training for the 14th Medical Group and 14th Security Forces Squadron with local, state and federal agencies, the 14th FTW is able to produce mission ready Airmen as envisioned by the principals of agile combat employment.   

“We have to start moving forward and adjust on the fly,” Allvin said. “The pace of change is something we need to remind ourselves that we need to stay on the cutting edge of, because whoever can adapt to that fastest will win.” 

 

Source: United States Air Force

HENDERSON, Nev. (AFNS) —  

Lt. Gen. Michael Loh, Air National Guard director, and Chief Master Sgt. Maurice Williams, Air National Guard command chief, hosted ANG senior leaders and commanders from around the nation for the Wing Leader Conference in Henderson, April 24-25.

Wing Leader Conference is an annual event bringing together leaders assigned to each of the 90 wings across 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia to collaborate ideas and provide input on critical matters affecting the future of the ANG amidst an era of Great Power Competition.

“I continue, as all of you need to continue to talk about, the value proposition of your Air National Guard. It isn’t just about costs. It’s everything we bring to the fight. It’s everything we bring to our communities. It’s everything your Airmen do to come together to build a diverse, more experienced, more powerful institution.” Air National Guard Director Lt. Gen. Michael Loh

This year’s conference, themed “A Time of Consequence — Building Forces Ready for Great Power Competition,” emphasized that to maintain ready forces capable of meeting today’s pacing challenges, ANG leaders must implement change to effectively deter conflict and win should deterrence fail.

“We’re gonna win because of the teammates we have and we’re gonna win because of the professionals that exist in all the ranks and I don’t lose a bit of sleep over that,” said Gen. Mike Minihan, commander of Air Mobility Command. “There’s no Air Mobility Command without the Air National Guard. That will always be and I’m grateful for that partnership.”

The conference allowed senior leaders to evaluate readiness through the lens of GPC and how to better support and serve the National Guard’s 108,300 Airmen.

“Based on the threats we have today, we have no other choice we must change,” Williams explained. “We are charting a path that requires a change that we need. But the key will be will we be committed to those changes.”

While conference topics included implementing major changes centered on developing people, generating readiness, projecting power, and developing integrated capabilities, conversations boiled down to one thing — the need to move forward with a sense of urgency to ensure the force is ready for GPC.

“The threat is real, and the time is now we are at a reckoning point to ensure that we either maintain or re-establish ourselves as the best air force in the world,” said Maj. Gen. Mark Piper, National Guard Bureau senior leader management director. “You want the personification of ‘adapt or die territory.’ This is it.”

Piper explained that the change required to confront this strategic environment will require ruthless prioritization and hard decisions.

“Many different things can put doubt in our minds,” Williams said. “That doubt can be a lack of resources, lack of people, or lack of time, but only the strong will make a decision regardless of the obstacles and challenges. This is the mindset we need to have for what’s ahead because there are Airmen waiting to follow your direction behind you.”

In addition to the ANG’s senior leaders from across the nation, the event invited their spouses to provide feedback on the issues ANG families face and how they can help Airmen re-optimize for GPC.

“Spouses contribute significantly to our ability to maintain a joint force that is resilient, sustainable, agile and responsive,” said Brig. Gen. Troy Havener, Nevada National Guard assistant adjutant general – air, during a discussion on the role spouses will play in GPC. “That’s essential if we’re to exceed in competition so that we don’t have to go into crisis or conflict.”

Loh added that military spouses play a key role in maintaining force readiness because they understand the most how to take care of their service members. Their invaluable input is essential in ensuring the ANG remains ready today and stronger tomorrow.

“I want to thank you all, especially the spouses, for traveling out here,” said Dianne Loh. “I can’t thank you enough from the bottom of our hearts for everything you’re doing to support our Air National Guard. So, as we’re in that sunset, we know you guys are the sunrise. So please, please continue all your hard work and your success and thank you for doing what you guys do and making the Air Guard the best out there.”

As Lt. Gen. Loh approaches the end of his tenure as director, he expressed his gratitude to those who empower the ANG.

“As I get off the stage as your thirteenth ANG director, I want to say thank you,” Loh said. “It’s been a privilege of a lifetime, but it is all about the families allowing us to do that.”

Lt. Gen. Loh said the ANG will maintain the speed and agility required to meet the challenges of this era by achieving a more competitive posture focused on generating readiness, projecting power, and developing people and integrated capabilities.

“When we’re in sync, we’re very, very powerful,” Loh said. “It goes back to the value proposition. So, continue to engage and let’s continue to work together to make a stronger Air Force and a much stronger Air National Guard.”

Source: United States Air Force

DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) —  

Source: United States Air Force

JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. (AFNS) —  

Joint Base Charleston welcomed Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, his wife Mrs. Gina Allvin, and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi April 26.

Gen. Allvin and Flosi hosted an all-call with Airmen, emphasizing the urgent need for reoptimization of forces to effectively confront Great Power Competition, while Mrs. Allvin hosted a luncheon for the spouses of squadron, group and wing commanders, focused on support for families within the base community.

During the all-call, Gen. Allvin and Flosi connected the sweeping changes recently announced by the Department of the Air Force to his April 15 “Follow Through” letter to Airmen.

He highlighted how these initiatives are crucial to continued air operations and aligned with his commitment to transform the Air Force in response to emerging global threats.

“We’re not moving fast enough,” Gen. Allvin said. “Right now, we do not have the things we need. We want to stick to where the punch is going to be, not where it is.”

Allvin discussed the four focus areas of reoptimization: developing people, generating readiness, projecting power and developing capabilities. He highlighted initiatives like consolidating force development functions, expanding technical tracks for officers and enlisted Airmen, and integrating no-notice operational readiness assessments.

Throughout the all-call, Gen. Allvin stressed the need for a unified approach to modernization and readiness.

“It’s not optional,” he said. “We’re in a time of consequence, where the actions we’re taking now are going to ripple into the future. That’s what reoptimization is all about.”

Flosi underscored the significance of mission command, advocating for leaders who can skillfully and effectively execute the mission independently.

“We need leaders who are highly qualified and operationally competent,” Flosi said. “We need leaders who clearly understand the commander’s intent and can execute their assigned mission with very little detail and information.”

Throughout the all-call, Gen. Allvin and Flosi stressed the need for a unified approach to modernization and readiness. They ended their presentation with a note of gratitude for JB Charleston’s daily execution of the mission.

“I want to say thank you,” Gen. Allvin said. “When you see all the things that are happening in the world, I see how fast the mobility community picks up and goes, and makes it happen.”

“While we are talking about the future, I don’t want you to think that’s at the expense of underappreciating what you do,” Gen. Allvin said. “We look to your team to be able to answer the call. You do it in an amazing way and continue to perform in an excellent manner, and I can’t thank you enough for that.”