Category: Defense Intelligence

Source: United States Air Force

IRWINDALE, Calif. (AFNS) —  

It wasn’t just any other day in beautiful Southern California. A sunny, picturesque day with temperatures in the low 80s. If you didn’t know any better, you would have thought that a fog had rolled in just as the festivities had begun. But no, that smoke accompanied by the distinct scent of burnt rubber is exactly why thousands of fans congregated together at the Irwindale Speedway; it was race day.

Motorsport fans traveled from all over to attend the Formula Drift event, Oct. 14. U.S. Air Force recruiters with the 369th Recruiting Squadron, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves spent the morning showing the F-16 Fighting Falcon static display that sat to the left of the hangar, an interactive recruiting asset that allows the public to try their hand at three Air Force specialties; aircraft maintenance, metal fabrication and a virtual reality simulation of in-flight refueling operations. The recruiting setup drew attention from a variety of patrons, but it isn’t every day when the Air Force’s highest enlisted leader pays a visit.

Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass’ first stop of the day was spent meeting recruiters who were supporting the event, where she had the opportunity to recognize a few Airmen who had been identified by 369th RCS leadership as superior performers.

“These three individuals have really embraced the challenges that we have faced in the Air Force Recruiting Service this year,” said Chief Master Sgt. Jeff Kelloway, 369th RCS senior enlisted leader. “They have really strived to master their craft and improve their skills, and really have exceeded on all fronts this year despite those challenges; we couldn’t be more impressed with their actions and what they have accomplished.”

Tech. Sgt. Aaron Munoz-Case, one of the three recruiters recognized, was celebrated by his leadership for his initiative to lean into utilizing social media to reach a wider audience, something that Bass shared that she can relate to. Munoz-Case said he was excited to meet a senior leader who understands the value of social media as a communication platform.

“I really appreciate that she recognizes the need for Air Force recruiters and leaders to have a digital footprint,” Munoz-Case said. “I think it helps us reach potential applicants from all walks of life and allows us to connect with communities who may not know what being an Airman is all about.”

Munoz-Case said that her recognition motivated him but he was especially inspired after she joined their team to interact with Formula Drift patrons.

Bass spent time sharing her Air Force story and conversing with several of the motorsports fans who took the time to stop in and experience the recruiting booth. After talking with several potential future Airmen, Bass was in for a thrill as she continued to her next stop of the day’s events.

Bass met with Amanda Sorensen, AFRS-sponsored driver, who daringly invited her to join in a joyride in the Air Force-branded, high-performance stock car. Sorensen showcased her professional driving abilities by expertly balancing speed and control while drifting around the track, filling the stadium with the smoke and aroma of burnt rubber. Sorensen exited the track to drive Bass to meet her brother, Branden, who is also an AFRS-sponsored Formula Drift driver, at the recruiting booth where the trio met fans and signed autographs.

“I couldn’t be more excited about the partnership that the Air Force has with Team Sorensen, I think between that partnership and events like this, it allows us to connect with a diverse demographic of people from all ages and economic backgrounds, and that is important to our Air Force.” Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass

Among the fans in the crowd were an especially proud group of soon-to-be Airmen and their families. Bass took a moment to personally congratulate the young men and women who were minutes away from reciting the oath of enlistment on the track during the evening’s opening ceremony.

Following the opening ceremony, the crowd roared with a combination of praise for the patriotic introduction and excitement for the day’s main event. Bass finished the evening enjoying the Formula Drift event, but she spent the day experiencing something uniquely special. Bass witnessed two key moments in the recruiting process; an applicant’s introduction to the Air Force and the recruit’s reciting the oath that every enlisted service member, past, present and future decrees to gain admittance into the armed services.

“It was really inspiring to get to spend time with our recruiters who are out there looking for the next generation of Airmen,” Bass said. “I particularly enjoyed having the opportunity to meet some of their recruits and hear their ‘why’ before watching those 18 young men and women raise their right hands and make that commitment in front of 45,000 fans. It’s a reminder to everyone of what makes us the world’s greatest Air Force.”

Source: United States Air Force

WILL ROGERS AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Okla. (AFNS) —  

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass saw firsthand how Airmen with the 137th Special Operations Wing set the Oklahoma Standard across the force during a visit Oct. 12.

She encouraged every service member she met to understand the “why” of the Air Force’s prioritization of learning multiple skill sets and becoming multi-capable Airmen, noting that the wing had leaned into the concept through its mission sustainment team.

“I hope you appreciate learning this skill set that we hopefully will never have to tap into,” Bass said. “We are more focused on reoptimization than we ever have been before. How do we reoptimize what the Air Force looks like to do the number one thing we are supposed to: defend our nation?”

She noted that the variety of civilian and military experience of Air National Guardsmen makes them ready-made to be formed into small mission teams, whether someone is a power production specialist in the Guard and a mechanic as a civilian, or a fireman in the Guard and a carpenter as a civilian.

Staff Sgt. Anthony Hill, 137th SOW Mission Sustainment Team, or MST, member, is a civil engineer Airman and policy analyst for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma as a civilian. He encountered the MCA concept during a previous deployment to Africa where they did not have the equipment and training needed to rapidly establish a base for austere operations.

“The tent systems we were setting up were more difficult and heavier in design, it took a longer time to train individuals and assemble units with those different levels of experience and they required a dedicated power grid,” he said. “The tent systems that are now part of our MST deployment package would have made a huge difference in sustaining the mission in that expeditionary environment.”

Discovering how to better equip Airmen for expedient operations in locations with limited resources has been the focus of the MST since its inception. A photo of the MST’s preliminary training activity was featured in the U.S. Air Force “Profession of Arms” as it calls for Airmen to serve in whatever form is needed to get the mission accomplished while meeting the expected standard of excellence.

“Our number one job is to deter. If deterrence does not succeed, we will make sure that we are able to compete and win. We are not fighting conflicts that we have before. We have to optimize ourselves in the information, space and cyber domains because if you lose in those things, you lose – period.” Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass

Airmen with the 137th Special Operations Group have developed equipment to be compatible with an expeditionary warfare environment. On the tour, Bass encountered the mobile processing, exploitation and dissemination center, which was built to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations in austere locations.

“We were the first to develop this package,” said Tech. Sgt. Stephen Rosebrook, 285th Special Operations Intelligence Squadron, Oklahoma National Guard. “We have since trained active-duty special operations squadrons as well as partner nation forces.”

The 137th SOW mission is to provide forces organized, trained and equipped to support combatant commanders across the spectrum of conflict. Ensuring its citizen air commandos are prepared to deploy to the fight together anytime, anywhere, is a focus of the wing.

“We have got to reprioritze and reoptimize to make sure that we can continue deterring,” Bass said. “It is not our job to predict when challenges and crises and conflict will come, but it is our job to be ready today for anything.”

Source: United States Air Force

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —  

Department of the Air Force’s Report to Congressional Committees, Comprehensive Strategy for the Space Force, dated August 2023, was published on the SpaceForce.mil Space Force Policy page for public review Oct. 13. A link to the document is available here.

Source: United States Air Force

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (AFNS) —  

In this week’s look around the Air Force, a new training aircraft is being put through its paces, the Department of the Air Force focuses on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility at a special conference, and crews from Global Strike and Air Combat Command come together to learn about hypersonic weapons. (Hosted by Tech. Sgt. Eric Mann)

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For previous episodes, click here for the Air Force TV page.