ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Since being selected as the command chief, I have been routinely asked about my focus areas for the enlisted force. At first, I was a little hesitant to establish focus areas because our priorities of prioritizing strategic depth while accelerating readiness, developing resilient leaders and reforming the organization have been clearly defined by our commander, Lt. Gen. Scobee.
In addition, our priorities directly aligned with the strategy and priorities of the National Defense Strategy, the Air Force, the chief of staff and the chief master sergeant of the Air Force.
After careful consideration, I have established three individual lines of effort that should help us meet our strategic priorities. Here they are:
Line of Effort 1- Comprehensive Readiness. Readiness is primarily measured in terms of personnel and equipment. Comprehensive readiness, or Readiness 360, focuses on the whole Airman and all the things Airmen worry about while downrange.
Comprehensive readiness includes, but is not limited to, family support services, peer support, employer relations, childcare, physical and mental health, and financial stability. Providing full-spectrum readiness for Airmen in garrison will accelerate readiness for Airmen before they deploy.
Line of Effort 2 – Deliberate Talent Management. We are standing up a senior enlisted leader management group at the Pentagon that will help mentor, develop and guide career paths for senior enlisted personnel with command chief master sergeant (9E100), group superintendent (9G100) and key developmental senior enlisted position (9D100) identifiers.
This top-down approach will ensure we have senior enlisted leaders with the strategic mindset, experience and emotional intelligence to lead at all levels. This leadership-by-design, not by-default, approach will provide our organization with resilient leaders to compete and win in any environment.
Line of Effort 3 – Organizational Trust. Restoring a culture of trust remains a top priority for Lt. Gen. Scobee and me. We have to have organizational trust to attract and retain the talented Reserve Citizen Airmen who are combat credible and always ready to answer our nation’s call.
We are committed to excellence and devoted to reducing bureaucracy, removing barriers and placing the correct faces in spaces to improve organizational behavior and performance.
With your help, we have made significant gains in the medical community and are currently devoting our time, energy and resources into the personnel and financial management areas. Trustworthy leadership that is transformational and not transactional will foster an environment where organizational trust and purpose-driven collaboration can thrive.
You will hear more about these lines of effort in the future. In the meantime, I would like to hear your thoughts at afrc.ccc@us.af.mil.
It’s an honor and privilege serving as your command chief!