SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --
Air
Force officials have been working for some time to reduce the active-duty end
strength, as well as creating initiatives focused on balancing and reshaping
the entire force.
Add
this to the recent extension of our basic military training (CAPSTONE) and soon
a new Enlisted Performance Rating system, and it becomes obvious the Air Force
is in a state of change. So how are Airmen supposed to operate during this time
of transformation?
The
answer is simple: stay focused on the mission.
Your
leadership is continuing to work to balance deployment times, capture end
strength numbers and help stressed ISR and RPA career fields. Within the Air Force Reserve and Air National
Guard, we are also studying the right balance between transformational missions
and new mission sets that were previously active duty-centric, and how they can
be transferred to our AFR and ANG brethren.
While
our leaders create our strategic plan, all the Air Force asks of you is that
you come to work with a positive attitude and do the best job you can. This
includes looking at innovative ways to streamline your process, and maximize
value and minimize waste in your operation.
It
also means understanding that your part in the mission may change, and instead
of being skillful in one AFSC, you may find yourself becoming a “specialist,”
developing expert knowledge in various fields. And most importantly, it means
ensuring those you supervise have the resources and training needed to get the
job done safely.
Though
change is all around us, your focus should remain the same: handling each and
every task brought before you with lethal efficiency. By keeping this mindset,
we remain the best in the world at what we do … dominating Air and Space from 1
inch above the ground to 1000 miles above the earth.