Scott AFB commander outlines vision for AMC’s ‘Flagship’ Wing

Published Dec. 7, 2023
By 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --

Since taking command of the 375th Air Mobility Wing in July, Col. John Poole has spent time working with his leadership team, evaluating the health of the wing to determine how to make the wing stronger.

He has since sent a report to higher headquarters affirming that the wing is “combat ready” and able to accomplish its mission to “Execute Rapid Global Mobility” for Air Mobility Command and the Air Force.

Along with this assessment, are a few improvement areas that he has charged his team with. The Air Force calls these mission priorities “Lines of Efforts,” or LOEs, which allow an organization to outline and drill down into what areas need continued steady-state work and other areas that may have room for improvement.

Poole outlined these LOEs, which are “Operate the Flagship,” “Project Forces Forward,” and “Seize Competitive Advantage” during a commander’s call Dec. 6, 2023, on Scott Air Force Base.

man speaks to a crowd. — Scott AFB commander outlines vision for AMC's 'Flagship' Wing

U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Shawn Andrews, 375th Air Mobility Wing command chief, speaks during an all-call on Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, Dec. 6, 2023. Andrews shared insights on the 375th AMW's Lines of Effort, aimed at securing mission assurance for critical installation functions on Scott Air Force Base. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mark Sulaica)

SLIDESHOW | images | Scott AFB commander outlines vision for AMC's 'Flagship' Wing

A crowd sits in chairs while listening to people speak. — Scott AFB commander outlines vision for AMC's 'Flagship' Wing

Members from the 375th Air Mobility Wing listen to Col. John Poole, 375th AMW commander during an all-call on Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, Dec. 6, 2023. Poole announced the 375th AMW's new Lines of Effort to lead the wing and provide vital support to global missions for Air Mobility Command and Air Force leaders. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mark Sulaica)

SLIDESHOW | images | Scott AFB commander outlines vision for AMC's 'Flagship' Wing

“The Air Force has global missions, operating 24/7,” said Poole. “We are not only an air mobility hub, our base is the platform for the command and control of the global mobility enterprise, and regardless of the circumstances, we have to continue operations, we have to keep the power running and we have to keep the comms connected—we have to keep the flagship in the fight.”

Operate the Flagship means to provide mission assurance of critical installation functions for the global mobility enterprise and cyber missions, regardless of conditions. Under this umbrella of focus will be:

advance the installation as a global power projection platform;
continue efforts to develop ready Airmen and families;
expand the resilience of the installation’s infrastructure; and
enhance base security with optimized automation.

As the wing focuses on its readiness mission under the Project Forces Forward LOE, the team will specifically work on:

posturing to execute all taskings from higher headquarters;
institutionalizing mission command and distributed operations;
priming the flow of forces from the east-west hubs; and
maximizing the use of drones and technology in everyday operations.

When it comes to Seize Competitive Advantage, the wing cultivates and exploits opportunities to drive the future. This involves the following focus areas:

developing an aeromedical evacuation battle lab to evolve capability and capacity;
instilling a warrior culture to unleash human performance;
shaping the “Total Force Integration” concepts and future development; and
institutionalizing the innovation pipeline.

The command chief for the wing, Chief Master Sgt. Shawn Andrews, has already been working to socialize these LOEs with Airmen in the wing via a podcast-style video series called “Taste Budz.” This series has the chief talking with various Airmen about topics of interest, the first one focusing on instilling a “warrior spirit” and in line with the Seize Competitive Advantage LOE.

“If you’re wondering if this is just some other copy and paste thing the Air Force has dreamt up, I can tell you that this is real,” said Andrews. “It’s about whether our Airmen just see this job as a 9-5 experience, or are in tune and creating a warrior spirit as they serve. It will be the Airmen who contribute most to making this happen. As leaders, our job is to set the conditions that are right for empowerment and action, and the Airmen will be the ones to make it happen both in a deployed environment and also at the home station.”

These LOEs will bring the wing to a desired end state that will provide AMC and Air Force leaders with critical support to their global missions, prove that the wing is combat effective and ensures it cultivates and exploits opportunities to drive the future.

“The 375th Air Mobility Wing exists for one reason only, and that's to fight and win for our nation–to deliver victory,” summarized Poole.