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Communication is key!

  • Published
  • By Col. David Almand
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing commander
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  It is clear that no matter what we do, or how many times we do it, and no matter what rank we wear, communication is critical to our success! And, as you may have noticed, oftentimes those messages are repeated so that the information "sticks."

For instance, we just hosted the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, (referred to as SEAC), Marine Sgt. Maj. Bryan Battaglia, who spoke to us about the priorities the Chairman has outlined for its military members. It is a daunting task to ensure these priorities are communicated from the highest levels of our military all the way to our most junior Airman.

Following SEAC Battaglia's visit, this is a great time to ensure our collective awareness of the four priorities the CJCS, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, outlined in his "Strategic Direction to the Joint Force" from this past spring:

· Achieve our national objectives in our current conflicts: Even though we are transitioning in mission and manpower, we must stay vigilant to prevent and mitigate attacks against us from all sources. While our nation continues to transition security in Afghanistan to their national security forces, we also have a role in preventing and mitigating the impact of cyber attacks. We do that by being aware, establishing an active defense and providing responsible offensive capabilities. That hits home to us right here because our wing has a critical support role in ensuring safe and secure communications for our higher headquarters and tenant partners.

· Develop Joint Force 2020: This is the effort to keep our military the best it can be--even in a period of fiscal restraint. We seek to increase the interdependence between the services and aim for a versatile, responsive and decisive Joint Force that is also affordable. Joint Force 2020 must be prepared for a security environment that is increasingly competitive.

· Renew our commitment to the profession of arms: We answer our nation's call ... willingly ... voluntarily. The SEAC spoke about the need to focus on our Professional Military Education efforts, to recruit talented young men and women, and embrace our teammates in the joint environment. One of the ways we do that is by reviewing our oath to support and defend the constitution of the United States. We are indeed one of the few organizations where we raise our hand to the square and swear an oath of allegiance and faithfulness. It will do us well to remember what we promised to do.

· Keep faith with our military family: This means understanding and recognizing our family's contributions and sacrifices. We need to focus on issues that are challenging some of our families such as mental health issues, substance abuse, and domestic violence. Investing in programs and ways to meet these needs will help us continue to maintain our ready force.

The "Chairman's Strategic Vision for the Joint Force" explains these concepts in more detail, and it was great to hear about our progress in these areas from SEAC Battaglia this week. He travels the globe speaking to our military members about this direction, and, in turn, gathers feedback directly for General Dempsey. We were honored to have him with us, and I urge leadership--and Airmen--at every level to review these messages, which can be found right on the homepage of the Chairman's website at www.cjs.mil.

375th AMW mission, vision

In addition to knowing and understanding the Chairman's Strategic Direction, there is a newly updated mission and vision statement for the 375th Air Mobility Wing that I ask each of us to learn, understand and share it with others in our workplaces. These key statements, developed by your leadership team define our purpose (mission) and our future (vision).

375 Mission: Enable Team Scott mission execution, provide mission ready Airmen and capabilities, develop and care for Airmen and their families, while fostering base and community partnerships.

375 Vision: Be the Air Force's premier mission execution and support platform. We will streamline operations, integrate with mission and community partners, and modernize capabilities and infrastructure; achieving success by training and developing Airmen with the highest professional standards grounded in a culture of integrity, service and excellence.

Our mission and vision provide focus for our daily efforts and provide a clear way ahead for our planning. Our statements align with Air Mobility Command and 18th Air Force's mission and vision and show us how we fit into the bigger picture.

As we read them, I'd like us to focus on the action verbs: enable, provide, develop and foster. Those are the things we do each day for Team Scott and for our nation. To make our vision a reality our objectives are to streamline, transform, integrate, train and develop, while staying grounded in a professional Airman culture.

In the coming weeks, we'll be "repeating" these messages and looking to discuss them with you to ensure everyone, at every level, understands what the mighty "3-7-5" is all about. Please help me in this effort. To get started, please post the mission and vision statements in your work centers and then have a meaningful discussion about how your team is represented and the work you do now or can initiate to further support the mission ... and vision! Let's get the word out so we are all focused on enable, provide, develop and foster!