CMSAF Roy visits Scott Airmen Published Oct. 16, 2009 By Airman 1st Class Amber Kelly-Herard 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) -- The 16th chief master sergeant of the Air Force visited Scott Air Force Base Oct. 15 and 16 to speak to the enlisted force here and to participate in a conference along with two former CMSAFs. Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Roy learned how Airmen at Scott AFB enable combat power and answered questions from Airmen about various Air Force issues. During an enlisted call, he told the Airmen, "You are part of the best Air Force in the world and the best Airmen in the world, mostly because you have core values and you live by them. You also have exceptional technical and professional training. Now we need to focus on the needs of the Airmen 15 years from now, or everything in the military will remain the same." He said one of the first area's he focused on is training. Whether it is on-the-job training or training for deployments, "everybody needs to do their training because that is what makes the Air Force great." The chief said he recognized how tough it is for Airmen to balance ancillary training, additional duties and their primary duties. "I do see a need for unit deployment manager or installation deployment officer training," he said. "The solution is coming in the form of a class at McGuire AFB, N.J.; but it will take time. Additionally, he said he wants to see more joint and coalition training. "We fight with them, so why not train with them," the chief asked. "We can also learn about their culture, which leads to development." The chief said professional military education is also an important aspect of development. "We must complete it on time to keep our force strong," he said. Keeping our force strong also includes promoting the right NCOs to the next tier. The chief said a promotion board for master sergeant is on the radar. "We don't want to promote the wrong people, but it comes with a cost to spend time looking at every potential master sergeant," he said. He also addressed compliance issues and touched on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some of the 330,000 Airmen perform one year in the area of operations supporting the war followed by a year dwelling at their home station and then return to the fight. In addition, with the latest stand-ups of Air Force Global Strike Command and 24th Air Force under Air Force Space Command missions and the people needed to execute them will not be slowing down anytime soon. A higher operations tempo requires Airmen to be physically fit. The chief said the new physical fitness test will keep everyone fit to fight. "We were the only service with one test a year, and are the only service without a weight restriction," he said. "Health care is expensive and people who are physically fit do not have as many illnesses." Chief Roy also addressed how it is the Airmen's responsibility to keep current evaluation system credible. "Evaluations are an enlisted business, so do the right thing and rate the way the Airmen should be rated," he said. "Provide feedback and rate supervisors on their role as the supervisor. The framework is all there, but it is up to you to do the right thing." The chief mentioned uniforms items still to come for Airmen including industrial boots for those who work in industrial fields, a lightweight Airman battle uniform jacket and fire-resistant ABUs for firefighters. Chief Roy thanked Scott AFB Airmen for what they do each day to make our Air Force the best in the world. "Your work does not go unnoticed," he said. "Also go home and tell your spouses that you appreciate them and the sacrifices they make." While on his visit, Chief Roy held various panels with first sergeants, Airmen and other chiefs, including command chiefs. He joined former Chief Master Sgts. of the Air Force Sam E. Parish and Jim Finch on a panel discussion during an Air Mobility Command Professional Development Conference. Chief Parish served as the chief master sergeant of the Air Force from 1983 to 1986 and Chief Finch served from 1999 to 2002. Chief Roy also toured the Air Force Network Integration Center, AMC, the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center, the Enlisted Professional Enhancement Center, U.S. Transportation Command and the Global Reach Planning Center. He is the first chief master sergeant of the Air Force to come from a combatant command.