CMSAF visits deployed Airmen in Southwest Asia

SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James A. Roy spoke with and visited deployed servicemembers at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, during his first U.S. Central Command area of responsibility tour as the service's top enlisted leader.

During various discussions with 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Airmen, to include an enlisted call attended by a packed theater, the chief focused on specific topics most relevant to enlisted servicemembers.

One of the topics he discussed was the importance of training and education, both off-duty and professional military education.

"We are the Air Force we are today because of the training that was afforded to us," said Chief Roy. "This is why I am committed to making sure Airmen get all of the training they need and more; it is better to have extra training and not need it then need it and not have had it."

He said getting an off-base education is important because it can help create a better quality of life for Airmen and their families. In addition, the Air Force benefits from it as well.

He encouraged Airmen to take advantage of the Community College of the Air Force, especially since the Air Force is the only service with this program. He also highlighted the Air University's Associate-to-Baccalaureate Cooperative at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. The program was developed by Air University and allows Airmen to turn a CCAF degree into a bachelor's degree from an accredited university. As part of this partnership, participating schools and universities will accept all of the credits earned by Airmen who have attained a CCAF degree and apply them to a bachelor's degree related to their Air Force specialty.

The chief said PME is an important aspect of developing strong NCO leadership. He said Airman Leadership School is very important, but because there is roughly a 10-year gap between ALS and the NCO Academy, some of those leadership skills do not get finely tuned like they should.

"It is our goal to fill that gap, which is why we have changed the policy where master sergeants must attend the Senior NCO Academy before they can sew on senior; we are attempting to provide Airmen training earlier in their careers," Chief Roy said. "We rely upon our first-line supervisors very heavily, so we are also trying to push the NCO Academy down so those Airmen will have taken this course before they achieve on the rank of technical sergeant."

While speaking on education, Chief Roy also shared the importance of training with joint and coalition forces. He said the goal is to expand NCOs' knowledge of joint and coalition competencies, while broadening their understanding of their strategic and operational requirements.

"Because we are working more and more in joint and coalition environments, enlisted leaders of the future must be well-versed in joint and coalition operations," Chief Roy said.

To accomplish this, he encouraged Senior NCOs to take the online joint correspondence course, which was created to provide SNCOs joint training so they can quickly integrate and effectively contribute in a joint environment.

To be well trained and work in coalition environments, the chief said that Airmen need to be able to attend coalition forces PME schools. The AF is also looking to use the attendance of coalition courses to drive assignments, such as attending a Canadian PME school and then being assigned to a Canadian embassy.

Training and education are important topics on the senior leader's agenda; however, just as imperative is the health and wellness of the more than 260,000 active-duty enlisted personnel under Chief Roy's direction. He spoke about the new physical training test and the intended results the Air Force is seeking by increasing the minimum standards as well as the frequency of the PT test.

"We need to have a much more physically fit force, across the board," Chief Roy said. "We want Airmen to focus on the entire element of PT and not just focus on part of it. Physical conditioning has a lot of elements to it, it is not just aerobic and it is not just building muscle strength, it's a combination of both. Overall, it is about the conditioning of our Airmen to be fit to fight."

Chief Roy said that he doesn't believe the standards are that much tougher. They were, instead, adjusted to be more aerobic.

"Our weight management program has been incorporated into physical training," Chief Roy said, "which is why there are more points associated with the weight and waist standard; it is also why minimum standards were established. In the past, there wasn't a lot of incentive to go from a 40-inch waist to a 36-inch waist because it was just a matter of points. We need to take care of our Airmen and medical research has shown that people with a waist over 40 inches are much more likely to have cardiac problems. Again, we need to be fit to fight."

The chief wrapped up his visit with the following comments to all deployed Airmen serving in support of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom: "I am here because as your Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, I need to know what is going on in the AOR in order to represent you. I appreciate all your hard work and all that you endure on a day-to-day basis. On behalf of the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force, thank you and we thank your families for their sacrifices as well."