General impressed with Airman, Soldier synergy at Fort Hood

  • Published
  • By Andrew Evans
  • III Corps Public Affairs
FORT HOOD, Texas (AFNS) --  The commander of Air Combat Command visited Fort Hood in early October to visit the Airmen of the 3rd Air Support Operations Group here who provide tactical air support for Fort Hood's ground troops, including the 1st Cavalry Division, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the 4th Infantry Division, now based in Colorado.

To the foes who wish us harm, we're bringing a talented team to the fight, Gen. William M. Fraser III said.

Composed of nearly 500 Air Force people, units assigned to the 3rd ASOG include the 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th and 712th Air Support Operations Squadrons, and the 3rd Weather Squadron. They liaise between the air and ground forces, providing mission critical information, coordinating fire support and other services.

Faced with an unexpectedly protracted conflict over ideological differences with militant extremists, the Army continues to restructure itself for sustained operations and build modularized units with a large and diverse compliment of capabilities.

The Army must be more agile, sustainable, lethal and skilled enough to operate under a wide range of conditions. Also, it must finish its transition into a more versatile force, leaving behind the Cold War mentality of the past, said Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr.

The Air Force has evolved as well, General Fraser said.

"Today's Air Force looks nothing like the Air Force of the 1970s, and that's a good thing," he said. 

General Fraser, recently the Air Force vice chief of staff, is responsible for maintaining combat-ready forces and ensuring the nation's air defense apparatus. Headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Va., ACC officials operate more than 1,200 aircraft, 27 wings, 17 bases and more than 200 operating locations worldwide with 105,000 active-duty and civilian personnel.

The general viewed an ongoing tabletop exercise, and spoke about the expanded and ever-evolving role of the Air Force as the aerial warriors further merge and perfect their capabilities within the mission of their ground-based counterparts.

Back in 1991, Operation Desert Storm was practically a textbook example of how the U.S. military can fully exercise its entire arsenal in a joint-service coordinated fashion.

Having experienced several joint-service tours, General Fraser said he is continually impressed with the effort of Airmen who are directly supporting Army operations.

"I have never sensed an 'us against them' mentality. It is truly a team effort," he said. "The Airmen here will continue to lean forward. To come here and see them in action is truly impressive."

With combat operations escalating in Afghanistan against resurgent Taliban fighters, the Air Force component will continue to be fully engaged, General Fraser said.

"We are doing everything we can over there to support the troops," he said. "We can provide a lot of capabilities, both on the ground and in the air. Whether providing strike capabilities or overwatch or intelligence communication, we are doing everything we can to ensure the joint team is successful."

With increased unmanned aircraft system capabilities and usage, General Fraser predicts the roles of Airmen from the 3rd ASOG will continue to evolve as different capabilities are instituted servicewide.

"There will always be a need for Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines. That will never change," General Fraser said. "As we bring more capabilities on board, then the nature of the way we execute will continue to evolve. Since I've been in (the Air Force), the changes that have occurred have allowed us to continue to defend this great nation."

General Fraser was complimentary about the relationship between the Airmen and Soldiers here.

"I'm hearing nothing but wonderful things from the Airmen and those Soldiers I've had the opportunity to talk with," he said. "We all understand and respect each other. It is a total team effort."

General Fraser toured the various Air Force units on post and also spoke with many spouses, receiving positive feedback.

With the families being well-cared for, Airmen can attend to wartime tasks.

At some point, their role in Afghanistan will transition into a training force, aiding the fledgling militaries of Afghanistan and enabling them to build their defense capabilities, General Fraser said.

"This is no different from the Army's training and assist role," he explained.

General Fraser said he was encouraged to see the teamwork between the Air Force and the Army.

"We will succeed," he said.