AF personnel leaders focus on Airmen, modernization

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Amaani Lyle
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  As mission requirements continue to grow, Air Force personnel leaders said before the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee in Washington March 17 that the service will refine priorities to win today's fight and prepare for tomorrow's challenges.
 
The Honorable Craig Duehring, assistant Secretary of the Air Force, manpower and Reserve affairs, and Lt. Gen. Richard Y. Newton III, the deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel, said Airmen remain fully engaged in global joint operations and stand prepared for rapid response to "asymmetric as well as conventional conflicts" despite operations tempo hurdles. 

Mr. Duehring and General Newton said the four major personnel focus areas are: 
-- Developing and caring for Airmen and their families 
-- Reinvigorating the Air Force nuclear enterprise 
-- Partnering with the joint and coalition team to win today's fight 
-- Modernizing air and space inventories 

"I started in the Air Force a long time ago ... and my Air Force has changed quite a bit," Mr. Duehring, a 28-year veteran, testified. "Our nation is evolving as we find greater and smarter talent, but we need to constantly provide trained, well-qualified personnel to continue the fight in the global war on terrorism -- we must reduce the stress on Airmen and their families who bear the brunt of repeated operational rotations." 

General Newton said the Air Force has responded to the increased operations tempo by employing a variety of screening tools to monitor Airmen's health, addressing psychological issues and providing early intervention where required. 

"All Airmen are screened for mental health concerns upon accession and annually via the Preventative Health Assessment," General Newton said. "Additionally, those who deploy complete a Post Deployment Health Assessment at the time they leave theater, with a reassessment at 90 to 180 days following their return." 

The general added that the assessments are part of a comprehensive program to identify and treat Airmen -- particularly security forces, explosive ordnance disposal crews, medics, and imbedded or high-rotation personnel -- exposed to trauma in theater. 

Mr. Duehring and General Newton pledged active participation in Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs programs to care for wounded warriors and their families. 

General Newton added that Air Force members' health and wellness is critical to meeting joint and coalition expeditionary tasking requirements. Personnel data indicated the Air Force has approximately 35,000 active duty, Guard and Reserve Airmen deployed in support of global operations, and some 208,000 total force Airmen supporting daily combatant commander operations. 

"Contingency operations levy a high demand for pilots as well as those serving in intelligence, vehicle operations, civil engineering and security forces," Mr. Duehring said. "Still, our Airmen are committed to serving -- including those experiencing high deployment rates." 

The general explained that Air Force personnel issues encompass much more than statistics. 

"As we meet the demands of today, the issue is not just about looking at numbers, but how we will shape our force for the joint warfighter of today and tomorrow," General Newton said. "That compels us to reinvigorate the nuclear enterprise, enhance cyber capability with regard to network attack and defense, sustain effective maintenance and acquisition excellence, partner with joint and coalition teams, and certainly take care of Airmen and their families." 

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