Top military leaders visit Airmen in Southwest Asia

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Denise Johnson
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) --  The Air Force chief of staff and chief master sergeant of the Air Force visited Airmen of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Oct. 22 during their visit to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

"I'm pleased to be back in the AOR to see the many changes and steps the Air Force is taking to maintain a vigilant and effective presence," Gen. Norton Schwartz said.  "It is always valuable for me to have 'eyes on' the operations and face-to-face time with AOR leaders and Airmen." 

General Schwartz serves as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of nearly 700,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he and the other service chiefs function as military advisers to the secretary of Defense, National Security Council and the president. 

Brig. Gen. H.D. Polumbo Jr., the 380th AEW commander, escorted general and chief master sergeant of the Air Force on an in-depth tour of the wing.

"This wing supports the Air Force's goals in a unique and dynamic way and thanks to the Airmen here, I think we do it very well," General Polumbo told General Schwartz. "By leading the way in standardizing (unmanned aircraft system) procedures; and by our extensive command and control capabilities; by breaking new ground with our intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities on a regular basis; and by our refueling operations that supply a third of the air-to-air fuel in the AOR, I'm very proud of this team and honored you've come to see us in action."

The official party got a first-hand view of the fuels holding facility before heading out to the flightline for a tour of the 380th AEW aircraft. They received briefs and tours of the KC-10 Extender, the E-3 Sentry, the U-2 and the Global Hawk. 

The Air Force's top enlisted leader, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Rodney J. McKinley, said he was looking forward to seeing the unmanned aircraft systems again, a tool the Air Force will be using well into the future. 

"(Unmanned aircraft systems) aren't going away. You think about the fantastic capabilities of these aircraft and you understand why, when you look way out into the future, the UASs are there," Chief McKinley said. 

The leaders spoke with Airmen from across the wing on a one-to-one basis throughout the day, and then held an Airmen's Call. 

Chief McKinley responded to questions regarding U.S. presence in Southwest Asia and current deployment rates during the Airmen's Call.

"We're at war. We want to make sure this fight we're in stays on their 2-yard line, not ours," he said. "The fact you're over here means we're doing our job. It means they're not on our 2-yard line and we want to keep it that way. You're all doing awesome keeping American families from living in fear. I'm incredibly proud to be serving our nation with you." 

"The visit was very educational, comprising the dynamic elements of this wing's contributions," the chief of staff said. "Your input and the time we spent here will help us make the right decisions for the Airmen and the organization, as well." 

Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link)

View the comments/letters page