Air Force leaders attend Blue Summit

ST. LOUIS (AFPN) -- More than 600 senior Air Force leaders gathered here Aug. 24 at the invitation of their top uniformed leader to discuss issues of importance to that service.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley invited all general officers from the ranks of active duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, as well as all members of the Senior Executive Service, to gather in downtown St. Louis to discuss significant issues ranging from budget and acquisition to personnel and operations.

The high-level meeting, only the second of its kind in recent years, is called Blue Summit. Although it lasts only one day, Blue Summit gathers virtually every general officer from around the globe and puts them together with the senior civilian leadership for both interaction and education.

"This summit gives the chief of staff the rare opportunity to address his entire general officer corps and his most senior civilian leaders at one time, " said Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Lichte, Air Force director of staff. "It's actually a dialogue that (Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne) and the chief of staff seek to have with the service leadership. They want to inform these leaders and bring them up to date on Air Force efforts in the global war on terrorism, developing Airmen and recapitalizing the Air Force, the leadership priorities they've been working on. They also want to hear about the challenges that are being faced by leaders at all levels of the Air Force."

Although the concept of leadership summits is not new, the summits have enjoyed a recent resurgence in the Air Force, according to General Lichte.

"The chief is a strong believer in getting first-hand feedback from the field, and that's driven us to hold a few summits on our most important issues," said General Lichte. "We recently held a summit on intelligence, and in the near future, we have summits planned on the topics of space, cyberspace and acquisition."

That quest for feedback leads senior leaders to hold other high-level meetings each year. The four-star leaders meet at a conference called CORONA, a tradition which dates back to the earliest days of the service. Air Force officials also host conferences for retired senior leaders and conduct "Airman Talks" between the air forces of the U.S. and its allies.

Topics for Blue Summit 2006 included the senior-leadership perspective of the secretary of the Air Force and the chief of staff, plus individual sessions on strategic communication, a Congressional/Legislative update, budget and programming issues and a briefing on ongoing operational missions.

Although not an annual event, more Blue Summits are sure to be held in the coming years, General Lichte said.

"Blue Summits aren't annual, but they are held whenever the chief deems them necessary or appropriate," he said. "Based on the success of this one, it's likely we'll hold another sometime in the future."