Air Force leaders meet in Ohio for Corona

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  • By Staff Sgt. Julie Weckerlein
  • Air Force Print News
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  The Air Force's top leaders met for a forum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, on July 12 to 14 to discuss the global war on terror, the state of readiness for Airmen and Air Force modernization.

Army Gen. John Abizaid, U.S. Central Command commander, spoke with the leaders about his area of responsibility and complimented the Air Force for their accomplishments in the global war on terror.

"This was the warfighter's Corona," said Assistant Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Arthur Lichte, director of Air Force staff at the Pentagon. "General Abizaid provided an update for us, and we focused on the war fight and how to prepare and posture the Air Force for the future."

The Corona meetings have helped shape the service's leadership since 1944. They happen three times per year and allow Air Force senior leaders to come together for frank, open discussions and decision-making about the future of the Air Force, said General Lichte.

"It's a gathering of all senior leaders, all the (numbered Air Force) commanders," he said, "and we're charged with carrying out the war fight. We share information so everyone understands what the Air Force is doing. Interdependency is key."

General Lichte said overall, the meeting was a sort of peak to everything Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley and Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne have done over the past year.

"It was an opportunity for (General Moseley) to reinforce his vision," he said. "It gave the chief and the secretary the chance to speak with their leaders. Everyone went away with a better understanding of the course our Air Force is on."

He said Airmen across the service should know their leaders are focused on their readiness and training.

"We talk about preparing for 'the long war' but honestly, we've been engaged in this fight since about 1990," General Lichte said. "So, really, we are preparing to sustain it, and we'll continue to improve. I'm impressed every day by the quality of our Airmen, as are all the Air Force leaders."

The meeting was held at Wright-Patterson to follow in step with the historical aspect embraced previously at Maxwell AFB, Ala., in January, when General Moseley wanted the Corona forum to return to its roots.

"By going to Wright-Patterson this time, it provided a backdrop with the historical ties to the Wright brothers," General Lichte said. "That whole area, too, has played an important role in the sharpening of the Air Force, with its laboratories and the command centers. Of course, the ties to the museum there and the heritage were very obvious."