ACC chief visits with deployed Airmen

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jasmine Reif
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  The top Air Combat Command chief master sergeant recently toured units here to ensure Airmen were properly trained and equipped before deploying.

Command Chief Master Sgt. David Popp said the No. 1 reason for his visit was ensuring that the Airmen deploying from ACC units are trained, equipped and healthy.

“We want to see if we’re doing the right thing as a force provider. Our Airmen are trained for the many different Air Force missions,” Chief Popp said. “One of the missions we focused a lot of our time on was the convoy operators, civil engineer folks and other Airmen who are assigned to do traditional Army tasks. We also met with security forces troops who are doing detainee operations.”

In the past eight months, Chief Popp has made three visits to Southwest Asia. In addition to talking with Airmen and touring deployed locations, Chief Popp attended the Central Command Air Forces command chief conference.

“At the conference we discussed many issues linked back to the force provider,” he said. “Some issues we’re working hard on are if we’ve identified the right people to deploy in the air and space expeditionary force rotations. We get them here on time, they come with the right training and they come with the right equipment. In each of those areas we found ways to improve and be more efficient.”

One issue was the importance of being trained before deploying.

“This is not a training zone. This is the real game. As Muhammad Ali once said, ‘You don’t win in the ring; you win by doing the road work and training prior to the match.’ We have people at the tip of the spear who say they’re utilizing the people we sent, but some of them need more preparation,” the chief said.

During his stops in Iraq, Qatar and Kuwait he enjoyed familiarizing himself with the quality of work people are doing at each location.

“In a war zone you’re not going to have a huge focus on quality of life, but more on how we get the mission done. I had the opportunity to stay in many different living quarters, saw the fitness centers and observed their force protection measures. I got a great idea of everything our Airmen do both on-duty and off-duty,” he said.

“Overall, the feedback I’ve received is great, very different from what you would hear in the American media. My job here is not to disrupt their current chain of command and say ‘OK what can I do for you from ACC?’ That’s why all my questions are ‘how did we prepare you to come over here?’” Chief Popp said. “People have a chain of command at the deployed location that takes care of their quality of life and work.”

The chief said that during his stay he saw people staying in some trying living conditions, but contrary to what most people would think, the morale seemed the highest at those places.

“The morale, attention to detail and discipline seems higher at the remote places than at the places that are more stood up. I have not met anybody who has said ‘Chief Popp, get me out of here.’ What I have heard is ‘Chief Popp, this is what I signed up for and I am excited about doing my mission.’ Now, that doesn’t mean they want to stay here forever, but they are excited about the mission,” he said.

“We have active duty, Guard and Reserve personnel and we’re all doing our part. When it comes to the Guard and Reserves, sometimes the active duty folks don’t understand what they bring to the fight. Most of the time they have a completely different career and life they put on hold to come here and serve. We couldn’t do it without all three groups working together as one team,” the chief said.

While watching all three groups work together the chief saw two things that really stuck out in his mind.

“One is the ops tempo. Our fighter wing that’s up at Balad Air Base, Iraq, in two months flies the same number of sorties a wing back home would fly in a year,” he said. “And here in Kuwait, the airlift mission and the amount of cargo and passengers we’ve moved is remarkable.

“The second thing that really strikes me are the troops and their approach to the ops tempo,” he said. “What I witnessed was about six days on and one day off and on their day off I saw people still at their desks wearing their Air Force physical training gear. They’re very dedicated about the mission and getting the job done.”

He said the sense of mission is the best he’s seen since joining the Air Force and is very thankful to his fellow service men and women.

“Thank you for your service to your country. Our Airmen, with a capital A, are true national treasures,” Chief Popp said. “We’re a success because each and every one of you gives your best, lives our core values and makes sure the mission will not fail under your watch. We are very lucky to have the Airmen we have serving with us, so thank you for your service.”