Geren: People, equipment top Air Force priorities

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  • By Master Sgt. Mitch Gettle
  • Air Force Print News
WASHINGTON --  Beginning with operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Southern and Northern Watch and operations in countries such as Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, the Air Force has been on war footing since the summer of 1990, said the acting secretary of the Air Force.

"The men and women of the Air Force have been stepping up and working around the world for the people of the United States," Pete Geren said.

Mr. Geren recently summarized his top two priorities for the Air Force -- "invest in the people and invest in the machines people need to do their jobs."

"The first priority, for me and all Air Force (leaders), is to make sure we respond to the needs of the people in the Air Force," he said. "The people have done the job day in and day out, and we need to continue to invest in our people and make sure they stay ready to meet the demands of the Air Force."

Air Force core values will play a role in taking care of the people during his tenure as acting secretary.

"The core values -- integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do -- are the guidelines for every Airman to live and work by and are the common thread for every member of our team," he said. "The (values) are so ingrained, and so much a part of our culture, that our Airmen should not even have to consciously think about them; it’s instinctive, and at the forefront of every action."

Mr. Geren said those core values are apparent in the successful effort and contribution Airmen make toward the security of not only the United States, but also for the rest of the free world.

"The Air Force is an integral part of the (war on terrorism) and has been since the beginning," Mr. Geren said. "We continue to support operations in Afghanistan and Iraq with an air bridge that is absolutely essential for the forces located there to carry out their missions.

"Our Airmen do their job so well, every minute of every day, that their efforts are largely transparent," he said. "However, without the Air Force, the important work in the (war effort) could not be accomplished."

The efforts of the Air Force, at home and abroad, could not be accomplished without the total force working together, Mr. Geren said.

"We enjoy seamless integration (among) the active forces, Guard and Reserve," he said. "You could line them up and not be able to tell one from another."

The Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve have a major responsibility to the success of the total force.

"Huge areas of responsibility lie in these units -- 64 percent of our theater airlift aircraft, 62 percent of our tanker aircraft, 36 percent of our fighter aircraft, and 43 percent of our rescue aircraft reside with our reserve components," he said.

Mr. Geren also took the opportunity to discuss the recent religious guidelines that were released Aug. 29 and how they play an important role for the people of the Air Force.

The diversity found in the Air Force and in this country is one of the great strengths of the United States and stands in stark contrast from our enemies in the war on terrorism, he said.

"They attack diversity while we defend diversity and we champion diversity," he said. "Part of that diversity is religious diversity. In order for us to work together and be the Air Force this country needs, we have to respect the religious beliefs of everybody and find the common values, and remember the mission comes first."

For the mission of the Air Force to continue to be successful in the future, Mr. Geren points to his second priority -- recapitalization of the aging aircraft fleet.

"We have to do a better job of investing in the material needs of the Air Force," he said. "We have the oldest aircraft fleet in the history of the Air Force. There is not an area in the fleet that does not need to be recapitalized."

The primary focus of the recapitalization starts with the importance of fighter aircraft.

"The F/A-22 (Raptor) is a vital part of the Air Force's future air superiority," he said. "Right now we are the dominant airpower. But the aircraft we buy today, we will be using for the next three decades. We need to make sure we invest in aircraft that will be able to meet the needs of the future, and the F/A-22 is one of them.”