Chief of staff hosts four-star forum at AFA

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Melanie Streeter
  • Air Force News Service
WASHINGTON --  The top generals in the Air Force addressed the Air Force Association’s 2004 Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition here Sept. 14, taking time to share their views and answer questions from the audience.

“It is a privilege to sit here in a leadership position in the greatest Air Force on the planet,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper. “It is also a point of pride with me that each Airman understands how important (his or her) job is to the nation. What you do is vitally important.”

However, two current issues trouble the chief of staff. One is the rising suicide rate, and the other is sexual abuse in the force.

“(There is) growing alarm over young Airmen taking their own lives,” General Jumper said. “This year alone there have been 48 suicides, where last year it was 23. Young people are finding a permanent solution to temporary problems.”

While senior leaders are well aware of and concerned about this trend, there is only so much they can do, the general said.

“Leaders can only do so much,” he said. “It’s the people who are best friends, who are intimate, who know when the problem reaches a critical stage. What we have to do is make sure our processes, procedures and programs increase our awareness of one another so intervention can happen at the right time.”

As for recent revelations about sexual assault in the Air Force, General Jumper said the service has to take a stance of zero tolerance.

“We thought we were better than we are,” he said. “We took a look, and indeed, there is much room for improvement, from the way we respond initially ... all the way to how we follow through with victims as they cope.”

While the Air Force does not quite face the sexual-assault problems of society at large, the force is held to a higher standard, General Jumper said.

“It’s the ethos of the wingman, where we have to depend on each other,” the general said. “No assault of any kind is tolerated, one Airman to another, and our first charge is to take care of one another.”

A recurring theme at this year’s conference, the size and shape of the Air Force of tomorrow, was brought into question.

“We used to size the Air Force by how many aircraft it would take to destroy a single target,” General Jumper said. “Now, we’re looking at how many targets we can destroy with a single aircraft.”

This movement toward more capable equipment means the Air Force can replace very large fleets with smaller, more capable aircraft, General Jumper said. And while the force may see some shrinkage in manpower, the biggest change will be in the number of aircraft, he said.

One type of aircraft to play a part in the Air Force of tomorrow is the unmanned aerial vehicle. What started out largely as a surveillance and reconnaissance tool is evolving into something else entirely, General Jumper said. But there is even farther to go.

“(Ultimately we want) something that could (be refueled in air), carry weapons, endure with forces on the ground, and be in direct contact with forces on the ground with a time of flight of 60 seconds or shorter,” he said. “We have to ask ourselves if the vehicles of the future considerably advance the art of war?”