CSAF talks changes in Air Force

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Mona Ferrell
  • U.S. Air Forces in Europe News Service
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFPN) --  New demands on today’s airmen are driving changes to the Air Force physical fitness program and a possible new uniform, said the service’s senior leader during a visit here Aug. 13.

As the Air Force’s needs and demands change, so should airmen, said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper.

“I think anybody who’s been a part of the expeditionary Air Force, living in tents in 120-degree desert heat, knows that we need to pay attention to how fit we are when we deploy,” Jumper said.

“In the early 1990s, we began cycle ergometry, and I think when we did that, we lost all of the social aspects of physical fitness. We stopped working out together, and we drifted away from the basics,” he said. “I want something that we can do when we’re deployed; we can always run, and we can always do push-ups and sit-ups when we’re deployed -- that’s what we need to be able to do.”

The new program will also put physical-fitness responsibilities back in the hands of squadron commanders and their airmen, Jumper said.

“Rule No. 1 is that everyone will participate,” he said. “Squadron and unit commanders are going to be responsible for the fitness of the people in their squadron, and eventually it will show up on their fitness reports. The squadron commander will ultimately, once we get going, be graded on the percentage of the people in their squadron who pass or (don’t) pass.

“This is much different than the way we do it now, where physical fitness is enforced by either the medical community or unit orderly rooms,” Jumper said. “We’re going to put it in the hands of the squadron members to make sure their unit and members pass the test … this will unfold slowly, but step No. 1 is getting everybody out there and ready by January.”

Our evolvement into a more expeditionary Air Force may also lead to a change in the Air Force uniforms, Jumper said.

“Anybody who’s worn the current woodland (battle-dress uniforms) knows that the first time you take them to the dry cleaners to get them washed and starched is the last time any air passes through that material. It is now sealed up forever, and it doesn’t breathe any more,” Jumper said.

“What we did was take a lesson from the Marine Corps, who got a hold of some new material that’s truly wash-and-wear. This will alleviate somewhere between $20 to $40 a month of dry cleaning bills for our members,” he said. “We also went out to people and got their ideas about the right kind of belt, and the right kind of pockets placed on the uniform so they’re more useable.

“The color is an experiment,” the general said. “If you look at some of the scientific data, the color (of the test uniform) at night is actually better than the current camouflage uniform. We do a lot of our fighting at night, so it’s a test; that’s what it is.

“What I don’t like is people giving me their opinion before they’ve seen it,” he said. “Most people I’ve gotten feedback from are very objective and willing to take a look. And that’s all I’m asking people to do -- take a look at it and see what we think. We’re all going to decide together.”

And these decisions, combined with other Air Force quality-of-life initiatives, lead to a higher “value of life,” Jumper said.

“When I say quality of life, what I mean is more about the value of life, than higher standard of living,” said the general. “It’s how good we feel about what we do. There’s certainly a material side of that, and the material side is we’re going to continue to get pay raises.

“We’re in the service of a very grateful nation right now. All you have to do is walk downtown in uniform anywhere in America, and people will come up and thank you for your service,” Jumper said.

“They have no idea who you are, or what rank you are, but they know they are grateful. You are the symbol of the pride and strength of this nation,” he said. “If you think of your counterparts that you went to high school or college with, what are they doing? Do people come up to them in the street and thank them for what they do? … That is a very big part of quality of life.

“When you look in the mirror in the morning and say that there’s not anything that I can do with my life, nothing more valuable to my nation or myself than what I’m doing today … I tell you, what’s not to like? This is a great Air Force.” (Courtesy of U.S. Air Forces in Europe News Service)