Under Secretary of the Air Force
Gina Ortiz Jones visited
Barksdale Air Force Base to meet with
2nd Bomb Wing,
8th Air Force and
Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen and leaders.
During her visit, Jones was briefed by wing and major command leadership on a variety of topics including 2nd BW and AFGSC’s mission, vision and line of effort, including the bomber culture experienced daily at Barksdale AFB.
“This visit was a great opportunity for our Barksdale Airmen and
Guardians to show off their skills and dialogue at the highest level of Air Force leadership,” said
Col. Scott Weyermuller, 2nd BW commander. “Knowing we cannot operate alone and learning what is important to our senior leaders is vital to maintaining the lethality expected from the 2nd BW.”
As part of her visit, Jones was featured as a guest speaker in the
Women's Leadership Symposium. The symposium’s mission is to promote a community of inclusion across AFGSC and enable personnel at the installation to lead as their authentic selves.
“This is about making sure that we’ve got the best folks in the right positions and ensuring that everyone has got the opportunity to serve to their full potential,” Jones said. “When we think about what our courage can lead to, it can lead to ensuring we are opening ourselves up to an even broader pool of talent.”
Jones toured a
B-52H Stratofortress at the
Tech. Sgt. Kidd Weapons Loading Training Facility to gain a deeper understanding of what capabilities the long-range bomber has and the impact it has on our nation’s global deterrence mission.
“It’s been amazing to see what happens here at Barksdale, from its history to the B-52 itself,” Jones said. “Barksdale is so tied into current and future operations of the Air Force that I’ll be looking forward to seeing what continues to happen here.”
Visits like these provide a deeper understanding of how Barksdale AFB’s Airmen and Guardians are always ready to support each other to accomplish mission operations both on the ground and in the air. These visits also demonstrate to Air Force leadership the dedication and commitment Barksdale AFB Airmen apply to getting the mission done anywhere, anytime!