Air Force officials welcome new vice chief of staff, honor Vietnam War vets

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Joshua L. DeMotts
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
FORT MYER, Va. (AFNS) --  Air Force Undersecretary Lisa S. Disbrow and Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein welcomed Gen. Stephen W. Wilson as the service’s new vice chief of staff at a reception Aug. 26 at the Fort Myer Officers’ Club.

The senior leaders and their guests then attended a public event at the Air Force Memorial, where the service honored Vietnam War veterans with performances by the U.S. Air Force Band and Honor Guard, and a T-38 Talon formation flyover.

At the reception, Disbrow expressed her excitement to have Wilson on the Air Staff.

“With over 35 years of dedicated service to the Air Force and joint time as well … I have to say I’m really honored to be working with you, and looking forward to a lot of great efforts together,” she said. “I see you reaching back to the Air Force’s past and looking forward to the future, and being that bridge for us. So thank you already.”

Wilson said that he’s truly honored and humbled to serve as the service’s 39th vice chief.

As vice chief, Wilson said his focus will be on supporting the Air Force secretary and chief of staff in executing the Air Force’s Strategic Master Plan. He also looks forward to advancing the secretary’s three priorities of taking care of people, balancing readiness and modernization, and making every dollar count.

“I plan on focusing on the things that make a difference to our Airmen and their families,” Wilson said. “I have a fundamental philosophy that if we start with the right people, we give them the right training and resources, and we ensure they are personally and professionally satisfied … the result is mission success.”

Wilson said he’s also excited to help the chief of staff execute his top three priorities: revitalizing squadrons, preparing Airmen to lead in the joint fight, and rethinking how the service can execute multi-domain global command and control.

“Our nation counts on airpower every day to defend our interests and way of life,” he said. “Our Air Force remains the best in the world, and today we are globally engaged as we continue to navigate through a very challenging security environment.”

He went on to say that with all challenges come opportunities, and he is looking forward to be in a position to help influence the strategic vector of the Air Force.

“I have had the good fortune to command at multiple levels in our Air Force, and to serve in joint jobs, with partner nations and in deployed locations,” Wilson said. “I have seen firsthand how crucial airpower is to the fight, and how Airmen lead the way in using innovative technology in air, space, cyber and electronic warfare.”

By the end of the evening, the Air Force had welcomed a new vice chief of staff and honored Vietnam veterans in a ceremony that established a new National Capital Region tradition, which includes the Air Force’s vision of creating more opportunities for Airmen to interact with the public they serve.