Ready to fly, fight, win Published March 28, 2006 By Col. Mark Mueller 36th Maintenance Group commander ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (AFPN) -- If you would have asked me what I would expect of our service in the 21st century 24 years ago when I raised my right hand and pledged to serve our nation and Air Force, I would never have imagined the transformation our Air Force has gone through. It has been, and remains, an exciting ride.We are at another important crossroad in the 58-year existence of our Air Force. We read and hear about it all the time: We have to do more with less. We have to bridge the gap and continue to find better ways to maintain a fleet of aging aircraft, averaging more than 23 years in service, until our next generation of weapons systems come on line. We can’t afford the expense of the advanced weapons systems we are developing. We are more expeditionary than ever in the history of our Air Force. We have to be fit to fly, fight and win. We will change and get leaner. Oh, how times have changed! When I came in the Air Force, we were approximately 680,000-plus strong. What did commitment and readiness to our Air Force and mission -- to fly and fight in air, space, and cyberspace (and win) mean to me back then? Not what it means to me today. Ironically, as a young lieutenant, I was not sure that a career in the Air Force was meant for me. But I was blessed with fellow Airmen who inspired me, supported me, made me feel I was part of the team and these feelings remain today, 14 change of stations moves later. What has not changed is our Airmen -- the people behind the mission and our training. Today, we are deployed all around the world, and our total force is around 340,000 members strong and getting smaller. Technological advancements have played a big role in our superiority. We must stay strong and united in our commitment, or else find another calling. Recently, our secretary and chief of staff of the Air Force redefined our mission. Specifically, “The mission of the United States Air Force is to deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States of America and its global interests -- to fly and fight in air, space, and cyberspace.” I noted what was left out of this mission statement was winning. But I know we all agree that losing is not an option. Our leaders also noted: “Our task is to provide the National Command Authority and the combatant commanders with an array of options ... options that are not limited by the tyranny of distance, the urgency of time, or the strength of our enemy’s defenses.” What can we, as Airmen (military and civilian), do to ensure the continued success of our Air Force and to remain the world’s most dominant air, space, and cyberspace fighting team? You might imagine there is much to do. But let me offer a few “pearls of wisdom” I have thought about and tried to live over the years: First, high on my list, although I have not mastered it, is taking care of family. We take too much for granted and don’t realize the sacrifices we put our families through for the betterment of our careers or service to our country. If you don’t take care of your family and ensure their needs are taken care of, a climate of stress and resentment will form. This environment is unhealthy and will cause you to be less focused on the performance of your duties while at work and in the execution of our mission. “OK, great” you say, “so where is the help?” There are many programs to help us in this arena, but most important to me is the Airmen filling the role of wingman and the Air Force family. They are always there with an open ear, heart and mind, and sense of family, and come to the rescue when a fellow Airman or their family is down and out. A second thing to live by is being fit to fight. I’ve tried to live by this by being an “O’Dark-thirty” gym rat since the day I entered the Air Force. Why did we ever need programs to hold members of our Air Force team accountable for being fit? I’ve always believed the men and women who serve in the armed forces are held to a higher standard, and being fit was part of those standards. But as we became more expeditionary it was painfully evident we were not ready to fly, fight and win, and mandatory programs were established. We have embraced staying fit to fight. We will all be healthier and happy for it, and ready when called to serve in stressful missions. Another point to live by is training for success. I have been given the opportunity to attend many professional military education in-residence schools. I’m proud because many of the foreign officers who attended these schools with me spoke about how amazing our military enlisted corps is and how well our United States forces are trained. They revel at the level of responsibility given to our enlisted corps and their competence. A couple of weeks back, our wing commander kicked off a no-notice B-1 Lancer and munitions generation exercise. He did it for several reasons, not the least of which was a training opportunity we had never exercised before. I believe he also did it to test our ability to meet our mission, identify shortfalls and take away lessons learned. It challenged us, we learned a great deal and we are better for it when the real flag goes up and it is time to fly, fight and win against an adversary. I could go on and on with other examples and experiences, but I have this vivid picture in my mind of my twin daughters saying, “Dad, stop … you're killing us,” not to mention this article has probably gone too long. So, I’ll end with the charge buried in our secretary of the Air Force's and chief of staff's new focused mission guidance. It’s an exciting time to be a member of the Air Force. You must be ready every day to fly, fight and win. The soft and hard combat capability being developed provides a credible option for our combatant commanders. Stay ready and strong; future adversaries will not give us the time we have had in the past.