Senior Command Chiefs Committed to Enlisted Development

  • Published
  • By Technical Sgt. Mary Beth Bemis
  • 349th Public Affairs
"The opportunity to engage and interact with the senior command personnel of the Air Force Reserve is a rare opportunity indeed. I'm glad I came to this workshop," commented Master Sgt. Paul Ikeda of the 45th Aerial Port Squadron. He was speaking of the 6th Annual Wing Enlisted Workshop - Family, Service and Self recently held from October 18 - 20. In attendance were command chiefs from the various squadrons of the 349th Air Mobility Wing, the 4th Air Force at March Air Reserve Base, Beale AFB, Wright-Patterson AFB, McCord AFB, Moffit Field, and as far away as Andrews AFB. 

The three days were kicked off by Brig. Gen. Thomas M. Gisler, Jr., 349th AMW commander, who recently returned from his tour in Iraq. "We are a total force now. We are a reserve force involved in daily operations, doing things we have never done before," said General Gisler. "Look at deployment as an opportunity. Be prepared for the where, what and how. Maximize your opportunity. Get ready."

The 200 attendees of this three-day workshop were advised by 349th AMW Command Chief Master Sgt. Patricia Thornton to 'hold onto your seats and get ready for some great briefings and valuable information.'

Chief Thornton urged, "This is all about you. The information received over the next three days will be able to be applied to all aspects of your life - military, family and community." She then enthusiastically welcomed Air Force Reserve Command's Command Chief, Chief Master Sgt. Jack Winsett.

"I will be attending a conference next week with all the wing commanders of the Air Force Reserve," said Command Chief Winsett. "I will tell them that we have the best enlisted force 'bar none.' However, I want to improve our force even more. I am doing everything in my power to make sure that the Chief Master Sgts. are more accountable to their people and creating positions to allow for more responsibility." He continued with discussion of some of the hot issues facing the Air Force, Reserve and Air National Guard. "Our planes are old, money is tight, we don't have any to buy new aircraft," the Chief commented. "The Air Force has been instructed to down size by 40,000 and we have to down size by over 7,700." This means that we will need to be judicious in our spending. Personnel retention is the key. It keeps the costs down if we don't have to keep retraining new airmen.

When he opened floor for questions, the attendees were eager to get some insight on the future base closings, new assignments, attrition rates, impact on Air Reserve Technicians, new uniforms/budget impact, retirement and the Air Guard Reserve program. The Chief said that yes, bases are closing, yes assignments are opening, new plans will be in place. He emphasized that recruiting met its goal by mid-August and retention is at a high of 92 percent, with first time Airmen at 94 percent. He believes retention to be high because "we care." High year tenure is changing, and the out-of-control extensions will stop, because it affects the enlisted force in a negative way - no upward mobility and promotions. Reserve extensions have been eradicated. ARTs will be impacted by base closures, but there are applications available online to apply for transfers.

The new ABU uniforms will replace the current BDUs and the cost of about $30K in Research and Development, will actually allow us to save money in the long run due to the wash-and-wear factor, no more dry-cleaning or starch required, plus only one uniform (versus summer and winter BDUs) will be issued. Regarding retirement, it is an ongoing issue with Congress. He urged everyone to join a professional military organization and strengthen their power to lobby Congress, take advantage of the Thrift Savings Plan, and be advised that there was a 2.2 percent increase in pay signed into the new fiscal budget. 

Chief Winsett concluded by reiterating that the money is no longer there, that we need to be more efficient, more effective, maximizing our people to work smarter, worker harder and to get the mission done. There are more joint service ventures due to the requirements in the AOR, schools, and training. We need to be fit, and standards are being enforced. The number one importance is to know your job and number two is to get the education and training needed. Always be prepared, because activation can happen at any time. It is imperative to have your family, employer, school, training and records up to date. It is your responsibility to take care of your career.

Following Chief Winsett was the Command Chiefs' Panel. Issues discussed were: child care on the weekends, mentoring, how do we retain our members, Tricare, new computer passwords every 90 days, use of funds. The chiefs presented a united front on all topics. Mentoring needs to happen at all levels. Keep your people happy in their jobs, be committed to what you do, make sure they have work, focus on the positive, inspire, recognize/award, be grateful, and you will retain your people. Tricare continues to be an ongoing issue, and concerns will be routed up. Computer access passwords are constantly changing, and it is a pain, but necessary for security purposes. Most importantly, we need to commit to training, degrees and advancement. Everyone was encouraged to obtain their Associates Degree from Community College of the Air Force.

Interaction with the command chiefs was an incredible opportunity. To be able to tap into the years of experience, knowledge and wisdom and have that available to the enlisted personnel was truly motivating. Thank you to the commitment from our 349th Command, the Wing Enlisted Workshop committee and all the Command Chiefs for making this fabulous event a reality.