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Top AFCENT chief talks to Marauders

  • Published
  • By By Tech. Sgt. Jared Marquis
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
Chief Master Sgt. Ramon Colon-Lopez, U.S. Air Forces Central Command command chief, spoke to members of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing during an enlisted all-call Dec. 29, 2014.

During the all-call, Colon-Lopez discussed the future of Airman Development and why changes to the rating system were necessary.

Using a mountain climbing analogy, the chief explained how the Air Force should have an accurate picture of how Airmen are developing at each level.

Starting at the bottom, the lower slope of the mountain represents Airmen beginning their Air Force journey, he said. As Airmen climb, the slope gets steeper and narrower, and as Airmen climb, their mistakes become magnified.

“The lower slope of the mountain is the area we can allow you to make mistakes,” he said. “If you are climbing this mountain and you take a stumble, you may twist an ankle, you may get a scrape, but you can survive that fairly easy. We are pacing you so that you clearly understand what it is you need to do.”

But stumbling on a steeper slope is far more dangerous and harder to survive.

“That is symbolic of committing a crime, that is symbolic of violating standards, and that is symbolic of not leading by example,” said the chief. “You either have the stamina (or you don’t) to keep on going and the technical skills to not only do it safely, but to teach others how to climb along with you.”

The higher Airmen climb, the easier it is to identify to top performers who are ready to climb higher.

That is the problem with the current rating system; the mountain is being obscured by the fog of firewall-fives, he said.

“We have cast a fog screen over this mountain, so we can’t see who the best of the best is,” Colon-Lopez said. “That is because everybody is being rated the same.”

By changing the system and focusing the lens on job-performance, the Air Force will be better able to see who is clearly leading the way and ready to progress up the steeper slope, he said.

The chief concluded the all-call by talking about the importance of feedback and ensuring Airmen understand how the system works.

“We need you to understand which direction we are going,” he said. “I want to give each and every one of you a fighting chance to serve in the Air Force on your own terms, to not let some process or program dictate whether you are going to be serving or not. You’re better than that.”

Following the all-call, Colon-Lopez hosted a question and answer session with the Airmen.