WASHINGTON -- Maj. Gen. John T. Rauch, Air Force chief of safety and commander of the Air Force Safety Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, attended the recent U.S. Air Forces Central Command (USAFCENT) Area of Responsibility (AOR) Chiefs of Safety Conference to hear firsthand the concerns of forward-deployed safety leaders.
Lt. Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian, USAFCENT commander, stated the need to operate at the speed of war, which means “we buy risk.” He asked the safety leaders to lean forward on key safety issues, be his eyes and ears in the AOR and to identify safety issues and provide sound advice to leadership.
Rauch echoed those remarks and addressed the importance of every Airman in today's fight, the Air Force's role in the joint arena, and the importance of accepting risk at the right level.
The deployed wing chiefs of safety spoke of their specific concerns at their locations, highlighting common themes such as complacency, awareness, explosives site planning, frequent personnel turnover, and preventable vehicle accidents.
Rauch noted some AOR locations will be enduring, and that he can appreciate the effort to reflect on long-term infrastructure decisions while conducting today’s mission.
“But, this comes with many safety concerns for our Airmen as there will be more construction, construction equipment, vehicles and unsafe zones for our Airmen to traverse, and personnel must remain vigilant,” Rauch emphasized. “Safety equals risk management, and risk has to be accepted at the appropriate level, because mishaps impact our lethality.”