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Command chief circulates to Kandahar

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Larlee
  • 438th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
KABUL, Afghanistan --  The 438th Air Expeditionary Wing command chief recently conducted a battlefield circulation, or site immersion visit, April 4 to 5 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.

The visit was Chief Master Sgt. John Hoffman's first trip to Kandahar to check out units geographically separated from the headquarters of the 438th AEW in Kabul, Afghanistan.

"They have a very impressive setup here," he said. "It is a huge base and our advising mission is just a tiny part of what was going on, but our mission will be the enduring one."

The chief said the visits are a great way for him to get the pulse of an organization. He said he likes to see where Airman are working and living. He also looks at the standard of force protection and anti-terrorism procedures in place.

During this visit the chief brought Afghan air force Command Sgt. Maj. Hakim Waziry to advise him on how to perform a battlefield circulation.

"He is the Afghan equivalent to our chief master sergeant of the Air Force. It is a pretty humbling responsibility," he said.

The two enlisted leaders met with the Command Sergeant Major of the Kandahar Air Wing Mohammad Ishaq-Safi, who led them on a tour of the Afghan complex.

"I have enjoyed walking around the compound with him and introducing him to everybody," he said. "The chief's visit was a critical piece for me."

Ishaq-Safi took the opportunity to discuss his prime challenge in developing his enlisted force.

"The most important piece is training and education; they have to get as much as possible to make them professional," he said. "Due to the wars, there wasn't a good education system for the younger generation. They had to provide for their families instead of going to school."

Hoffman said he agreed with Ishaq-Safi about the vital importance of training and education. He said the strength of the enlisted force is what powers the strength of the
U.S. Air Force. The chief said the strong enlisted force is something Afghan's air force leaders pay close attention to as they build their own force.

"The NCO core is the biggest thing that makes our Air Force the model they want to build from -- our ability to think, take directions and take action by following general orders," he said. "Afghans are watching us and taking their cues from us."

The chief said the building of a strong enlisted is not something that is done easily or quickly. He said the fact that most of the advisers are experienced career Airmen is one of the Wing's advantages. There is also an effort to bring in Airmen who have experience as instructors.

The job is a challenging one, he said, and one that takes a lot of patience.

"It is easy to want to solve the problems for them," he said. "We are at a point in their maturation process where we literally have to teach them to solve problems on their own."

The chief said he sees a lot of great progress being made on a daily basis. He said if the Afghans continue to follow the example of their advisers, they will have a bright future.

"I'm so proud of our Airman here. We are the most professional Air Force in the world," he said. "We are well on our way to developing the Afghan air force into a strong and professional organization."