CMSAF visits Bagram Airfield, engages Airmen

Published June 27, 2010
By Tech.Sgt. Drew Nystrom
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Roy met with Airmen at Bagram Airfield here June 24 and 25, seeing firsthand the diverse missions contributing to Afghanistan's security and development.

Chief Roy toured the base and spoke with Airmen of all ranks to see what the Air Force is doing to support the warfighter on the ground, and discuss how senior leadership can make sure Airmen are properly prepared to execute the mission.

"I've come back to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to see how the build-up is going and see personally how our Airmen are contributing to the fight," the 16th chief master sergeant of the Air Force said.

Chief Roy last visited Bagram Airfield in November 2009, but noted that much has changed.

"Bagram Airfield continues to expand with more ramp space and people. The size of the base itself is huge and continues to grow as the mission here grows," he said.

The chief noted Airmen are contributing not only here, but across Afghanistan in a variety of roles.

"As the mission in Afghanistan grows, the U.S. Air Force and our Airmen will continue to help build the capacity of our host nation. We have Air Advisors and Combat Advisors here," Chief Roy said. "Airmen are filling Joint Expeditionary Taskings across Afghanistan."

According to the chief, that flexibility and dedication to duty have been noticed by others too.

"Our Airmen are doing things today we never expected them to be doing and they are doing a tremendous job," he said. "As I talk with the joint leadership team here, they couldn't be more proud of our Airmen. They absolutely see and appreciate the capability provided by the Airmen here in this AOR."

Understanding what the Air Force brings to the fight isn't a one-way street though. The chief also thinks it's important for Airmen to know just how important they and their mission are to other warfighters.

"At Bagram Airfield, I've had the opportunity to meet with our operations and maintenance Airmen," Chief Roy said. "I always ask them, 'Can you make a connection to that warfighter on the ground?'"

"They can and they do," he said. "Our Airmen understand they shape the battlefield. Whether they are loading munitions, maintaining an aircraft or making sure the base is secure, they do it to the only level they know and that's the best."

"When an aircraft is orbiting overhead, all of our Airmen are, in turn, affecting the battlespace," the Air Force's top enlisted leader said. "As the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing commander is fond of saying, 'Airpower truly is the power of Airmen.'"

During his visit, Chief Roy made sure to engage Airmen at every stop he made to the various shops around base. Time was set aside at each stop to make sure Airmen had the opportunity to ask one of the Air Force's senior leaders anything on their minds.

The chief answered many questions about deployment rates and managing the force.

"We have many Airmen who are at a 1:1 dwell, and frankly, some are at less than a 1:1 dwell," he said. "Most importantly, we have to ensure we are properly preparing our fellow Airmen for the fight and take care of them once they are here."

Next, the chief said, the Air Force is looking at many different options to improve the manning situation in critically manned career fields.

"We look at selective reenlistment bonuses and increasing promotion rates in stressed career fields to try and increase retention for Airmen within those particular career fields that are short," he said. "Keeping and bringing Airmen back into those AFSCs is the way we get to the bottom of the dwell-rate issue."

Making sure Airmen are properly trained and equipped prior to stepping foot in the AOR is an issue the chief is passionate about.

"It is incumbent upon us as leadership to make sure when we put our Airmen into a situation, we bring them up to speed," the chief master sergeant of the Air Force said.

"We have to send them to the right combat skills training. It's important when Airmen go to that training they get as much out of it as possible," he said. "It's also important that as our Airmen process through the system they are equipped properly for the missions they are going to be executing while in theater. If they are going to be operating outside the wire, they need to make sure they have the proper gear versus if they are going to be operating inside the wire.

"It's extremely important for leadership at home station, with the unit deployment manager and with the leadership here in the theater to stay engaged and make sure those Airmen are properly trained and equipped to come "downrange" and do the mission that's been asked of us by our nation," the chief said.

Another aspect of taking care of Airmen is making sure the post-deployment reintegration is handled correctly and that families left behind are never truly left behind.

"I would like to send a sincere thank you to our family members who are left behind holding that family together," he said. "I recognize the many sacrifices they endure every single day. We are so proud of them."

Chief Roy expressed his gratitude and good wishes for all U.S. servicemembers serving in the AOR as the build-up continues.

"You are going to see an increase of people and equipment flowing throughout Afghanistan as the Coalition works with our host nation to steadily increase the capacity here," Chief Roy said. "I am extremely proud of the entire armed forces of the United States and what they are doing here in Afghanistan and across the Central Command AOR. I'm particularly thankful for what all of our Airmen are doing every single day in the fight."