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Secretary of the Air Force visits Bagram Airmen

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Rachel Martinez
  • 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan --  Secretary of the Air Force, Michael B. Donley, visited with Airmen from Bagram Air Field Oct. 15 during his first visit to the country since being confirmed by Congress earlier this month.

During his visit, Secretary Donley held an Airman's call for approximately 400 Airmen stationed here.

"Since I became your acting secretary four months ago, I've been looking forward to the opportunity to get down range here with you and find out first hand what our Airmen are doing in theater," he said. "I want to let you know that your new chief, Gen. Norton Schwartz, and I come from a joint background and from an interagency background. We value all the things you are doing here to make the Air Force a unique player as part of a joint team supporting the Army, the Department of State, and other agencies, in a joint effort to defeat these enemies around Afghanistan."

The secretary used the Airman's Call as an opportunity to share some insight on a few key issues and what is on the horizon for the Air Force.

"First, (we need to) get the Air Force refocused on this nuclear enterprise," he began. "We have lost focus on that mission over the last 10 to 20 years. The secretary of defense asked the (chief of staff of the Air Force) and me to work on that. We are going to roll out a roadmap which will get the Air Force recommitted to this important mission."

The second issue the secretary addressed was the global war on terror.

"The SECDEF asked us to make sure the Air Force is doing all it can to support the global war on terror," he said. "I believe we are doing that."

He went on to explain how the global war on terror effort starts with the Air Force providing airlift for troops and cargo into theater. Once in theater, troops are met by aerial port personnel who are managing the air bases and aircraft. Throughout the Central Command area of operations, the Air Force is providing overwatch and fire power with specialized airframes.

"We provide armed overwatch over the battle space in this theater, with air-to-ground capability just a few minutes away from any call for overwatch or airstrike from an Army or Marine unit on the ground," he said.

Unmanned aerial systems operated by the Air Force provide additional support to the joint fight, he said.

"This new technology has been a help, has been rapidly produced, and rapidly fielded in ways that are (expanding) the situational awareness commanders have prior to ground missions," he said. "Commanders have figured out they want it and they want more of it. The Air Force has been working with our other partners in the DoD to ramp up the (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) support in this theater."

The secretary also commended the efforts of Air Force and joint areomedical evacuation teams.

"We're getting casualties from the battlefields, through these hospitals, in an intensive care unit, to an airborne intensive care team, back to Germany, back to CONUS, faster than we've ever done," he said. "The survival rates here are higher than they have ever been in the military in any previous conflict."

Based on the what he has seen and heard during his recent travel around the Central Command area of responsibility, Secretary Donley said his idea of the Air Force's efforts in the war were reconfirmed.

"I've seen it now. I've touched it. I've seen the Airmen that are doing it," he said. "I can go back to the secretary of defense and I can say, 'Mr. Secretary, with respect to the global war on terror, the Air Force is all in'."

Additionally, the secretary spoke on the importance and future roles of space and cyberspace in the Air Force.

"The Air Force has an important role to play in space; it is one of our primary domains," he said. "Another issue that drives the importance of the Air Force is cyber. All these networks that you are operating, these systems in existence, need to be protected. Cyber warfare is for real and the United States is under attack 24/7 in cyberspace."

Secretary Donley finished his Airman's call by thanking the deployed Airmen.

"I just want to say how much I appreciate all you are doing downrange," he said. "Know you are getting great support back home. Congress is providing great support to the war fight. Your families are very proud of what you are doing and you have the full support of the American people.

"It is a humbling experience to work with all of you in support of the greatest air force in the world," he concluded.