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380AEW Article

Air Combat Command commander visits 380th AEW

  • Published
  • By By Tech. Sgt. Amanda Savannah
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The expeditionary Air Force of today and tomorrow was the hot topic the Air Combat Command commander discussed during a visit to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Nov. 9-10.

Gen. Mike Hostage, who leads the command that provides fighter, bomber, intelligence, personnel recovery and command and control forces to all unified commands, spoke to wing members during a breakfast and an open briefing Nov. 10.

He said the Air Force of the late 1970s and '80s was a garrison force of about 700,000 members with multiple stations overseas in Europe, the Pacific and other locations.

"I went to my first fighter assignment, and in that two-and-a-half years, there was one rotation ... outside of the local flying area for our squadron," Hostage said. "We fought like dogs to get on the list to go on that deployment."

Today, it's a completely different story.

"You're rotating every time you turn around," Hostage said. "We are doing expeditionary operations all over the world. This is not the same garrison force we were back when I started. This is now a highly expeditionary force.

"We're down to (fewer) bases in Europe, but the presence requirement -- the requirement for American forces in different theaters to dissuade the adversary and to reaffirm our commitment to our allies -- hasn't changed. The way we've made the difference up is with our expeditionary Air Force."

Hostage said expeditionary operations will stay at the center of the Air Force's future, even though changes are on the horizon.

"As we throttle back from (Operation Enduring Freedom), we'll reduce the footprint, and that should increase the dwell time ... but you will continue to see rotations," Hostage said.

The ACC commander also flew an operational F-22 sortie with deployed Airmen. The general has been qualified in the aircraft since July, and has been flying with F-22 pilots and interacting with maintenance and life support Airmen to better understand operation of the aircraft in demanding environments.

After the flight, he noted operations in the Middle East will continue to play an important role in the national military strategy, even as defense officials seek to rebalance forces toward the Pacific.

"This national strategy (includes) being focused and present with our Pacific allies," Hostage said. "To do that, we have to start focusing on training and being present in that arena. The Middle East has been a focus for 20 years because we have an overriding strategic national interest in the security and stability of this region and that will continue even with the rebalance."

Another change to the deployment outlook that Hostage discussed is AEF Next, which will modify the way the Air Force presents its forces. AEF Next will focus on deploying some units as a whole, so more Airmen will deploy with those they work with at home station and with whom they already have working relationships. Hostage said this construct should do a better job of normalizing and distributing expeditionary rotations across the force.

During the briefing, Hostage also answered questions about joint basing, Guard and Reserve deployments, the new Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh III, operations in the Pacific, modernization of the Air Force fleet, sexual assault issues, accident rates in the Air Force and more.

As the general's briefing was the day before Veterans Day, he also expressed his appreciation for the sacrifices that Airmen continue to make for the defense of the nation.

"Thank you for being veterans, thank you for your service," Hostage said. "Every bit of service is important because it preserves something that is so valuable to our society - that very precious flame of freedom. Be proud of that."