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380AEW Article

AFCENT command chief visits 380th AEW

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Amanda Savannah
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The command chief of U.S. Air Forces Central Command told 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Airmen to have a force protection mindset and continue to be excellent during his visit to the wing Oct. 17-18.

Chief Master Sgt. Robert Sealey held Airmen's calls, toured the flightline and visited several units across the wing during his visit.

Sealey said much has changed about the AFCENT area of responsibility in his year as the command chief.

"We went from about 26,000 Airmen when I first arrived in theater, down to 20,000 Airmen," he said. "A lot of that is because of the withdrawal out of Iraq.

"When I came into the theater last year around this time, we were still having full operations there. One of the greatest things I saw during this time frame was ... that last combat sortie mission out of Iraq."

Sealey said the number of service members in Afghanistan has also dropped in the last year.

A security forces defender by trade, Sealey said force protection is constantly at the forefront of his thoughts.

"I think that regardless of where we're at in the AOR ... we need to have that," said the Zanesville, Ohio, native. "Force protection needs to be at the forefront of our mindset."

To help bring force protection to the minds of deployed Airmen, Lt. Gen. David Goldfein, AFCENT commander, has initiated the "Check Six" program. Check Six stands for 3 plus 2 plus 1.

"In every hostile situation, you have three options; you can flee, you can barricade, or you can fight back," Sealey said. "There's only two outcomes ... you either live or you die, and you've only got one chance to get it right."

Sealey said he believes the program will help the command focus on force protection. He also said Airmen should be focused on discipline.

"Discipline matters ... in all things that we do," he said. "If that means adhering to technical orders (for) the individuals working on the flightline, to individuals that are working behind desks or handing out supplies. Whatever they do, we need to be disciplined in all we do."

Though seeing change has been constant over the last year, the chief said another constant he has seen is continued excellence provided by Airmen across the theater.

"The leadership has changed out, the Airmen have changed out, but the mission continues on in the outstanding manner that it always has," he said. "We couldn't do what we do in Afghanistan; we couldn't do what we do in other locations throughout this AOR, without the continued excellence that's provided by the Airmen right here at the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing."

Sealey said the Airmen here also excel in their role in executing Goldfein's priority of engaging in host nation partnerships.

"That partnership has been ongoing for as long as (the deployed location) has been in existence," Sealey said. "That continued partnership is just absolutely amazing.

"We don't want to try to build relationships when a situation happens. We want those relationships to already be established. The 380th AEW has done a phenomenal job in building a partner capacity ... that's unprecedented."

The AFCENT command chief said he encourages deployed Airmen to leave the theater as better people.

"There's many ways they can do that, whether that be physical, whether that be spiritual, whether that be mental," Sealey said. "You can do that in any one of those aspects, or even several of those pillars of resiliency. You can leave here a better person."

He also said he thanks them and their families for their service and sacrifice.

"Thank you to them (deployed Airmen); thank you to their families for their sacrifices," Sealey said. "Our families sacrifice a great deal just so that we can come out and serve our nation in the manner that we do. The number one thing I would say would be 'Thank you'."