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380AEW Article

Getting to know General Lofgren

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Chance Babin
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing public affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Lofgren took command of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing here June 20, replacing Brig. Gen. Mike Minahan.

"Taking a command is always a great honor and very humbling experience," General Lofgren said. "It's something you always look forward to; it's a great feeling."
In his first interview at the 380th AEW, the general laid out his three major priorities for his command.

The first priority is taking care of the people. He said optimizing working and living conditions will allow us to more effectively accomplish the mission.

"There are some things we can do to improve our living arrangements so we can reduce the burden on our facilities, which are strained by our occupancy" the general said. "That will go a long way in improving our living conditions."

The second is getting the mission done within the constraints we have, while looking for ways to be more effective and efficient. We want to make the base better, General Lofgren said.

His third priority is working closely with our host nation to improve the relationship, and as a result provide for the common defense of freedom and values we all cherish, the general said.

General Lofgren played football for the Air Force Academy, and he used a sports analogy to explain his leadership style, all encapsulated in the word "TEAM," which stands for teammates, excellence, attitude, and mission.

"I think of us as one big team, all focused on trying to get the same thing accomplished," he said. "Everyone on the team is valuable. Everyone must be able to do his or her job to the best of his or her ability if we are going to succeed."

He said, that with the turnover we have here, it's important to get our new teammates (recent arrivals) into the fold and get them rocking and rolling right away.

"I'm big on excellence. That's what has made us world famous as an Air Force," he said. "We strive for excellence every single day. Focusing on excellence makes a difference because we can rely on even the most junior Airman to the senior NCO, to the officer, knowing they are each going to do their jobs to the best of their abilities, no matter if someone is looking or not. That's what it's all about."

The general said he is a big fan of a "can do" attitude.

"My father told me 'can't' people don't ever accomplish anything but 'can do' people really do have an impact," General Lofgren said. "People with a great attitude motivate everyone around them; therefore, we all get more intense about what we're doing. Let's get everybody's attitude right. When everyone has a great attitude, it's a much more enjoyable place to work and we're more effective in getting things done.

"We have a very important mission here," he added. "There are many people in Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas that are counting on us to accomplish our mission so they can come home safely just as we can come home safely. My goal is to ensure everybody understands they are part of a great TEAM and they know why we're here."

General Lofgren said he is truly excited to be here and looks forward to getting out, meeting everyone and patting them on the back for all the hard work they are doing. He wants to remind everyone that what we do here is extremely important.