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380AEW Article

Honorable Duehring calls for input from deployed Airmen

  • Published
  • By Capt. Martin Gerst
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The Honorable Craig Duehring, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Washington, D.C. met with Airmen here to discuss important issues affecting them as he made another stop on his tour of the deployed theater Wednesday.

Mr. Duehring, met with several Air Force Active Duty, Guard and Reserve members deployed to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing and discussed several topics including deployment cycles, manpower cuts, Air Force end-strength, and the new Airman Battle Uniform.

Mr. Duehring's a political appointee who heads a four-division department that deals at the policy level with Air Force manpower and Reserve affairs issues. The purpose of his visit was to gather information on deployments and effects they have on Airmen.

"As an enlisted representative for my unit, I was able to express my concerns about current ABU design," said Master Sgt Keith Custer, 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron First Sergeant. "Specifically, I addressed the weight of the material and its non-suitability to this environment."

Airmen raised concerns about the increasing length and frequency of deployments. And some Guard members were concerned about the impact on them in filling those requirements and being able to maintain their jobs at home when called to active duty.

"Our goal is flexibility," said Mr. Duehring. "If we don't meet their needs, they're not going to be able to meet ours."

"It was definitely a good forum to up-channel information from the field to key leadership," said Senior Master Sgt. Arris Hill, 380th ESFS.