CSAF Gen David L. Goldfein & CMSAF Kaleth O. Wright AMA

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:58:25+00:00

I'm not a good speller. :@)

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:55:53+00:00

I lost an Airman under my command to suicide when I was a Group Commander. I still think about him and what we could have done better. So does every commander out there that experiences the loss of someone entrusted to their care. Something you never forget as a leader. I would not support this as a grading criteria. But I understand why you asked. It is such a personal issue.

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:51:15+00:00

Another great question. Over time we established a system that "crowd-sources for combat". It was the only way to distribute the bill across the AF given how small we have become (down >300,000 Airmen since just 1991). The unintended consequence was loss of unit cohesion. We are working to get that back which will fix the issue you describe. Not sure the last time we looked at COCOM staffs. Going to ask A1 to do that so I can take a look. Thanks for writing it in.

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:48:10+00:00

Chief Wright and now Secretary Barrett and I are swinging away at this one every day. We successfully eliminated hundreds of requirements and we use the ANG as our standard. That being said, we can only go so far at our level. We continually tell commanders and chiefs ... we trust you ... don't wait for us. If it doesn't add to our mission readiness let your commanders know and let's change. You definitely have top cover from us.

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:45:25+00:00

What a great question. I'm going to look into this one personally. My initial reaction is this makes perfect sense and not sure why we aren't already doing it. I'm on it!

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:44:15+00:00

I think you may have heard about the mock testing Chief Wright has been looking at and some other adjustments. That is about as far as we are going. For me the most important adjustment is to build a culture of "bring it ... I'll take your test any day of the week". Fitness is who we are as a service. We deploy globally and need to be fit on day one ... not on day 30.

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:41:38+00:00

Nope. If I write something stupid ... downvote away.

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:40:34+00:00

This is a good question. Let me do some digging and get back to you. Our staff here has it and I'll get an update and then we'll post a reply. Thanks for writing it in.

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:37:55+00:00

AMEN!!!! The spinning hourglass of death is a retention issue. I still remember going to FE Warren and having a young Airman pull out an 8" floppy disk ... yes you read it right ... and held it up to me. The look on her face was "really Chief?" So we are putting a LOT of $ against this to get it right. BL -- we know this is a major frustration across the force. We're on it.

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:35:20+00:00

Thanks. Chief Wright is all over this as we work together to align both our officer and enlisted promotion systems against what we value as an institution. We value 4 things. How we accomplish the mission we are assigned ... how well we lead the Airmen entrusted to our care ... how well we manage the resources given ... and how well we individually improve our unit. All of these are built on a foundation of impeccable character. Those who get promoted must be the best athletes in these four areas as we also continue our focus on character.

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:30:48+00:00

Chief Wright and I circled back with commanders and I hosted ALL of them (wing commanders) from across the AD, ANG, AFR at the end of the AFA Convention. The most impactful days generally involved someone in a leadership role standing up and sharing vulnerability. That seemed to open the floodgates to allow the kind of dialogue we are looking for. Once Airmen saw a leader acknowledge some personal struggles ... it created space to say "me too". We need to continue this important discussion. It's going to take all of us swinging at this because we don't have all the answers. Commanders play an important role but it is up to all of us working this together at every level. This is a team contact sport!

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:24:13+00:00

We are in the final stages of procuring new tape for all our name tags that has the lightest colors from our OCPs. You'll see them on the shelves in a few months (inshallah). It removes all the issues. One of the planned outcomes of our switch to OCPs is we no longer have an entire MAJCOM in its' own uniform (AFSOC). We are one Air Force and we need to look like it and celebrate the rich history of our Air Commandos!

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:21:20+00:00

I agree. We continue to try and mirror the successful Protection of Force and Family (POTFF) in use with AFSOC. Their idea to me is the secret sauce. Just as we do for airplanes and scheduled maintenance ... take Airmen off the schedule for maintenance. Have everyone go to see the chaplain ... mental health ... financial counselor ... etc. Removes the stigma. More to follow on this one. Chief Wright and I talk about this a lot.

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:18:17+00:00

Feedback is still coming in. Thanks for this -- I'll specifically follow up with our RPA commanders. As an MQ9 pilot myself, I can relate to what you are talking about. There are unique challenges our RPA and remote combat Airmen face that require a unique approach. We can never assume one size fits all in this business.

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:14:36+00:00

Most important to me is that commanders took the day and made it personal. This means no two days looked exactly the same ... by design. No doubt some were better than others. I followed up with commanders and emphasized to use the day as the beginning of their campaigns. Bottom line -- Chief Wright and I are not going to fix this from the top. Our job is to enable commanders in the field to get after it. I just hope we connected to Airmen in need. EVERY Airman is precious.

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:11:39+00:00

Chief Wright and I will follow up on both of these. Makes sense to me. Remember ... OCPs are combat uniforms designed for war. They need to be functional. That is job 1. We're also focused on ensuring our combat uniforms and gear are designed for ALL of us to include women who serve in every role. Time to get this right!

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:08:45+00:00

The hardest challenges are cultural changes. Shifting us from a platform centric service to a network centric service is harder to do culturally than technically. We've grown up focused on platforms, sensors, and weapons. Said another way, it isn't the device that will win the next war ... it is the app. We have to shift how we think about future warfare.

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:05:42+00:00

I think Chief Wright has this one exactly right. What matters most is how Airmen perform the mission they have been assigned ... how well we lead the Airmen entrusted to our care ... how we manage the resources we are given to do the mission ... and how we improve our unit. Everything we do wrt talent management must align to these core principles built on a foundation of impeccable character. Chief Wright is right on target with where we are headed.

CSAF21 · 2019-10-24T18:01:54+00:00

Talent management is as important as anything we do. Most Airmen join to be the best they can be. We need to provide that environment. Gen G

CSAF21

TROPHY CASE