ACC Chief Visits

  • Published
  • By by Airman 1st Class Stephen Linch
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  In today's lighter, leaner Air Force, Airmen need to be ready regardless of their particular piece of the mission set, said Chief Master Sgt. Stephen Sullens, the Air Combat Command command chief, to about 40 senior non-commissioned officer inductees during his visit to Whiteman Aug. 21-23. 

"If they are not the mission is going to fail, that is just the simple math of our force being so much smaller," Chief Sullens said. 

"... the quickest way to lose our credibility as a service and not be ready is to not follow our standards, disciplines, our technical orders, our Air Force Instructions and policies and procedures," he said. 

An expeditious way to fail is to start breaking down those discipline models, he added. 

"We have had several examples here lately where that happened in various places in our Air Force and we all who wear the U.S. Air Force name tape suffered some credibility because it," he added. 

Talking about how to fix this, he said, "Be ready, know your job, do your job, be capable of doing your job and make sure your attitude is right to do your job. The other thing is be disciplined while you do it, follow procedures guidance and policies. 

"(Leadership) will provide you the training and tools to walk through that door and be successful if you choose to do it," he added. 

"In our service we do not need people who know how to blindly follow orders, although sometimes that is appropriate," Chief Sullens said. "More often than not, we need innovative and creative thinkers that come up with new ideas and look through things through a different filter. 

"Don't sacrifice your individualism trying to be something that you think we are trying to build you into," he said. "You bring with you unique skills and talents, and those individual differences are diversity that gives us strength that other militaries lack." 

With that challenge on the table, the chief laid out his expectations for the 37 soon-to-be senior NCOs. 

"I have expectation when I look at a master sergeant, but a more relevant view is what Airmen expect when they look at a master sergeant," Chief Sullens said. "Cause that is what we are trying to bring out; we are trying to make them more effective and more credible in their eyes so that when they see them you want to go out and draw fire behind that NCO. 

"We want that Airmen to believe they are going to be able to get you to the field of battle and home in a safe and secure manner just the way you went out, just with a little more experience." 

Senior NCOs really take that commanders intent and vision and turn into execution power on a tactical level, he said. 

In addition to speaking at the SNCO induction, Chief Sullens saw the mission first hand while interacting with 509th Airmen. He used this opportunity to re-emphasize the Air Combat Command commander's message and priorities. 

Air Combat Command's priority is people first, mission always, he said. 

"If we do that by taking care of you, your family the mission is going to get done so our people are first, our mission is always," the command chief explained. 

Whiteman's mission is one of utmost importance. 

"(This is an) extraordinary wing with and extraordinary mission, executing that mission at an extraordinary level," he said. "When those three come together at the same time it is perfect storm in a good way."