NOVEMBER 9, 2022 – Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall visited Joint Base San Antonio to meet with leaders across Air Education and Training Command, Air Force Personnel Center, Air Force Installation Management Support Command and Sixteenth Air Force Nov. 4 and 5.
Joint Base San Antonio is not only the largest joint base but is also the “Gateway to the Air Force” and home to the Air Force’s Basic Military Training, which hosts graduations every week, generating the force the Air Force requires.
Kendall, as presiding official, celebrated the graduation of 570 of the Air Force’s newest Airmen and provided the oath of enlistment.
“You may notice that these Airmen are no longer the same people you knew seven-and-a-half weeks ago,” Kendall said. “I remember that transformation in my own son when he completed basic training shortly before deploying to Iraq. It was hard to believe that so much had changed, and changed for the better, in such a short time.”
Kendall, alongside AETC senior leaders, also had the opportunity to chat with graduates, family members and military training instructors about the roles each played in shaping the future of the Air Force.
“You are now a part of our decisive advantage in this strategic competition. Our enemies are deterred by the professional, disciplined, valued, empowered and well-equipped joint force of men and women committed to the ideas of liberty and democracy,” he said.
From the first steps of active-duty service for enlisted Airmen to the professional military education and training of every Airman, Kendall was treated to a closer look at AETC’s wide-ranging mission set.
“Every day our Air Force leaders are challenging the force to pursue developments in training, technology and cultural norms, in order to ready the Department of Defense for high-end competition,” said Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, commander of AETC.
“At AETC, we clearly understand how vital education and training is to every Airman’s career. From continuous and iterative military training and education to our unique special warfare capabilities, we pride ourselves in keeping the heartbeat of innovation and advancement alive and well in every facet of the enterprise.”
By Capt. Scarlett Trujillo
Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs