MAY 1, 2024 – The auditorium was filled to capacity with instructor pilots, students and support personnel from across the 14th Flying Training Wing. The loud competing conversations were suddenly silenced by the entry of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi, as they walked onto the Kaye Auditorium stage.
“What do we have now?” asked Allvin to the room full of Airmen. “And how do we make it as ready as possible for the potential threat that is out there?”
Allvin and Flosi visited Columbus Air Force Base on April 25-26 to meet with Airmen and discuss their vision of tomorrow’s Air Force.
During an all-call, Allvin and Flosi addressed Great Power Competition and the importance of a rapid mobile networked response to emerging threats while capitalizing on the effectiveness of existing resources.
“We have to change our mindset of how we’re optimizing in this era of Great Power Competition,” Allvin said.
Allvin then opened the floor to Airmen to share their areas of focus for mission readiness, quality of life and advancements in training.
Allvin and Flosi were asked how the Air Force can target areas for improvement while executing the new vision of reoptimization.
“There are always things we can improve,” Flosi said. “We want to re-instill a warrior ethos and a sense of purpose. We are asking leaders across the Air Force to look at ways to articulate the ‘why.’ What does it mean to be an Airman in the Profession of Arms?”
Columbus AFB Airmen contribute daily to the strategic importance of agile combat employment through the production of new pilots and deployment ready forces.
“Find ways to make us more lethal and ready today,” Flosi said. “The time is now.”
Through innovations in training such as the Fighter/Bomber Fundamentals course, Task Force 14, mid-tier device simulators and joint exercise training for the 14th Medical Group and 14th Security Forces Squadron with local, state and federal agencies, the 14th FTW is able to produce mission ready Airmen as envisioned by the principals of agile combat employment.
“We have to start moving forward and adjust on the fly,” Allvin said. “The pace of change is something we need to remind ourselves that we need to stay on the cutting edge of, because whoever can adapt to that fastest will win.”
By Second Lt. Douglas Armstrong
14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs