AFA chairman visits Elmendorf

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  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  The following is an interview coducted with Bob Largent, the Air Force Association chairman of the board July 16.

What is the Air Force Association?

Chartered in February 1946, the Air Force Association is actually a year-and-a-half older than the U.S. Air Force. The first 14 months of the Air Force's existence, the AFA worked at the grass-roots level to educate and advocate for the Air Force to be a separate service, culminating in 1947. My short story is, were there not an Air Force Association, there more than likely wouldn't be an Air Force.

The mission of the Air Force then, 62 plus years ago, is the same as it is today: to educate the public on the value of aerospace power; to advocate the use of that power as part of a strong national defense; and to support the Air Force and it's family.

That three-prong mission has risen our original charter. Today, with challenges facing the Air Force, our focus of those three priorities is to educate and advocate. Also, to ensure that the American public and the people elected to represent them understand that the Air Force is in the fight in the Global War on Terrorism.

The Air Force has been in more than 18 straight years of combat, no other service can say that. This force of more than 320,000 today is smaller than the Army/Air Force was on Dec. 6, 1941.

We're engaged in war with the smallest force and the oldest aircraft ever of any military service. The average age of our aircraft is more than 25 years old. We have bombers and tankers that are more than 50 years old. You wouldn't drive a 50-year-old car on the freeway at 55 miles per hour, but we ask the Air Force to fly KC-135 tankers at 500 miles per hour full of gas that are more than 50 years old.

What's not right about that equation? You wouldn't drive a car that way nor would any other American but we ask the Air Force to fly them. Our focus today is recapitalization, educating the public and advocating for weapons systems, people and resources to do the Air Force mission.

We are one of 35 professional military associations: Air Force Sergeants Association, Reserve Officer Association, Navy League and Association of the U.S. Army. We are the only association of those 35 that represents constituents from E-1 to O-10, active duty, reserve, guard, civilian, veteran and retiree. We are also the only one that looks beyond the quality of life. We're the only one that looks at the bigger picture, such as recapitalization of weapons systems, infrastructure, strategy, roles and missions. We look at the issues that impact our Airmen and our Air Force.

The new GI Bill passed last week, AFA started working on that some 11 years ago. The association took the lead for the professional military associations; it took 11 straight years to get it passed. We didn't do it alone. If fact, we worked very closely for the last 9-to-10 years with AFSA, ensuring this great benefit and quality of life activity could positively affect our Airmen.

How many members do you currently have in AFA?

Roughly 125,000 people and more than 200 chapters around the world are in AFA. Two chapters in Europe, one in the Pacific and the rest are in the U.S. We're organized from local chapters and communities and then state organizations in 40 of the 50 states.

There are 14 regions, and then the national board of directors and staff. I am among the 70 individuals in Washington, D.C., who work as a volunteer for AFA. The president and chief executive officer, Mike Dunn, run the affairs of the association day-to-day. This means working with the Pentagon, Capitol Hill, industry, major events and working membership issues for our constituents.

What was the specific reason for your visit?

As the chairman of the board of the Air Force Association, I was invited by the chief of staff to visit Air Force units and organizations around the world. Each year, we visit PACAF and USAFE. I've now been to PACAF twice and USAFE twice and the AOR (Southwest Asia). I went to the AOR about this time in 2006, visiting six installations while I was there. I was invited by [Gen. T. Michael Mosley, former Air Force chief of staff] and [Gen. Carrol H. "Howie" Chandler, Pacific Air Forces commander] to PACAF to go out and look at the quality of life issues and the operational issues that affect our Air Force. This enables us to carry the message back to the public and to congress about the work that our Air Force is doing.

In other words, we're coming out here to gain creditability. When I go to Capitol Hill to testify or talk to a rotary club in Minot, N.D., I'm doing that with the knowledge that I've been to PACAF, I've talked about and seen the joint-basing issues, I've worked with the F-22, I've worked with the C-17, I've visited with young Airmen at the NCO academy, I've visited with senior officers, I've visited with civilians and I've visited with community leaders to give us a real appreciation of what's happening out here in our Air Force.

On this trip, I've visited PACAF headquarters, the 15th Wing and the Air National Guard in Hawaii and the 36th Wing. Here I've visited headquarters 11th Air Force, Alaskan Command and the 3rd Wing and the 176th Wing of the guard this morning. I'm going to Eielson where I'll visit the 354th Fighter Wing and the 168th. Visiting these bases gives the association to go back into the educated and advocate role and to know where we should support the Air Force and the Air Force families.

So, it's a very important, real time, real world look at what needs to be done in our service. It's a great opportunity to carry back the message, especially to the public. A typical American is not aware that the Air Force is engaged in the Global War of Terrorism, that we have aircraft in the skies flying more than 300 sorties a day in direct support of the Global War of Terrorism. No one knows we still have aircraft sitting alert and intercepting for Operation Noble Eagle. ONE is something that basically the public doesn't understand. Most do not know that it's a requirement for the defense of our United States.

What are the challenges that our Air Force faces today and what roles does the AFA have in helping confront these challenges?

I think the challenges the Air Force Association see are no different than the top priorities of the Air Force and we do not disagree with them. Recapitalization of an aging fleet, winning the Global War of Terrorism and taking care of the Air Force and Air Force family.
Our impact ability requires us to get out and tell that story again to the public and congress with some very real specifics. Since we are not the Air Force, we can say the things that the uniformed military cannot.

Overall, I think our focus is on ensuring the public and congress gets the message of the Air Force.

What is the key message that you want to convey to the Airmen here at Elmendorf?

Senior leadership of the Air Force, civilian and military, and pro-Air Force supporters really do understand the sacrifices that our airmen in the 3rd Wing are making to win the Global War of Terrorism. Our goal is to make sure the rest of the world knows it. Even though Elmendorf isn't in the sandbox, the missions that are performed here are crucial to the defense of our country and our national interests. I had an opportunity to have breakfast and lunch with all ranks and it was particularly pleasing to hear, see and feel the patriotism, the dedication and the professionalism that the airmen here at the 3rd Wing are bringing to the fight each and every day. I know there are 150 plus deployed direct to the area of responsibility, everybody here is involved in that mission. The throughput capability with the 3rd Wing is just phenomenal.