SecAF visits wing, sees capabilities of Airmen

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jared Marquis
  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Michael W. Wynne made his first trip to Alaska last week as the Secretary of the Air Force. 

His visit served two purposes; the first was to visit Alaskan Airmen and see the capabilities Alaska has to offer the Air Force. The second was to attend the 3rd Wing Change of Command, where Col. Thomas Tinsley, former senior aid to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, assumed responsibility for Alaska's largest wing.

During his visit, Secretary Wynne got the opportunity to see first hand the vast training ranges Alaska has to offer via a familiarization flight in an F-15 from his West Point roommate's daughter, Maj. Carey Jones, 19th Fighter Squadron.

"I have known the Wynne's since I was in fourth grade... their class is a very close class and his classmates are almost like family." said Major Jones.

The fact that she was flying the secretary was less nerve-racking to her than flying her father's friend. She said that this was the closest she'd ever get to flying her dad, so she was a bit nervous.

The secretary said his first flight in a high performance fighter was awesome and cemented his belief that Alaska is the future training environment of Air Force fighters like the F-22 and F-35.

"We are now recognizing that Alaskan airspace is just the right kind of airspace to really test our high performance fighters," Secretary Wynne said.

Secretary Wynne spoke about the vastness of Alaska and the benefits it offers. He also added that the location of Alaska is strategic for the Air Force.

"The budgets over the years have focused on the ground force engagement we've been in. We've been really struggling to make sure we understood the strategic nature of the Air Force. Alaska certainly has a strategic sense about it, in that if you turn the world on its head and look at it as a centerpiece, we know that Alaska is closer to Japan than New York," said the secretary.

In addition to the opportunities Alaska offers, the secretary spoke about the future of the Air Force. He said that the Air Force is looking toward the future and how to remain the most effective Air Force in the world. The primary way of doing that, he said, is to recapitalize our equipment.

"Congress has basically told us that we are going to either get smaller to pay for our recapitalization, or our equipment will continue to get older," he said. "To do that, we are going to risk forecasting that we are going to have higher reliability and more capable aircraft and satellites and we are going to have to posture ourselves for success. That does mean a smaller Air Force."

In order to help make that a reality, today's Airmen have a responsibility.

"It's the duty of every Airman to make sure future Airmen are as competent and capable as today's Airman against tomorrow's enemy," he said.

The secretary also said that the recapitalization of the force is long overdue.

"I think when the wall came down and we all declared peace dividends was when we should have been sharpening our technologies and making sure we were getting ready for a different future," he said.

"When I left the Air Force in 1973, all our assets were about 8-1/2 to 9 years old, when I came back in November of 2005 all our assets were 23 years old. I knew immediately from my time in industry, you absolutely have to recapitalize your assets. Technology is moving onwards, time is moving onwards and we cannot let ourselves get overtaken. We owe it to the American people," he said.

Working toward tomorrow's Air Force is not going to be an easy task for todays Airmen, said the secretary, but he does not doubt their abilities.

"It is a burden on the people because we are forecasting how many people we are going to need in 2015 with the new equipment. But it isn't 2015, it's only 2007. That bridge between here and there is going to have to be built on the talent, innovation and agility of the current stock of Airman and they are up to the task."