JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- “My job is people -- everyone is my business. I dedicate my time and energy to their needs; their health, morale, discipline and welfare. I grow in strength by strengthening my people. My job is done in faith; my people-built faith. The Air Force is my life; I share it with my people. I believe in the Air Force goal - We take care of our own; my job is people -- everyone is my business."
The First Sergeant's Creed reminds us that first sergeants centralize information on all readiness, health, morale, welfare and quality-of-life within an organization.
The rank of ‘first sergeant’ can be traced back to the Continental Army in 1781 and was introduced to the Air Force in 1949. This historical lineage highlights the importance and significance of the first sergeant’s role in military operations.
This year, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson hosted a three-day event, the first-ever Pacific Air Forces First Sergeant Readiness Summit. More than 100 first sergeants from various major commands came together to put first sergeant responsibilities into action and improve their combat readiness. They participated in hands-on training to build a strong warrior mindset and enhance leadership skills based on Agile Combat Employment concepts.
The event is intended to inspire a culture shift, redefining the first sergeant’s role in tomorrow’s fight. The goal for attendees is to take what they have learned here back to their respective MAJCOM or unit.
The summit planned a shift from a first sergeant’s traditional administrative support role to a frontline warfighting mindset. The ACE concept, which emphasizes the ability to rapidly deploy and operate in austere environments, allows the first sergeants to undergo practical expeditionary skills training, field exercises, and dynamic leadership scenarios embodying a warrior ethos. This hands-on experience gave them the confidence and skills to lead in an operationally limited environment.
The idea of the event originated from the inaugural Mission Command training at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Patrick Holmes, PACAF command first sergeant, commented that there was a shared recognition among the senior enlisted leaders that a first sergeant can make all the difference in a contested environment.
“We needed a forum to bring them together and give them additional tools to use as we look at how they are training and employed for future conflict,” Holmes stated. “JBER was chosen because it reflects the diversity and complexity of PACAF’s mission. As a joint installation with a strategic location in the Indo-Pacific theater, it embodies the integration and readiness that are core to our command.”
U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Sevin Balkuvvar, senior advisor to the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, emphasizes the roles of the first sergeants is nothing new; senior leadership are reinvigorating their roles to help commanders ensure their unit is ready.
“You have to open up your aperture from your daily duties and think what could happen and how are you going to respond as first sergeants,” Balkuvvar added. “What are you doing to prepare your unit? That is what I am asking each and every one of you to do from the readiness perspective.”
Built on the ACE principles of mission command, the summit is a platform for empowering first sergeants to exercise authority and judgment in line with their commander’s intent.
“First sergeants play a vital leadership and support role in Agile Combat Employment operations,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Steve Shirley, 3rd Maintenance Squadron first sergeant. “Their importance stems from their ability to maintain discipline, morale, readiness, especially in the dynamic, dispersed, and high-stress environments that ACE demands.”
At Camp Madbull, the first sergeants gained firsthand experience building a tent, setting up communication, securing the perimeter and in-processing personnel in a simulated spoke. The hands-on training tested their ability to lead in austere conditions and respond under pressure when their spoke came under attack. The experience underscored the critical role they play during contingency operations.
“[This summit] is a great reminder of how open-minded we must be…we can’t just stay in a box,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Amber Swearengen, 60th Security Forces Squadron from Travis Air Force Base, California. “Something like this helps put that perspective back into place, which is exactly what we need because, when we think about our future threats, our peer competition, we have to be prepared.”
Coming from an Air Mobility Command, Swearengen said the summit was an eye-opening experience because it allowed her to learn from her U.S. Indo-Pacific Command counterparts and how this will help future operations in the region from an AMC perspective.
In the exercise scenario, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Sam Weaver, 734th Air Mobility Squadron first sergeant from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, was learning how to set up the spoke and secure the airfield.
“This training allows us to understand the hub-and-spoke concept,” Weaver said. “My portion here is to fill in with security forces…we went out and identified fighting, defensive, and bug-out positions. In Guam, we train and build these concepts within our air mobility team, so it’s good to see it from PACAF’s perspective and how we will tie in together.”
In a contingency operation, the first sergeants play a role by organizing or leading the setup of forward operating sites, ensuring bed-down, safety and personnel accountability. They are also responsible for coordinating rapid deployment, reception, and redeployment processes, which are key components of ACE’s flexible force posture.
“As trusted advisors to commanders, first sergeants ensure vital concerns from the spoke reach leadership quickly, facilitating agile decision-making,” Shirley said. “They also clearly communicate command intent and expectations to Airmen, which is essential in fluid operational scenarios in highly contested environments.”