AURORA, Colo. (AFNS) —
Senior enlisted leaders from the U.S. Air Drive and U.S. House Drive mentioned the evolving function of enlisted personnel in power growth, mission readiness and management on the Air and House Forces Affiliation Warfare Symposium, March 5.
Chief Grasp Sgt. of the House Drive Jon Bentivegna and Chief Grasp Sgt. of the Air Drive David Flosi mentioned key challenges and methods to arrange enlisted personnel of their respective army providers for future conflicts.
Bentivegna opened the dialogue by emphasizing the significance of adaptability because the House Drive modernizes to fulfill evolving threats. He mentioned enlisted Guardians play a central function in shaping the service’s warfighting capabilities and known as for a tradition of innovation.
“What we did yesterday will not be going to succeed as we speak,” he mentioned. “We want modern Guardians considering exterior the field, questioning assumptions, and evolving our service on the tactical stage.”
Bentivegna pointed to flashpoint workouts, house flag simulations and technical growth summits as key avenues for refining expertise and bettering operations.
Shifting the main focus to management and id, Flosi underscored the need of reinforcing the Air Drive’s warrior ethos. He framed army service as a dedication to values past the person, citing integrity, service and excellence as the muse of an Airman’s id.
He started by describing the historical past of “warrior ethos.”
“At first, the Spartans clearly established a Warrior Ethos important for his or her survival and the survival of their society. Their tradition was constructed on the mindset that the query wasn’t ‘What number of are the enemy,’ however ‘The place are they?’” Flosi mentioned. “This Warrior Ethos, ingrained from start, laid the muse for a Occupation of Arms and a warrior tradition.”
He then described how army providers as we speak have tailored the Spartan warrior ethos.
“Over time, that ethos has advanced, however stays foundational to what we do as we speak,” Flosi mentioned. “We deliver folks from all around the world into an all-volunteer, skilled power – centered on our core values, to be essentially the most disciplined and deadly flying power on the earth.”
Flosi additionally pressured that self-discipline and accountability are important for sustaining mission readiness and making certain an efficient power, citing requirements and preventable accidents that resulted within the lack of 47 Airmen and $1.5 billion in belongings over 2023 and 2024. He mentioned such losses reinforce the need of clear, enforceable and persistently utilized requirements.
Constructing on the theme of power growth, Bentivegna addressed ongoing efforts throughout the House Drive to restructure profession paths and emphasize warfighting expertise. He mentioned enlisted personnel should be educated to tackle management roles at each stage, as operational success relies on a extremely expert and adaptable workforce.
“We’re aligning our profession construction to make sure Guardians have the abilities and expertise needed to guide, even at junior ranks,” he mentioned.
Because the dialogue turned towards strategic readiness, Flosi outlined the Air Drive’s evolving strategy to coaching in response to world threats, significantly within the Indo-Pacific. He mentioned conventional deployment fashions are now not adequate in an more and more contested atmosphere and emphasised the shift towards built-in coaching and agile fight employment.
“The way in which we used to choose up and go in a largely uncontested atmosphere is not going to work within the Indo-Pacific theater,” Flosi mentioned. “We at the moment are coaching, qualifying, exercising, and certifying collectively at house station, making certain that our Airmen are prepared earlier than they deploy.”
Bentivegna emphasised the need for flexibility, particularly throughout the House Drive, the place technological developments and operational calls for require fixed adaptation. He acknowledged that the service should undertake a mindset of steady change and enchancment.
“We’ve to be snug with being uncomfortable,” he mentioned. “General Saltzman [Chief of Space Operations] typically says the House Drive is sort of a shark—if it stops transferring, it dies. We can not afford to stagnate.”
Because the dialogue got here to an in depth, Flosi pressured the necessity for leaders to stay centered regardless of exterior distractions. He acknowledged mission priorities should keep clear, and Airmen shouldn’t lose sight of their duties.
“We’re wingmen, we’re leaders, we’re warriors, we’re within the Occupation of Arms. We should give attention to our predominant factor – the lethality and readiness of our power – to protect choices for our Nation.”
Bentivegna underlined the significance of enlisted personnel actively collaborating in shaping the way forward for their branches. He acknowledged their contributions as we speak would set up the long run legacy of their providers.
“We’re constructing a basis for generations to come back,” Bentivegna mentioned. “The challenges forward shall be robust, however they are going to be rewarding.”
Flosi concluded by highlighting the significance of dedication and professionalism in army service.
“You solely get one probability to be an Airman,” he mentioned. “We should deliver 100% to the battle daily, making certain we’re prepared when our nation calls.”
