15th Wing Public Affairs
8/21/2013 - JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- More than 300 members of Team Hickam had the opportunity to hear from two of the top Air Force leaders at an Airman's Call here Aug. 19.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody met with wing Airmen to discuss current issues affecting readiness and the future of the Air Force.
During the all-call Welsh and Cody emphasized the importance of taking care of one another, getting the mission accomplished and developing tomorrow's leaders.
"Great people, which we have, plus pride, which we will always need, equals performance," said Welsh. "In our business, performance is the bottom line. There's only one bottom line for us. Our job is to fight and win the nation's wars ... and we will never get the performance we need if we don't treat our Airmen well--If we don't foster that pride that keeps them at the top of their game."
Welsh said there are three essential elements for mission success.
"Take common sense, add better communication and then mix in the most important ingredient which is caring about our people, the mission and the future ... and we win," he said.
Chief Cody also highlighted the importance of having resilient Airmen.
"The resiliency we have as a community is linked to how connected we are to each other," he said. "I always say it only takes about 90 seconds to connect in a meaningful way and to get that tight-knit relationship that's built on trust and mutual respect. If we have that with each other we'll get through anything."
In addition to resiliency, Cody said Airmen should frequently ask themselves three questions.
"Every day you should understand where you are at in winning the fight, what you are doing to strengthen the team and how you are shaping the future," he said.
Cody said Airmen should also look at ongoing changes to the force structure in a positive light.
"Don't look at change in a negative way, look at it as the evolution of our force ... of how we will make ourselves stronger and sustainable into the future," he said.
Cody advised Airmen to stay focused on what's most important--the mission and the people.
"We have phenomenal things going on and each and every one of you is part of those phenomenal things," he said. "We do the work that our nation needs us to do every single day despite all the limiting factors that seem to be put in front of us at any given moment. But that doesn't mean we can lose sight .... I do believe our strength, and where we need to continue to strengthen this team, is how we connect with each other."
Welsh thanked Hickam Airmen and their families for their service and gave his assessment on the current state of the Air Force: "Operationally we rock," he said. "We're unbelievably good at everything we're doing."
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