ANG senior leaders gather for Executive Safety Summit

by Master Sgt. Marvin R. Preston
Air National Guard Readiness Center Public Affairs

5/14/2014 - VOLK FIELD COMBAT READINESS TRAINING CENTER, Wis. -- Safety, diversity and the new Air Force Inspection System were among topics highlighted and discussed among adjutants general, wing commanders, command chief master sergeants and others Guard leaders at a recent conference here.

More than 300 Air National Guard senior leaders and safety experts met at the Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center May 13-14 for the ANG's 2014 Executive Safety Summit.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Stanley E. Clarke III, director of the Air National Guard, Air Force Maj. Gen. Kurt F. Neubauer, Air Force chief of safety, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., and commander, Air Force Safety Center, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico., Air Force Maj. Gen. Donald P. Dunbar, Wisconsin adjutant general and Air Force Maj. Gen. Gregory J. Schwab, ANG assistant to the Commander, Air Combat Command, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, among the guest speakers.

"The return on investment of this conference is what you do after you leave here with the information you have," said Clarke.

This year's theme, "Don't Let Your Guard Down," framed the two-day meeting and served as a backdrop for Safety Summit attendees.

The tone of the summit was set by Air Force Col. Edward Vaughan, director of safety for the Air Guard, who slowly chronicled mishaps and the Airmen lost in the last year.

"It makes no difference if it's on a stat or on a slide, when we lose an Airman. It's personal," said Vaughan. "Airplanes are probably the most expensive asset we have, but Airmen are the most valuable asset we have."

The culture and diversity breakout discussed how a sound program of inclusion and culture enhances organizations.

"Wing commanders are faced with so many challenges in today's environment, especially with budgetary constraints," said Col. Shirley Raguindin, director of ANG Diversity. "When you utilize diversity as leadership strategy, especially for wing commanders, they will take with them improved mission operations and readiness and it also provides transparency to the organization so they'll be able to make better decisions."

The Safety Summit also served as a platform to discuss the new Air Force Inspection System.

In short, AFIS allows organizational leadership the opportunity to concentrate on enhancing mission efficiency and effectiveness daily without having to ramp up for occasional inspections.

The new AFIS will greatly enhance and affect safety within Air Force organizations.

"The [AFIS] system gives an opportunity to commanders now, to have more of a role in terms of compliance and culture within their organization," said Col. Doug Slocum, ANG inspector general. "With a decentralized system where they are the inspectors, it's empowering them to have more influence than they ever had before."

The ability to have adjutants general, wing commanders, command chief master sergeants and other senior leaders in the same room to talk about safety is immeasurable.

"To have all the senior leaders from the Guard in one place, at one time to talk exclusively about safety for an entire day is an unprecedented opportunity," added Slocum. "We've had an enduring [safety] rate that's about half that of our active duty counterparts."