Chief Cody talks Air Force with AFGSC Airmen

by Airman 1st Class Curt Beach
2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs

10/27/2015 - BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La.  -- Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody visited here Oct. 21-22. During his stay, the 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs office asked the chief some questions about various Air Force topics.

While visiting the 2nd BW, host installation to Air Force Global Strike Command headquarters, Cody spoke of what he hopes to see from the newly-realigned command, after it grew in size and capability with the addition of the 7th BW from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, 28th BW from Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, and 377th Air Base Wing from Kirtland AFB, New Mexico.

"The expectation for Global Strike Airmen is to continue doing the great work they have been doing," said Cody. "The realignment doesn't affect the expectations of the Airmen. This helps us continue to reach our vision of strengthening the nuclear enterprise. Bringing all of our resources together in a consolidated way helps us present this capability globally. It creates a lot of synergy, unity and it gives us more opportunities to bring our experts together to learn from one another, share ideas and enhance training opportunities in a more cohesive way."

Being at one of the homes to the B-52 Stratofortress, the chief touched on the capabilities of the bomber and what it brings to the fight.

"We have the Continuous Bomber Presence in the Pacific region, and the B-52s are a significant part of that," he said. "It certainly remains a very powerful weapon system and is a symbol to the American people, our allies and our would-be enemies of American air power. Of course it's also a very old aircraft and we do have to modernize here if we want to continue to be dominant in the future."

As budget cuts reduce the U.S. Air Force to the smallest size in its history, Cody spoke to how military benefits may or may not be affected.

"There is no appetite within Air Force leadership for any reduction in benefits. We have been pretty vocal about that. That doesn't mean we don't believe we need to modernize in some areas. We are in significantly constrained times, and any time you are in this type of environment all of these things are going to be on the table for discussion. We've made some significant changes to sustain the force in a way we think is reasonable, but again there is no appetite to reduce benefits. There is however, a significant appetite to provide quality things that are considered needed for our Airmen and their families."

The chief then spoke about the new Enlisted Evaluation System and the challenges that lie ahead.

"I don't think we are done. We are still in the midst of this transition to the new enlisted evaluation system and the changes to the promotion system," he said. "We still have quite a bit of work to do here for full implementation and then normalization. Implementation doesn't mean normalization - it means that we have gone through the process, and now we have a lot to learn as we continue to execute it to make sure we are meeting our intended goals. We are going to stay focused on that."

Before setting off, Cody offered some parting words.

"I certainly appreciate any time that we are out with our Airmen," said Cody. "I appreciate the opportunity to thank them and their families for what they do every day for our air force. Everybody is working really hard and it's evident that they are working hard and the results are the most significant validation of that."