Maj. Gen. Shanahan's views, priorities for Beale AFB, 25th AF

by Airman 1st Class Ramon A. Adelan
9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs

10/22/2014 - 9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs -- Maj. Gen. John Shanahan, 25th Air Force commander, visited Beale Air Force Base, Calif., Oct. 14 to 18 and spoke about the re-designation of the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Agency to the 25th AF and the new additions to the numbered air force.

The 25th AF now includes the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., and the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., which were re-aligned from the 12th AF Sept. 29.

"I couldn't be more excited to have Beale and the 9th RW as part of the 25th AF," Shanahan said. "I've looked at this for many years; how can we bring all of this together? The 55th and 9th wings bring so much capability."

The re-designation allows 25th AF, realigned under Air Combat Command, to focus on ISR, electronic warfare, airborne national command and control, nuclear detection and treaty monitoring, targeting and analysis operations. The NAF will provide decision advantage from those operations, through ACC, to joint commanders, national leaders and coalition partners.

Shanahan said the 25th AF is not the same as other NAFs; it is slightly different and has a twist to it.

"What's going to make the 25th AF look a little bit different than the other NAFs is that I have responsibilities to what we call the National Intelligence Community and the Combat Support Agencies, which are the National Security Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the Defense Intelligence Agency," Shanahan said. "Our NAF headquarters staff has to maintain that connection directly into those national agencies."

According to Shanahan, the realignment of the new NAF should be transparent to Airmen and their day to day operations.

Shanahan's top priorities for the NAF include focusing on personnel and the evolution of ISR. His goal is to be as immediate and efficient as possible when supporting combatant commanders with ISR.

"First and foremost is taking care of Airmen and their families," Shanahan said. "My philosophy is pretty simple, if you take care of people, the people will get the mission done, and they will do it exceptionally well."

In addition, Shanahan's next priority is to begin to reorient, refocus and reset how missions are carried out. The big part of his focus is how to train for a different kind of fight in the future and bring all other intelligence disciplines together in a more integrated way.