President Announces Hagel’s Resignation as Defense Secretary

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jake Richmond

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Nov. 24, 2014 – Praising Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s “class and integrity,” President Barack Obama announced today at the White House that Hagel will leave his post.

The president said Hagel has agreed to remain in his position until a successor is nominated and confirmed. For that, Obama said, he is “extraordinarily lucky and grateful.”

“When I asked Chuck to serve as secretary of defense, we were entering a significant period of transition,” Obama said. That transition included the drawdown in Afghanistan, the need to prepare our forces for future missions, and tough fiscal choices to keep our military strong and ready.

Last month, Obama said, Hagel came to him to discuss the final quarter of his presidency. It was then that Hagel initially determined that, having guided the department through this transition, it was an appropriate time for him to complete his service, the president added.

A Steady Hand

“Over nearly two years, Chuck has been an exemplary defense secretary,” Obama said, crediting Hagel for providing a steady hand during the modernization of the administration’s strategy and budget to meet long-term threats, while still responding to immediate challenges such as ISIL and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Hagel said he is “immensely proud” of what the department has accomplished during his tenure.

“I believe we have set not only this department, the Department of Defense, but the nation on a stronger course toward security, stability and prosperity,” the secretary said.

Privileged to Serve

Hagel called his opportunity to serve as defense secretary the “greatest privilege of my life.”

In the meantime, Hagel said, “I will stay on this job and work just as hard as I have over the last couple of years, every day, every moment, until my successor is confirmed by the United States Senate.”

The United States of America can proudly claim the strongest military the world has ever known, Obama said.

“That’s the result of the investments made over many decades, the blood and treasure and sacrifices of many generations,” he said. “It’s the result of the character and wisdom of those who lead them as well, including a young Army sergeant in Vietnam who rose to serve as our nation’s 24th secretary of defense.”

Face of Defense: Brothers Bring Out Best in Each Other

By Air Force Staff Sgt. Natasha Stannard

633rd Air Base Wing

JOINT BASE LANGLEY EUSTIS, Va., Nov. 24, 2014 – Growing up in Athens, Texas, in a single-income home didn't leave Juan Antonio and his brother, Antonio Antonio, much to fall back on, but they never dwelled on what they didn't have. They just did the best with what they had, which was each other.

"There have been many things that we have been through [that] not many others experience, but no matter what the struggle was, we overcame it," Juan said.

They overcame difficulties not only by sticking together, but also by setting goals and helping each other achieve them.

"I was focused on school and doing well," Juan said. "I stayed away from bad people and doing drugs. I just wanted to be a good person."

Setting an Example

Juan said he knew he had to set an example for his younger brother, so he worked diligently through schooling to get his bachelor's degree in business administration. Through term papers, tests and hours of homework, Juan still helped and pushed Antonio to achieve the same.

"He helped me through my high school years," Antonio said. "If I got in trouble or in a situation where I needed help, I always went to him. I respect him a lot. He's my older brother, my only brother -- he's the person I look up to the most."

About six months after Juan received his bachelor's degree, the brothers went for a goal they had dreamed up a few years back: they joined the Air Force.

"He was always that person I looked up to -- that partner in life," Antonio said of his brother. "I thought if he could do it, I could do it, so I joined."

Juan joined in the “open-general” category and shipped off for basic military training first, willing and ready to accept any job posting that met the Air Force’s needs. Antonio waited a few months for his desired job to become available.

Orders to Langley Air Force Base

After graduating from technical training school and while his brother was in basic training, Juan received orders to Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, where he now works as a senior airman in the 633rd Force Support Squadron. A few months later, Antonio -- who expected to go overseas -- got orders to the 439th Supply Chain Operations Squadron at Langley.

"I didn't think I would get stationed with him, and I could tell that when he heard the news, he was pretty excited," Antonio said.

"I knew that if he came here, I was going to help him out no matter what," Juan said.

Juan is a 633rd Force Support Squadron services apprentice, and Antonio is an A-10 Thunderbolt II mission-capable technician.

Through their first few months at Langley, the two stuck together as they always had, meeting after work to talk about each other's days and sometimes de-stressing by playing a game of “tennis-soccer,” a game they made up as boys.

Enjoying their reunion, the brothers still kept their goals in sight. Juan's first was to earn promotion to senior airman below the zone -- six months ahead of his peers. He saw what others who had made it before did and followed suit, volunteering and taking on leadership roles. He met his below-the-zone board in February, and he made it. Not resting on his laurels, he soon set a new goal to help set up his brother, currently an airman first class, for success.

"I wanted to push him to get what I did and do even better than I did," Juan said of advising Antonio about being promoted below the zone. "We are competitive in some ways, but for goals, I guide him to do better than me."

Preparing for More Challenges

With Juan's guidance, Antonio met his board and was selected for below-the-zone promotion in October.

"I was happy he got BTZ, because I know that what I said helped him," Juan said. "I know he worked hard for it. I never told him, but I knew he should have gotten it."

Now, the brothers are preparing for their next challenge, which was on Juan's mind the moment Antonio earned rank.

"I was really excited thinking ahead that if we study really hard, we can make staff sergeant at the same time," Juan said.

Set to deploy next year and with plans to apply for Officer Training School in mind, Juan said, he knows he and his brother, who has his heart set on going overseas, eventually will part.

"We're not always going to be together," Juan said. "Our bond is still going to be there, but our paths will lead us different ways. I want to encourage my brother to go overseas. I tell him, 'Don't let anyone stop you, not even me, because at the end of the day when you go home, it's only you.' So I always tell him to take chances."

As for the next chance Juan is taking, he plans to do everything he can to become an officer -- just as he and Antonio always planned, he said.

Creech chiefs welcome finest Airmen into top enlisted tier

by Tech. Sgt. Nadine Barclay
432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

11/24/2014 - LAS VEGAS -- Creech Air Force Base's newest chief master sergeant-selects and their families were recently congratulated in a very personal way - with a surprise home visit from base leadership.

The visits continued a unique tradition that began in March of this year, when leadership from the 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing and 799th Air Base Group recognized the base's newest senior master sergeant-selects at home.

For leadership, it was essential to recognize the Airmen at home so their families, who equally endure the challenges of military life alongside their Airmen, could be included in the celebration.

"It's important to recognize these Airmen for their achievements, especially as they make it to the top one percent of the enlisted ranks," said Chief Master Sgt. Butch Brien, 432nd Wing/432nd AEW command chief. "We felt it was important to make this experience even more memorable by honoring the newest Creech chief master sergeant-selects at home, where they are surrounded by those most important to them."

First sergeants, squadron commanders, and chiefs attended to congratulate the three Creech selectees, who included Senior Master Sgt. Greg Carrico, 432nd Wing, Senior Master Sgt. Michael Phillips, 99th Ground Combat Training Squadron, and Senior Master Sgt. Matthew Saugstad, 432nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

Col. James Cluff, 432nd Wing/432nd AEW commander, explained the importance of being selected for promotion to the highest enlisted rank, and charged the selectees with continuing to serve as key leaders and deliberately shaping enlisted leaders for the future.

"These three Airmen were selected because they've consistently proven over time they have what it takes to fulfill the responsibilities of the top enlisted tier of our Air Force," Cluff said.  I couldn't be prouder of the role they play in making the 432nd mission happen.  I have no doubt they will continue to help mold and grow those around them to become better Airmen and better leaders for our country."

The rank of chief master sergeant has evolved to hold a very distinctive place in the Air Force and has become the highest honor bestowed on enlisted Airmen, epitomizing the finest qualities of a military leader.

Selectees will continue to further develop their leadership and management skills, while serving as commandants, superintendents, program managers, command chief master sergeants, functional managers, and career field managers.

For one selectee, the visit from so many caring and familiar faces made the accomplishment he's worked so hard to achieve unforgettable.

"It's all about the brotherhood and the fraternity.  Being part of the one percent is a pretty big bridge to cross," said Carrico. "It means a lot that everybody came out to welcome us into that elite fraternity. I'm pretty ecstatic."

Carrico also made sure to pass along some advice for others seeking to achieve this milestone.

"Work hard ... and always prepare yourself, so when the next opportunity arises or when that door opens, you can step through it. If you don't, you miss out on opportunities," he said. "I got here through hard work and doing the right thing. Everybody tries to figure it out, but really it's pretty simple. Just work hard, take care of people, and it all shakes out in the end."

Air Force-wide 18.97 percent, or only 479 senior master sergeants out of 2,525 eligible, were selected for this increased responsibility.

Eastern Europe Troop Rotations Could Continue, Commander Says

By David Vergun

Army News Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 24, 2014 – Soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Division and later replacement units will rotate to locations in Eastern Europe through the end of next year as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, and those rotations could continue after next year and for the foreseeable future, the commander of U.S. Army Europe said today.

Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges spoke to reporters at the Pentagon from Vilnius, Lithuania, via a video teleconference.

The rotations -- part of the Army's regionally aligned forces concept -- are taking place in Eastern Europe to provide "important assurance" to NATO allies of U.S. commitment and "deterrence to Russian aggression," Hodges said. Also, the presence of U.S. forces in Eastern Europe will ensure a more rapid response, should aggression occur, he added.

Forward-stationed Forces With Rapid-response Capability

Because the United States no longer has a massive military presence as it had in West Germany during the Cold War, the current strategy is to provide forward-stationed forces with a rapid-response capability. The strategy also relies on training with local NATO forces, he said.

The other part of the strategy is to pre-position equipment in Eastern Europe, Hodges said. While there are logistical assets already in Germany, the idea is eventually to move a heavy brigade combat team with its tanks and Bradley vehicles to an area further east, such as Poland, Romania, or one of the Baltic countries, he added. The Defense and State departments, as well as NATO countries, are now discussing the location, he said.

Although "the footprint in Europe is much smaller than it used to be, we can still provide the needed capabilities," the general said, adding that he's hopeful that overseas contingency operations money will be approved for all of the necessary expenses that come with ramping up Operation Atlantic Resolve.

Two Reasons for Optimism

The reason for optimism is two-fold, he said. First, the U.S. has committed to a strategy to defend Eastern Europe's NATO countries through the European Reassurance Initiative.

Second, NATO itself is now on board. "I've never seen the NATO alliance more unified than coming out of the [September] summit in Wales," he said, explaining that the heads of NATO nations "recognized Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and its illegal activities inside eastern Ukraine."

Hodges said he believes that with NATO resolve, Russia would not dare to engage in a conventional attack. Rather, he said, they would try to stir up ethic Russians, as they did in Ukraine, or intimidate nations, as they tried to do in Lithuania.

At the end of the Cold War, he explained, when Lithuania gained its independence, some 70,000 Lithuanian soldiers who were drafted by the Russian government didn't report for duty because their country had become a sovereign nation. Russia's government issued extradition orders, declaring those soldiers to be fugitives or draft dodgers, the general said.

That NATO agreed to sanctions against Russia and declared its resolve against its aggression is all the more impressive, he said, because not all of the 28 NATO allies agree that Russia is the No. 1 threat the alliance faces. For example, some southern NATO countries see illegal immigration from North Africa as the bigger threat, and Turkey looks across its border at Iraq and Syria and sees the trouble there as its chief concern.

‘Strong Europe’ Slogan

That the U.S. Army is committed to standing alongside its European allies is reflected in a new slogan: "Strong Europe," which is a take on the “Army Strong” slogan, Hodges said. The strength of the Army is its dedicated soldiers and their leaders, he said, many of whom will be spending Thanksgiving in Eastern Europe.

"I'm extremely proud of them," he said, noting that he had spent time earlier in the day with soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Division in Lithuania. Later this week, he said, he'll visit soldiers in Estonia and Poland.

Hodges said the United States and NATO will not be intimidated by Russian aggression, and that any aggression will be met with a firm and rapid response. He noted that a few months ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, “We can be in Vilnius in two days.”

“Well, I got here in three hours, coming from Wiesbaden," Germany, Hodges said.

CMSAF speaks to Georgians during military appreciation luncheon

by Senior Airman Daniel Phelps
94th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

11/20/2014 - MARIETTA, Ga.  -- The Northeast Georgia business community received a special treat Monday, Nov. 17 as the Air Force's highest ranking enlisted member Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody visited the Atlanta Regional Military Appreciation Committee in Marietta, Georgia for its 62nd annual luncheon.

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James A. Cody landed at Dobbins Air Reserve Base where he was greeted and escorted to the Cobb Galleria conference center, the location in which more than 700 community members had gathered to honor and thank the men and women who serve.

In his remarks, the chief acknowledged that military power does not come easily or stay without support.

"We have challenges we have to face to continue to be the world's greatest military," Cody said.

During his speech, a video played showing the Air Force's end strength throughout its history and its numerous conflicts. The size of the service today was noticeably smaller than any other era depicted.

"Our current Air Force is the smallest Air Force in our history and the most engaged," he said.

He pointed out that those who served and our currently serving are what make the U.S. military the greatest in the world. In this light, he honored past veterans in the audience: Lt. Col. Harland "Armi" Armitage, a B-25 pilot from the Korean War; Tech. Sgt. Don Scott, a B-17 bomber crew member and Prisoner of War from WWII; and Staff Sgt. Henry Huskey, a B-17 gunner from WWII.

The nation's highest ranking enlisted Airman thanked the state of Georgia for their sacrifices to the nation and recognized the contributions of the more than 7,200 Airmen are Peach State natives.

Cody shared the story of two of their Airmen: Tech. Sgt. Cole Pasley and Senior Airman Michael Buras, both explosive ordinance disposal.

Buras, a Fitzgerald native, was killed in action in Sept. 2010 responding to a roadside bomb.

"More EOD Airmen have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan than Airmen from any other career field, and they continue to do what they do knowing that risk," Cody said.

Pasley and Buras were friends, according to Cody. They shared their job and joked around with each other through in-state college team rivalries.

The loss of Buras hit Pasley hard, yet he shared with Cody that the reason he continued to do put his life on the line was for his family, his friends and the nation, to keep them safe, Cody reported.

"This is why we serve," Cody said. "We are humbled to serve you."