1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,000 2 00:00:05,460 --> 00:00:07,016 Really we've always been an 3 00:00:07,016 --> 00:00:09,071 institutional command . If you think 4 00:00:09,071 --> 00:00:11,127 about Air Force command , we service 5 00:00:11,127 --> 00:00:13,380 the entire Air Force in the 3 years 6 00:00:13,380 --> 00:00:15,380 that I've been in command . I think 7 00:00:15,380 --> 00:00:16,824 I've seen a pretty strong 8 00:00:16,824 --> 00:00:19,879 transformation . That the rest my Macom 9 00:00:20,590 --> 00:00:23,069 peers , they have a pretty good sense 10 00:00:23,069 --> 00:00:26,229 for what AFMC does , which each of our 11 00:00:26,229 --> 00:00:28,229 centers do , and the fact that they 12 00:00:28,229 --> 00:00:30,396 that they need them pretty heavily and 13 00:00:30,396 --> 00:00:32,451 one of the ways that we've evolved I 14 00:00:32,451 --> 00:00:34,618 think we the primacy of this command I 15 00:00:34,618 --> 00:00:36,840 think has been heightened quite a bit . 16 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:39,007 I don't want to lose that . I think um 17 00:00:39,007 --> 00:00:41,118 you know , when we go to when I go to 18 00:00:41,118 --> 00:00:41,110 meetings at my level with other 19 00:00:41,110 --> 00:00:43,054 Macommanders with the chief of the 20 00:00:43,054 --> 00:00:45,400 secretary . The voice of AFMC is always 21 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:47,720 central to the discussion . We really 22 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:49,939 between AFMC and ATC we really are 23 00:00:49,939 --> 00:00:51,717 delivering the Air Force to war 24 00:00:51,717 --> 00:00:55,080 fighters . I think sometimes people get 25 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:57,024 confused that leadership is really 26 00:00:57,024 --> 00:00:59,970 about being decisive . Um , I think 27 00:00:59,970 --> 00:01:01,859 that's part of it . I don't think 28 00:01:01,859 --> 00:01:04,026 that's all of it . I think having good 29 00:01:04,026 --> 00:01:06,137 judgment is just as important , maybe 30 00:01:06,137 --> 00:01:08,303 more important than being decisive . I 31 00:01:08,303 --> 00:01:10,359 would rather make the right decision 32 00:01:10,359 --> 00:01:12,414 than a than a bad quick decision . I 33 00:01:12,414 --> 00:01:14,581 tend to be inquisitive . I try to be a 34 00:01:14,581 --> 00:01:14,330 critical thinker . I try to be 35 00:01:14,330 --> 00:01:16,386 objective , you know , all the stuff 36 00:01:16,386 --> 00:01:18,608 that goes on in this command , there is 37 00:01:18,608 --> 00:01:20,830 so much going on in this command . I am 38 00:01:20,830 --> 00:01:22,941 not the expert at any of it . I don't 39 00:01:22,941 --> 00:01:25,052 think that's why I was brought in . I 40 00:01:25,052 --> 00:01:27,052 think I was brought in . Because of 41 00:01:27,052 --> 00:01:29,108 being inquisitive , being a critical 42 00:01:29,108 --> 00:01:31,052 thinker , and you know , setting a 43 00:01:31,052 --> 00:01:33,470 commander's intent going forward . I 44 00:01:33,470 --> 00:01:35,803 think this command is unique . You know , 45 00:01:35,803 --> 00:01:37,910 we have , we're predominantly a 46 00:01:37,910 --> 00:01:40,021 civilian command , so I think we have 47 00:01:40,021 --> 00:01:42,550 72,000 civilians , so 72,000 of our 48 00:01:42,550 --> 00:01:46,029 89,000 strong formation are Air Force 49 00:01:46,029 --> 00:01:48,389 civilians , and a good part of the rest 50 00:01:48,389 --> 00:01:50,500 of the Air Force doesn't understand , 51 00:01:50,699 --> 00:01:52,699 you know what they do . I certainly 52 00:01:52,699 --> 00:01:54,866 understand from a nested perspective , 53 00:01:55,250 --> 00:01:58,989 the Air Force . Gears don't turn 54 00:01:58,989 --> 00:02:01,110 without AFMC . It's no mistake that 55 00:02:01,110 --> 00:02:03,166 there's a gear in our in our patch , 56 00:02:03,589 --> 00:02:05,645 and then I would go one step further 57 00:02:05,645 --> 00:02:07,756 and say AFMC gears don't turn without 58 00:02:07,756 --> 00:02:11,250 our civilian workforce . The airmen 59 00:02:11,250 --> 00:02:14,130 have taught me um how much I don't know . 60 00:02:15,399 --> 00:02:18,710 I mean if you , if you look across the 61 00:02:18,710 --> 00:02:20,766 airmen , it's like I look at some of 62 00:02:20,766 --> 00:02:22,932 our team , some of our our teammates , 63 00:02:22,932 --> 00:02:25,099 and I'm like how do you know so much ? 64 00:02:25,099 --> 00:02:27,266 You you look like you're like 22 . And 65 00:02:27,266 --> 00:02:29,210 so that that's really the the what 66 00:02:29,210 --> 00:02:31,110 they've taught me is that the 67 00:02:31,110 --> 00:02:33,470 generation that we have today , um , 68 00:02:33,490 --> 00:02:36,110 and I'm talking civilian airmen and I'm 69 00:02:36,110 --> 00:02:38,429 talking uniformed airmen , they are 70 00:02:38,429 --> 00:02:41,710 every bit as patriotic as we are as I 71 00:02:41,710 --> 00:02:44,630 am . Um , they are every bit as 72 00:02:44,630 --> 00:02:47,550 hardworking , every bit as smart , they 73 00:02:47,550 --> 00:02:49,869 love their families , all the things , 74 00:02:49,970 --> 00:02:52,380 and so whenever you hear this . You 75 00:02:52,380 --> 00:02:54,089 know , bunk about oh the next 76 00:02:54,089 --> 00:02:56,256 generation , we're in trouble . That's 77 00:02:56,256 --> 00:02:58,589 garbage . I , I don't believe it's true . 78 00:02:58,589 --> 00:03:00,645 I'm just blown away at how much they 79 00:03:00,645 --> 00:03:02,645 know and how much they care and how 80 00:03:02,645 --> 00:03:04,700 patriotic they are . I actually love 81 00:03:04,700 --> 00:03:07,520 this stuff . I love what we do . I mean , 82 00:03:07,529 --> 00:03:10,089 it's pretty cool . Work is like a hobby 83 00:03:10,089 --> 00:03:12,289 for me . I don't dread it . I get out 84 00:03:12,289 --> 00:03:14,233 of bed every day and I get excited 85 00:03:14,233 --> 00:03:16,067 about coming in and working with 86 00:03:16,067 --> 00:03:19,289 fantastic people in AFMC . And so 87 00:03:19,289 --> 00:03:22,130 there's a there's a sense of um loss . 88 00:03:22,740 --> 00:03:24,889 You know , just personal selfish loss 89 00:03:24,889 --> 00:03:26,929 of not being part of this team . I 90 00:03:26,929 --> 00:03:29,262 think I'm still coming to grips with it . 91 00:03:29,262 --> 00:03:31,485 It's happening . I don't think I really 92 00:03:31,485 --> 00:03:33,540 faced it until after the last senior 93 00:03:33,540 --> 00:03:35,707 leader conference in April when I said 94 00:03:35,707 --> 00:03:37,651 it out loud to the team that I was 95 00:03:37,651 --> 00:03:39,929 retiring , that was when I'm like , OK , 96 00:03:39,929 --> 00:03:39,919 I guess I'm actually going to do this . 97 00:03:40,449 --> 00:03:42,671 Yeah , so that's that's how I'm feeling 98 00:03:42,671 --> 00:03:44,893 right now and I probably won't honestly 99 00:03:44,893 --> 00:03:46,727 really realize it until about 11 100 00:03:46,727 --> 00:03:46,570 o'clock on the 3rd of July when I'm 101 00:03:46,570 --> 00:03:47,626 actually retired . 102 00:03:50,550 --> 00:03:52,580 The idea of stability I think is 103 00:03:52,580 --> 00:03:55,380 important . So , um , as leaders , I 104 00:03:55,380 --> 00:03:57,602 think one of the things that happens so 105 00:03:57,602 --> 00:04:00,779 often is this need to come in as a as a 106 00:04:00,779 --> 00:04:02,889 new leader and just like change 107 00:04:02,889 --> 00:04:05,111 everything , like rip everything out of 108 00:04:05,111 --> 00:04:07,222 the garage , throw 2/3 of it away and 109 00:04:07,222 --> 00:04:09,278 restart it over . My advice would be 110 00:04:09,278 --> 00:04:11,445 that there's probably some things that 111 00:04:11,445 --> 00:04:13,669 need to be changed , um . I would 112 00:04:13,669 --> 00:04:16,070 consider it a tune up . So my advice to 113 00:04:16,070 --> 00:04:18,480 the next commander is . You know , look 114 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:20,647 at why we are set up , what we've done 115 00:04:20,647 --> 00:04:22,591 here , and change what needs to be 116 00:04:22,591 --> 00:04:24,591 changed , but don't just change for 117 00:04:24,591 --> 00:04:27,619 change's sake . Well , I guess the 118 00:04:27,619 --> 00:04:29,841 final thought that I would give each of 119 00:04:29,841 --> 00:04:32,410 you is it really relish every moment , 120 00:04:32,619 --> 00:04:34,730 um , you know , all these experiences 121 00:04:34,730 --> 00:04:37,700 and the people that you work with , um . 122 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:41,140 It's just an awesome formation to be 123 00:04:41,140 --> 00:04:44,779 part of , and um I think that we all 124 00:04:44,779 --> 00:04:46,779 need to remember that most 125 00:04:46,779 --> 00:04:49,100 consequential things that are done in 126 00:04:49,100 --> 00:04:50,739 AFMC are done by teams , not 127 00:04:50,739 --> 00:04:53,380 individuals . And we have to , we have 128 00:04:53,380 --> 00:04:55,959 to embrace that and , and not worry 129 00:04:55,959 --> 00:04:58,126 about who gets the credit , you know , 130 00:04:58,359 --> 00:05:00,470 I'm not worried about my legacy . I'm 131 00:05:00,470 --> 00:05:03,000 worried about AFMC's legacy and so we 132 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:04,889 should all have that kind of that 133 00:05:04,889 --> 00:05:06,889 mindset is just , you know , what's 134 00:05:06,889 --> 00:05:09,000 good for AFMC is going to be good for 135 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:08,329 the Air Force . What's good for the Air 136 00:05:08,329 --> 00:05:09,320 Force is good for the nation .