Air Force announces new mission statement

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Michael Williams
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing command chief
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Team Travis it's Friday, Friday, Friday - time to relax and enjoy this wonderful weather as the season begins to change. Speaking of change; did you know our Air Force has a revised mission statement? On Aug. 27, senior Air Force leaders gathered for a strategic summit at Bolling Air Force Base, D.C., to discuss the way ahead for our Air Force; which generated a more condensed mission statement.

In keeping with the theme "Back to Basics" our Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General Norton Schwartz recently announced the new and condensed version of our mission statement; "To fly, fight and win ... in air, space and cyberspace."

According to the CSAF this mission statement reflects our rich heritage and continuing commitment to provide decisive air and space power on behalf of national leaders and the joint team. Our previous mission statement, "Deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States of America and its global interests to fly and fight in air, space and cyberspace" was an accurate reflection of who we are and what we provide to the war fighters and combatant commanders. However, it was a little lengthy and difficult for some to grasp.

This new mission statement truly embodies the genesis of our great institution; it's simple, easy for our Airmen and the American public to understand. Yes, I too realize we're injecting more change into an environment that's already polluted with an abundance of change and transformation. This new streamlined mission statement is indicative of who we are, and it captures what our warrior ethos means. General Schwartz and his leadership team are not creating change for the sake of changing. Their task is to restore confidence and trust in our capabilities, and to recommit ourselves to a standard of "Precision and Reliability." Charles Darwin once said, "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." I believe this revised mission statement is aligned with our current course of action; getting back to the basics. It reminds our Airmen of why we became a separate service in 1947... air power constitutes a positive defense for our nation. I'm almost certain our founding fathers, arguably, Gen. Henry "Hap" Arnold, Lt. Gen. Jimmy Doolittle and Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell are looking down upon us smiling as we evolve and remain faithful to a proud heritage, a tradition of honor and a legacy of valor.

Change is the law of life, yet, some are afraid of change because it stimulates a sense of uncertainty and at times the catalyst for chaos. Ecclesiastes 3 reads, "To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven... A time to get, and a time to lose, a time to keep, and a time to cast away...." Winston Churchill said, "To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often." We all can agree that we as an enterprise have changed often.

Have a great weekend and as always; be safe, make responsible choices and I'll see you around campus.