‘One team, one fight’ more than just words

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Joel Safranek
  • 573rd Global Support Squadron
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Throughout the early part of my Air Force career as a cadet and second lieutenant, I often heard stories about the demise of the Russian military and economy.

News articles discussed how Russian tank commanders did not have fuel to run their tanks, so they had tank crews walk around pretending to drive tanks in order to practice tank formations and tactics. Reports talked about how Russian pilots only flew 20 to 30 hours a year. I wondered how they could maintain even the most basic level of proficiency with so few hours.

Although the U.S. economy has struggled and our military budgets are getting cut, the good news is times have not reached that level. There are still lessons to learn. How did the Russian military survive? How do other militaries, without our robust funding and vast resources, survive?

I will not claim to be an expert, but I have to reason ingenuity is part of the solution. The Secretary of the Air Force, Michael Donley, recently emphasized this philosophy with his comments on innovation as an Air Force legacy. I also would reason the old-fashioned concept of working together and helping one another is another part of the solution. We hear this all the time - "one team, one fight" -- but to be honest, I have rolled my eyes with the best of them.

Yet, I no longer quickly discount this philosophy for I have recently seen it in action. The 615th Contingency Response Wing owns no aircraft and DOD budget reductions have decreased the number of joint exercises available for training opportunities.

Additionally, the wing's budget has been cut, placing constraints on its ability to pay for training. Yet, a wing, with no aircraft recently designed, built and executed an exercise - Exercise Bronco - with 17 aircraft. The CRW could not have done this alone. In addition to some of our own ingenuity, we owe our gratitude to the Reserves at March Air Force Base and here at Travis, the Air National Guard in California and Nevada, the Marine Corps and the 60th Air Mobility Wing for their being a part of our team.

I cannot tell you how to deal with constraints in your work places, but I can encourage you to be creative and do not be afraid to ask those around you for assistance. You may find the "one team, one fight" concept more than just words.