Clear, concise communication essential to mission success Published Sept. 19, 2007 By Chief Master Sgt. Michael Williams 60th Air Mobility Wing command chief TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Clear, concise communication up and down the chain of command is essential to mission success and vital to the morale, good order and discipline of any organization. Therefore, it's imperative we do our very best to ensure communication descends to the lowest level possible. However, our Airmen must accept some personal responsibility in remaining attuned to what's transpiring in our Force. How many times have you visited our Air Force Web site, www.af.mil? Our senior leadership does a fantastic job in disseminating information and keeping us abreast of what their top issues are and the many challenges they face. Each week our senior leadership posts a "Roll Call" message on the Air Force Web site depicting valuable information. Roll Call, by the way is mandatory. That's right we don't have an option. Are you hosting roll call each week? It's an opportunity to look your Airmen straight in their eyes ensuring they understand the importance of making responsible choices, safety, etc. If you need a topic to discuss, simply visit the Air Force Web site. It's important for us to know and understand why Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Air Force Chief of Staff, remains committed to his top three priorities: winning the war against terrorism, taking care of our Airmen and their families and recapitalizing the force. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've asked Airmen and NCOs to recite the chief's top priorities or explain to me why we are downsizing. Overwhelmingly, the majority of them don't know. We must win this war, in my opinion, because we, as a nation and globally, are not prepared for the alternative. Our Airmen and their families are our most valuable asset. Take care of the people and they will take care of the mission. So why must we recapitalize the fleet and why are we reducing our forces during a time of war? It's simple, we have to! In my humble opinion, our Air Force stood idle as time raced past us and, before we knew it, the wall was down, we were no longer operating in the cold war era and our aircraft were beginning to age. Nations across the globe still recognize us as the most formidable Air and Space Force ever. However, China, North Korea and a few other nations are steadily improving their technology. Therefore, so must we; if we are to remain the world's greatest. But how do we recapitalize the force? Congress made it very clear that there's no additional funding for us to recapitalize our fleet and barely enough funding to sustain our current capability. Let's face it, our mission is to fly, fight and win in Air, Space and Cyberspace. Yes, we are reducing personnel to recapitalize the force. Clear concise communication is an important piece to our Air Force mission; especially in today's environment. So I encourage you to communicate up and down the chain of command. And, I challenge every Airman to be aggressive in their efforts to seek out information regarding our Air Force. Let's stay informed. As always be safe, make responsible choices and I'll see you around campus. Have a great weekend!