Commentary Search

  • Mission success for our Nation

    Mission success in the Air Force has always required a high level of commitment. Former legendary Green Bay Packers Head Coach Vince Lombardi once stated, "Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." Nowhere is

  • ‘Smart Defense’ in action for NCOs in today’s AF

    At a recent NATO summit in Chicago, leaders from the world's most successful political-military alliance agreed to embrace the tenets of "Smart Defense" to ensure the alliance can develop, acquire and maintain the capabilities required to meet the goals for a more capable and modernized alliance --

  • Attitude: The key ingredient in resiliency

    "There will be demands upon your ability, upon your endurance, upon your disposition, upon your patience...just as fire tempers iron into fine steel so does adversity temper one's character into firmness, tolerance, and determination" - Sen. Margaret Chase Smith. As we've gone through the past

  • Importance of family in Airman resilience

    In the last few months, we have focused on our Airmen's resiliency in the forms of briefings, roll calls, training, down days and other forums to focus on our most important resource--our people.As you recall from your training, the four pillars of resiliency are physical fitness, mental fitness,

  • Mentoring, what does it mean to you?

    We all have memories of being mentored or mentoring someone. Air Force Instruction 36-2618 "The Enlisted Force Structure" speaks of mentoring at all levels. At every point in my 18 years of wearing our uniform I think fondly of the people who took the time to teach me, lead me and mold me.I think

  • Transforming sexual assault prevention in the Air Force

    Air Force leadership takes sexual assault prevention very seriously and continuously works towards creating a culture where sexual assaults are eliminated. To that end, senior Air Force leaders recently participated in a Sexual Assault Prevention Summit at Andrews AFB, Maryland in the continuing

  • Safe summer driving: Are you ready for your trip?

    It's finally summer in Germany and the open road is calling your name. Before you hit the autobahn for a weekend getaway or take a drive in the beautiful German countryside, here are a few pointers to ensure you have a pleasant and safe summer outing.First you need to make sure you are prepared

  • Managing risks of an everyday AF life

    Is Risk Management (RM) simply a required checklist to complete before performing your duties -something to cover the basics? What about RM and your off-duty activities? The fact that the Air Force loses more Airmen to off-duty mishaps compared to on duty warrants a look at what we do every day that

  • War and Peace: A historical perspective

    In November 1989 when the Berlin Wall and the Warsaw Pact came crashing down many people expected a Peace dividend. I was reminded of that yearning for peace some years ago when I conducted a seminar for young Airmen at Balad. One of the participants raised her hand and asked a question that sounded

  • Showing skin: 7 ways to reduce risk of sun damage

    Summertime is here! We will soon enjoy time at the beach, swimming pools, bike rides and more time doing outdoor activities all because of precious sunlight! The sun provides us with the benefits of Vitamin D production, warmth and a good mood. While we enjoy the wonderful solar benefits, it is