Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi received an inside look into the life of nearly 13,000 Airmen and Guardians deployed under the Ninth Air Force (U.S. Air Forces Central) during his first trip as the CMSAF to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility across the Middle East, July 22-26.
Flosi met with active duty, Air Force Reserves, and Air National Guard Airmen and U.S. Space Force Guardians across Air Forces Central's main operating locations and five deployed Air Expeditionary Wings supporting combat operations to protect allies and deter adversaries.
He toured each installation, conducted base wide all-calls and personally coined and recognized multiple Airmen and Guardians.
These Airmen and Guardians are vital to countering threats from Iranian-Aligned militia groups threatening joint and Coalition forces, supporting the defense of Israel following Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attacks, and defending civilian vessels transiting international seaways throughout the Red Sea, Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden.
"Our Airmen deployed throughout the Middle East and across the globe serve away from their families, their homes and their normal day-to-day lives to fight for the greater good," Flosi praised. "The work you are doing here for your nation and for our Coalition has impacts beyond the here and now."
Throughout his visit, Flosi received firsthand insight into how Total Force Airmen and Guardians effectively train to integrate with joint and Coalition forces under the Air Force's Force Generation Model, implemented for the first time in October 2023, which focuses on building force readiness and Mission-Ready Airmen well in advance of any global deployment.
Reoptimizing for Great Power Competition focuses on expanding technical tracks and creating a mission-focused development for Airmen, generating readiness through assessments and inspections, projecting power as mission-ready units and further developing capabilities to remain competitive among our adversaries in every warfighting domain.
Within U.S. Air Forces Central, Airmen readiness is essential to remaining a competitive power. Exercises such as Desert Flag, Yellow Sands, Blue Sands, Ballast Cannons and Sky Shield implement continuous training and coordination with partner nations creating mission-ready units.
"U.S. Air Forces Central is the test bed for the U.S. Air Force's Great Power Competition optimization effort," Flosi said. "We have strong, enduring relationships with our partners who are facing pressure from our adversaries who undermine sovereignty and regional stability, and the deployed U.S. and Coalition Airmen represent our nation's shared values and collective vision for enduring peace and security."
