Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi visited Homestead Air Reserve Base to discuss reoptimizing for Great Power Competition and the role of the Air Force in ensuring U.S. national security objectives during a town hall, Jan. 11.
"The National Defense Strategy is our guiding set of principles telling the Department of Defense and the Department of the Air Force what we need to do, and what forces we need to present, in order to protect our nation and to project power aligned with our nation's objectives," Flosi said. "That will continue to be our North Star and that's what we're applying our reoptimization efforts against."
Flosi's visit emphasized the Air Force and Space Force commitment of ensuring U.S. national security and their role in GPC. As the highest-ranking enlisted member of the Air Force, his insight provides a unique perspective that is of value to the service's Airmen.
"There are four major priorities from the secretary [of the Air Force] and the chief [of Staff of the Air Force] as we are continuing this transition to reoptimize for Greater Power Competition," he said, which include developing people, developing capabilities, generating readiness, and projecting power.
As the Air Force continues to focus on Mission Ready Airmen, cultural shifts toward a continuous readiness posture to meet the challenges of the strategic environment remain pertinent.
"This is an exciting time to serve in our Air Force. We are at the forefront of transitioning to a future force, a necessary change to stay relevant, competent, capable, and maintain our position as the premier Air Force worldwide," Flosi said.
Given operations the Air Force and Space Force missions encompass, Flosi emphasized the importance of global partnerships, and the strategic implications associated with relationships with allied partners.
"As you can imagine, we don't just fight across the joint force, but in a contested environment, on the other side of the world, we absolutely need relationships with our joint force allies," he said. "We are working very hard to ensure those conditions are set now, so that when our nation needs us to go into that environment, we are ready. We are the most trusted, capable and competent Air Force in the world. Our allies and partners rely on us. The American public relies on us, where we demonstrate the competence and capability every single day. We are the premier Air Force."
While addressing the entire 482nd Fighter Wing, Flosi made it a point to also address the next generation of Airmen in the audience, the 482nd FW Development and Training Flight, which is composed of Airmen who are in the accessions pipeline and getting ready for basic military training.
"Thank you for taking the first steps but know that the nation demands a lot of us. Our Air Force is very busy, and the world is a very complicated place and it's our job to ensure our nations values are protected and we continue to live the free lifestyle and liberties that we all believe in," he said. "The contributions of every single Airman in our service make us the most lethal and capable Air Force in the world, meaning we have to bring our best every single day. Do your absolute best in the tasks you're assigned and in turn we're going to do our best to set those conditions for you to be successful."
