The closing session of the Air and Space Forces Association's Air, Space, and Cyber Conference consisted of a panel of Department of the Air Force leaders and their spouses discussing the importance of family support for military readiness, Sept. 18.
Panelists included Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman and his wife, Jennifer Saltzman; Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin and his wife, Gina Allvin; Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna and his wife, Cathy Bentivegna and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi and his wife, Katy Flosi.
Connection amongst service members was a common theme with the panelists as they identified various ways in which Airmen and Guardians can make meaningful connections along their military careers.
"Find your people," Jennifer Saltzman said. "They're out there. Connect. There are no greater people than [who] you're going to find in Guardian families and Airman families." She later added, "the Space Force and the Air Force can't work without everybody being connected."
Saltzman also offered lighthearted, but strong advice on how to take care of family readiness.
"If you can make sure the spouses are happy and laughing then readiness takes care of itself in the home station," Saltzman said. "The Department of the Air Force, by its nature and by its size and capacity, is an expeditionary force. The capabilities that Guardians deliver enable that expeditionary force and we're all teammates in that. We're in this together."
In navigating challenges of being part of the military, Cathy Bentivegna encouraged families to embrace the experience.
"You're going to be [moving] from place to place. Just take advantage [and] meet as many people as you can," she said. "There's going to be a lot of interesting places that you will be going to, so just embrace the whole experience."
The leaders and their spouses also discussed the impact that positive familial support can have on Great Power Competition along with military readiness.
"Family readiness takes on a different meaning in an era of Great Power Competition," Allvin said. "We have a tremendous amount of helping agencies that contribute to not only the quality of life, but also the individual readiness and being able to be there when the member is gone."
Meanwhile, Bentivegna connected childcare to mission readiness.
"We take very seriously when you drop a child off, that they're safe, secure and they're well taken care of," Bentivegna said. "We need our [people] to be focused on getting ready for Great Power Competition."
The military offers several resources to families and the panel gave advice on how to properly utilize those resources to improve quality of life. A few discussed included:
- Joint Service School Liaison Program: education specialists that assist with local school navigation, deployment support, scholarship, and grant resources, and more
- Air Force Key Spouse Program: provide the tools, information and resources needed to serve as an effective and supportive unit representative
"David and I have been married for 27 years," Katy Flosi said. "Military spouses are really our best resource. We depend on each other 100%. I'm there for people and people are there for me."
CMSAF Flosi echoed his wife's sentiment and spoke on the range of resources available to service members.
"A lot of these resources we've talked about are available, and there's something that we can all take advantage of or be part of," said CMSAF Flosi.
The leaders and their spouses also shared their perspectives about the choice to serve and the commonalities that all families face throughout their military careers.
"We chose [our spouses], so we choose every day to be here with them," Gina Allvin said.
