New CMSAF shares his vision for the Air Force

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Rito Smith
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

The 18th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright held an all call at MacDill Air Force Base Fla., Feb. 28, 2017, during his visit for CORONA South.

During the all call, Wright spoke on his focus as the senior enlisted leader, which included taking care of Airmen and making sure they are well trained, and resilient.

“You can have all the best toys, all the money and resources, and the best strategy,” said Wright. “But, if you don’t have Airmen who are well trained and resilient, I don’t think you can be successful.”

He also offered a perspective on the many opportunities Airmen are offered in the Air Force today, such as the ability to travel, receive higher education and grow as professionals.

“Today the Air Force offers our Airmen even more opportunities than ever to grow as a professional with a skillset,” Wright said. “I think the best thing is that the Air Force offers you the opportunity to be a part of something special; to contribute to the mission of air, space and cyber-warfare.”

The chief master sergeant of the Air Force went on to speak about how he believes it’s better to take change as a marathon instead of a sprint and that communication will be critical during this time. A goal he has as a leader is communicate better with Airmen across the force regarding changes that may be coming.

“Communication is critical in any organization and it should be a priority to communicate to the Airmen why we are doing things,” said Wright. “I feel like I owe it to the Airmen I’m charged with to communicate why we do the things we do, and I hope that helps the Air Force to grow.”

After he finished speaking at the all call, Wright opened the floor to service members to ask any questions.

Tech. Sgt. Kevin Sanchez, a combat systems operator flight NCO in charge assigned to the 310th Airlift Squadron, asked Wright if he plans to change the Developmental Special Duty program.

“What I found across our Air Force is that we are real quick to say no, with no background or study on the subject,” Wright said. “I think sometimes it’s worth saying - you know, that’s a fair point and I owe it to you to do the research and get back to you.”

Wright ended the all call allowing service members to meet with him one on one.

“I am excited to be the 18th Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force, and I am excited to get out and meet all of the Airmen across the force,” he said. “I hope that we will continue to evolve into the greatest Air Force that ever existed and I hope to see in four years that our Air Force is more resilient and ready to go.”