Twitter
Facebook
In the three months since becoming part of U.S. Air Forces in Europe,
I’ve been continually amazed by the incredible things going on in this
command and the men and women who make it happen.
USAFE is one of the busiest MAJCOMs in the Air Force. Whether it’s
supporting peacekeeping and humanitarian operations across the globe,
participating in international relations events like the Russian air
show or ensuring our readiness through the multitude of exercises
conducted within our area of operations, the USAFE team works together
and accomplishes extraordinary work.
But, what’s even more exciting is to see what’s happening right here on our own stomping grounds.
Regardless of the climate or time of day, USAFE members are out jogging
and using our fitness centers — and the hard work is showing
outstanding results.
In Fiscal 2005, USAFE reduced marginal and poor fitness scores on the
Air Force physical training test by 65 percent. Now, only one in 20
Airmen is in this “at risk” range, and the numbers are continuing to
drop. Consequently, we’re the only MAJCOM achieving above 90 percent in
the new AF Fitness Readiness metric; a new fitness statistic developed
and proposed by USAFE.
Combat Fitness is a proven success – USAFE Airmen are Fit-to-Fight.
Our USAFE team is not only physically ready, but also medically
prepared. Over 90 percent of our Airmen are ready to deploy at a
moment’s notice. To put this in perspective a bit, the Air Force
average is currently at 83 percent. USAFE knows what it takes to be
expeditionary, and we’re blazing the trail for the rest of the Air
Force.
The focus on quality of life and providing superior service in the command is also amazing.
Since Combat Care began, more than 15,000 reintegration “survival”
brochures have been distributed to deployed Airmen and their families.
The command emphasis on this quality of life program assists and
supports our Airmen as they execute a smooth transition from deployment
back to home station.
Additionally, the command has removed significant barriers to the
college classroom and is striving to satisfy our younger troops desire
to learn. Among our junior NCOs and Airmen, college enrollments have
increased by more than 15 percent from Fiscal Year 2003 to Fiscal Year
2005. This is a reflection on the “user friendly” education
opportunities we have here in USAFE as a result of Combat Education.
I could go on and on about all the good news stories I see happening
here in our command. Everywhere I look, the top-notch work, drive and
pride of our USAFE team is readily apparent. The list of Combat and
Special Interest Program successes is astounding and it’s all driven by
the men and women of USAFE.
