Leadership forecasts direction of RAF Mildenhall

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Thomas Trower
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Leadership from the 100th Air Refueling Wing and its groups gathered to plot a roadmap for RAF Mildenhall operations at The Moller Centre in Cambridge Nov. 19.

Along with defining a new mission and vision for the wing, Col. Chad Manske, 100th ARW commander, facilitated the identification of new priorities and goals at the 100th ARW Strategy Alignment and Deployment event.

The planning group also included the wing vice commander and command chief, commanders and superintendents from the 100th Operations, Maintenance and Mission Support Groups, and representatives from the bases' Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century office.

Mission statements for military units explain the purpose of the unit. For the 100th ARW, the mission is now to "Provide and employ global air refueling, airlift, combat support and expeditionary forces." To accomplish this task, Airmen are guided by the wing vision of being "A world class force excelling in mission execution and readiness."

Leadership also established four priorities for the 100th ARW to allow Airmen across the wing to focus on areas of high interest. Goals are defined to show how to fulfill these priorities.

Priority 1:

To achieve the wing priority of "Accomplish the mission ... safely and professionally," draft goals were set for: zero preventable mishaps; ensuring a trained and ready force adhering to a culture of compliance; and exceeding Air Force and U.S. Air Forces in Europe standards for mission accomplishment.

"By preventing safety mishaps, we are elevating our chances for mission success," said Lt. Col. Thomas Torkelson, 100th ARW chief of safety. "If we're making correct choices as Airmen, all preventable mishaps can be avoided. It's bad decisions like drinking and getting behind the wheel that cause preventable mishaps."

Priority 2:

The "Develop and care for our people" priority focuses on leaders and supervisors providing Airmen with opportunities for professional growth. The draft goals for accomplishing this priority include: ensuring timely and accurate evaluations and recognition; promoting a secure, respectful and healthy work force; improving support processes and systems to minimize issues; and ensuring educational opportunities are available to enhance professional development and leadership opportunities.

"Professional development is how we develop our Airmen as leaders and good NCOs," said Master Sgt. Jessica Hensley, 100th ARW carreer assistance advisor. "Its at the core of all we do. Without leadership from the top, you can't complete the mission. It's essential."

Priority 3:
To "Care for Team Mildenhall families," the 100th MSG has been tasked to provide education and services to smoothly transition families to the base and provide quality of life programs and services to support all Team Mildenhall families. That includes Airmen assigned to the 352nd Special Operations Group and the other just as important installation mission partners.

"Taking care of our Air Force family is vital to the continued success of the Air Force," said Cynthia Harrison, Airman and Family Readiness Center chief." Active duty members should feel confident, and be able to focus on the mission, knowing their families are benefiting as a result of their active duty service."

In the past year, 6,225 people have attended one of A&FRC's 468 workshops, said Ms. Harrison. The center also hosted the spouse appreciation day and employment fair, which were attended by more than 600 people.

Priority 4:

The final 100th ARW priority, "Continue making RAF Mildenhall a great place to live and work and foster exceptional community relations," focuses on the long term aspects of the base and its involvement with the local community. The draft goals of this priority include: developing and sustaining a quality infrastructure for the near and long-term; and cultivating mutually beneficial relationships with the host nation and community.

"A failure of any infrastructure system can have drastic effects on the base's ability to accomplish its mission," said Maj. Christopher Eyle, 100th Civil Engineer Squadron Operations Flight commander. "A well-maintained and functional infrastructure allows for mission success by providing necessary utility services, the airfield and airfield pavements, and roadways."

"Community support undoubtedly has a major impact on the mission," said Sal Davidson, 100th ARW community relations advisor. "With RAF Mildenhall having celebrated its 75th anniversary this year, the local community has literally welcomed generations of U.S. Air Force personnel to the area, in wartime and peacetime. The locals understand the mission and the very transient lifestyle that the military leads and I often hear of friendships that are formed, often lasting for years."