Manske shares beliefs, expectations and priorities during commander's calls

  • Published
  • By Geoff Janes
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Within 24 hours of assuming command of the 100th Air Refueling Wing, Col. Chad Manske held a series of commander's calls to share his vision and priorities for the wing during the coming months. 

The wing's primary function and common thread is taking care of the mission, he said. Furthermore, the best way to achieve our mission is to take care of people and provide them with honest feedback. He stressed the importance of training and education, saying that better leaders are trained today through the trust and empowerment of their current supervisor or commander. 

He spoke of the importance of integrity, family and maintaining a balanced foundation. He also pointed out the importance of taking time to give back to the community. 

When the colonel discussed his expectations for himself and the wing, at the top of both lists were to be straightforward and truthful with your fellow Airmen - supervisors and teammates alike. 

As for himself, Colonel Manske vowed to provide concise guidance and to make informed decisions for the wing, to stand behind his people, to provide the needed resources to get the job done and to support our Airmen's families. 

In exchange, he expects people to be candid and to speak up when things aren't being done properly. He also encouraged people to speak their minds to influence decisions, and then to take ownership of those decisions as if they were their own. He went on to say that people need to strive to be professionals and to be leaders, reminding them of the importance of mentoring and developing their people. 

After discussing his expectations and beliefs, the commander talked about the Air Force's mission, vision and priorities. He then described the U.S. Air Forces in Europe's priorities and said it's his goal to precisely align the wing's priorities with them. 

Finally, Colonel Manske said his priorities as the wing commander include accomplishing the mission safely and professionally, taking care of people and their families, and continuing to make RAF Mildenhall and the surrounding community a great place to live and work. 

The commander concluded each commander's call by saying there were several ways the wing could meet its goals. Among them were to continually strive for excellence, fight the way we train, fight for resources, and recognize performance by thanking people for the work they do.