TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Gen. Anthony Cotton, commander, Air Force Global Strike Command and commander, Air Forces Strategic-Air, visited with Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 145 and Florida State University officials, in Tallahassee, Florida, October 7.
Passionate about developing the leaders of today and tomorrow, Cotton spoke to 154 of the detachment’s aspiring officers about Air Force Global Strike Command, what it means to be a leader and the Force of the future they’ll be joining.
“We are in interesting times,” Cotton said. “Never before in our nation’s history have we had to contend with two nuclear armed near-peer adversaries like we are now with Russia and China. The strategic competition between our nations will continue to directly shape the [Department of the] Air Force you’re joining and the leadership the Force will need from each of you as officers.”
Before he departed, Cotton left the cadets with what he calls “Cotton’s 4 Cs” to use as a baseline for their development.
“As a leader, I believe you have to have Competence, Commitment, Composure and Compassion,” Cotton said. “Those four principles will set you on the right leadership path to not only accomplish the mission but to make sure you’re taking care of your team as you do.”
Ahead of his remarks, Cotton took time to engage with Dr. Sam Huckaba, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, who administratively oversees the detachment within the university system.
Huckaba expressed his appreciation for Cotton’s visit to the university, boasted about Det.145 and detailed the number of ways the university has been supporting the detachment,
“We are just so proud of the [Det. 145] cadets, all that they have done and continue to do here at the university.”
Familiar with the detachment, Cotton raved about the caliber of officers coming out of Det. 145 and his desire to see some of them join AFGSC,
“Of course I want everyone to be interested in joining our team, to come and take part in such a critical mission, so maybe today I can plant or water the seed for some of the Det. 145 cadets to become Strikers.