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Global Strike Command Chief visits 'Wing One'

  • Published
  • By Valerie Mullet
  • 341st Missile Wing
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Montana --  Air Force Global Strike Command's top enlisted leader recently made his first visit to the 341st Missile Wing since becoming command chief.

Chief Master Sgt. Brian Hornback spent two full days of his July 9-13 visit getting to know as many of Malmstrom's enlisted Airmen as possible. The Chief visited more than 30 work sites and talked with hundreds of Team Malmstrom members.

Chief Hornback said one thing the Global Strike commander, Lt. Gen. Jim Kowalski, is particularly focused on, is what the command can do to make their lives better.

"The focus right now is in helping you succeed in your jobs," the chief said. "We, at the command, need you to be thinking about this and giving us your inputs."

Command leadership wants to know how Global Strike Airmen can do their jobs "faster, better and cheaper," the chief said, "and how the command can make doing so easier." And that may mean determining what Global Strike organizations shouldn't be doing at all so that Airmen can better focus resources on what they should be doing, he said.

He said that every suggestion submitted would receive full consideration up to and including review by the major command functional director, usually a colonel or general officer.

"Your inputs will be tasked to the headquarters staff to be worked. There may eventually be a 'no' answer, however it will also come with an explanation such as 'in order to do that, we have to go through x, y, and z,'" he explained. "Ultimately, with any valid suggestion, our goal is not to say 'no,' but to say 'how do we get to yes?'"

The chief said the command and the wings are "in this together."

"We want you to be successful, because your successes at the wings are your successes. When a wing fails or struggles, it's on us at Global Strike, we didn't either give you the right resources, right guidance or right support and therefore the failure is ours," Chief Hornback said.

The chief met groups of Airmen each day of his visit for breakfast at the Elkhorn Dining Facility, and met with noncommissioned officers at lunches. At each meeting, he encouraged the Airmen to share their concerns.

"Knowing how important first impressions are, I think this initial visit served a dual purpose," said Chief Master Sgt. Chuck Anderson, 341 MW command chief. "Not only did Team Malmstrom get a great first immersion with our new enlisted leader at command, but Chief Hornback was given a great first impression of the quality of Airmen carrying out our important mission, as well."