Nearly two years ago, I had the opportunity to make a stopover at the Air Force Academy with many Air Force 22 leaders, where I discovered a charming base and a campus rich in history and traditions. One of the highlights is a stop at one of the last buildings, Polaris Hall. Polaris (another North Star call) is a very fashionable construction designed to encourage collaborative and cutting-edge resolution of challenges with aviator groups.
The other goal of construction is to space out the cadet court of honor. Before complicated navigation systems were developed, others sailed with the North Star. The concept of construction is that if a cadet has done something to deviate from his trajectory and appear before the court of honor, he can look through the roof specially designed to see the Polar Star to locate his way back.
Looking at the many, many demanding situations facing our wing, I wonder which direction to take, what is the most productive course of action and which is most productive for our aviators. As Polaris leads the way, I believe that regardless of the challenge or circumstances, the recommendation can be discovered in our core values. Integrity first and foremost, service to oneself and excellence in everything we do will apply regardless of the existing crises in which we are. Respect is woven into each of the 3 values; self-respect, respect for organization and respect for others. We all have a duty to hold each other accountable for respecting the fundamental values of each other, and it is an integral component of the good luck of each of the teams and the organization in general.
Over the more than 15 months, we have increased our diversity in terms of gender and race. Unfortunately, we are not very varied in terms of our higher ranks and control positions. I am committed to exploring knowledge so that we can better perceive our demographics at all levels. We have recently received information that will help us analyze our demographics in the squad row. We still don’t fully perceive the situation, however, we are envoking the help of a small organization to help us analyze knowledge and look for positive steps we can take to ensure that ALL airmen have the same opportunities to progress and develop. So far, the only thing we can all agree on is that ALL of us can do a greater task of mutual mentoring so that all airmen perceive the career paths and needs of promotion and professional development.
As we navigate through the plethora of immensely confusing challenges, we can locate our path by mutually respecting and building our central Air Force values to advise us.