TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) — January 13, 2016 — Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James visited Travis Air Force Base Jan. 8 to meet with Airmen, discuss her priorities and see firsthand the base’s mission and capabilities as the western seaboard’s mobility air forces hub.
To begin her visit, James received a detailed mission brief from senior base leaders to discuss cornerstone functions of the installation such as the seamless total force integration of three separate wings, the employment of three major mobility weapons systems and Travis AFB?s strategic location serving as the lifeline to the Pacific theater.
Throughout her day-long visit, James ate lunch with Airmen, toured a number of facilities to include Air Mobility Command’s largest aerial port and held an all call to speak to the greater base populous.
During her all call, she discussed her three main priorities: taking care of people, balancing today’s readiness with the modernization needs of tomorrow and making every dollar count — as well as the challenges faced by today’s Air Force operating within the parameters of a fiscally constrained environment.
“Today’s Air Force is the smallest it has ever been, with the smallest number of people,” she said. “And at the same time, the number of missions we fly around the world has skyrocketed … we have got to do better.”
James also spoke on the importance of mobility airpower, more specifically Travis AFB’s role to the mission of Global Reach, and the capabilities the men and women here present to the strategic Air Force vision.
“You all are playing a crucial role in our Air Force and national defense because nothing happens without rapid global mobility and that’s what Travis is all about,” she said. “What’s going on here is extremely impressive. Travis features a highly integrated total force, three major mobility weapons systems and one of the largest aerial ports and hospitals. Then you add on the mission-set of the contingency response wing. It’s a very unique blend.”
James re-emphasized her capstone message, “Nothing happens without rapid global mobility.
“Thank you again for the long days, the long deployments and time spent away from home,” she continued. “I know this takes its toll. I hope that in the next year or two we will have changes that will ease this somewhat. But truth in advertising, I think we are going to remain a very busy Air Force.”