Daily Report

Feb. 28, 2017

The Air Force launched its squadron revitalization program recently with a team visit to the Air Force District of Washington and JB Andrews, Md. These meetings are part of an initial data gathering stage for the initiative—led by Brig. Gen. Stephen Davis—that Gen. David Goldfein has said is his primary focus for the first year of his tenure as Chief of Staff. The focus will be on identifying best practices and streamlining procedures at the squadron level in order to elevate Total Force performance in an era of low manning and high operations tempo. The AFDW and JBA visits are the first of 20 trips to bases, major commands, and numbered air forces throughout the service that will be completed by August. “This a chance for airmen’s voices to be heard as we travel across the Air Force,” Davis said, according to a press release. At the end of their travels, Davis’s team will assemble a report by the fall of 2017 that will make recommendations on improving squadron life. Among the top issues on their radar are squadron size, organization, and proper military-civilian mix. Also of concern are resource and support structures, aligning headquarters policy with squadron needs, and ensuring that squadrons have the proper decision authorities to accomplish their missions.