Air Force Featured Stories

Wilson visits Airmen, discusses AF priorities

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Mozer O. Da Cunha
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson visited Barksdale Air Force Base, to meet Airmen from various units and discuss her priorities Nov. 14-15, 2017.

Wilson spoke about restoring readiness, cost-effective modernization and development of exceptional leaders.

“We are in the fight, and we have been for 27 straight years and that has taken a toll,” Wilson said. “So, we have to start restoring the readiness of the force. It is first and foremost about people, we are trying to get enough people back into the service to do the missions that we have been asked to accomplish.”

Wilson also spoke with Airmen about the future of the force through cost-effective modernization.

“We have to cost-effectively modernize so we can meet the challenges of the future,” Wilson said. “The Air Force is facing modernization across the board for the next 10 years for its fighters, bombers and space assets… modernization is something the Air Force is focused on.”

As part of her tour, Wilson visited future supervisors at Barksdale AFB’s Airman Leadership School.

“We have to develop exceptional leaders,” she said. “That’s one of the reasons you are all here, you are about to make that transition from being the supervised to being the supervisor, and the Air Force spends a lot of time and effort to develop its leaders.”

Wilson visited over 10 facilities on the installation seeing firsthand how Barksdale AFB and its assets stand ready to do the mission when called upon by the nation.