Top AFFTC officer hosts commander's call

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Julius Delos Reyes
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The Air Force Flight Test Center's top officer held a commander's call Sept. 30 at the base theater. 

Maj. Gen. David Eichhorn, AFFTC commander, talked about his three priorities for Team Edwards -- taking care of people, One Materiel Command and Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century. 

Part of "taking care of people" includes improving the quality of life, he said. These quality of life initiatives include reopening of Wolfe Avenue; housing and landscaping; establishing urgent care center; improvement of base gates and intersections; updated play equipment at the Child Development Center; and installing pedestrian crossing stop signs. 

"It is you who make things happen," said General Eichhorn said. "Only you can make Team Edwards a great place to work." 

As part of safety, the general talked about the improved statistics of Team Edwards for the 101 critical days of summer. He stressed the importance of safety awareness and personal risk management, especially during the upcoming holidays. 

He discussed how Team Edwards' mission is aligned with the Air Force Materiel Command, the Air Force and the Department of Defense. 

"We exist because we perform test mission for the Air Force," he said. 

He also addressed the AFFTC's strategic priorities, which include fixing the Center's business practice, ensuring team work and eliminating waste. 

"We need to run like a world-class business," said the general. "We also have to create a test enterprise and understand acquisition processes." 

In addition, General Eichhorn discussed how the Secretary of the Air Force and the Chief Staff of the Air Force's directives apply to AFFTC, such as financial and performance accountability and setting a high standard for excellence. He talked about the base's energy consumption and the upcoming aircraft systems for the base, including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, unmanned aerial system, system of systems test and hypersonic. 

The general also reminded Team Edwards of the Unit Compliance Inspection on Jan. 10 to 22, 2009. The inspection assesses areas mandated by law as well as mission areas identified by senior Air Force and AFMC leadership as critical or important to the health and performance of the unit. 

"We have an enormous opportunity to show what we got here," General Eichhorn said. "We need to shoot for excellence because it means we are doing the job well. We need to commit ourselves to doing this right."