Time to prove that Team Vance is excellent

  • Published
  • By Col. Darren James
  • 71st Flying Training Wing commander
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  

Team Vance,

My sincere thanks for what you do every day to accomplish our mission to "Develop professional Airmen, deliver world-class pilots and deploy combat ready warriors!"

Times are not easy with sequestration upon us. We face many challenges that may hinder our ability to meet our mission requirements. Yet, we must continue to find innovative means to meet our nation's security requirements and continue to accomplish our Develop, Deliver and Deploy mission.

One impact of sequestration is the modified Consolidated Unit Inspection schedule. The Air Education and Training Command Inspector General team arrives April 8 and departs April 12. They will bring nearly a full complement of inspectors to comb our base for compliance issues.

The slightly shortened inspection schedule will save nearly a third of the normal CUI per diem costs. The significance of the AETC commander's decision to conduct the Vance CUI as scheduled should demonstrate how important the IG function is to our leadership.

I am counting on you to prove to our leadership the great work we do at Vance Air Force Base and that we are "The Air Force's premier training wing... empowering Airmen to conquer our nation's challenges."

Finally, I would like to highlight a few key items of importance. The AETC command emphasis areas are records management, Privacy Act data and equipment management. The U.S. Air Force special interest item is perimeter security.

My thanks to the 71st Logistics Readiness Squadron and the 71st Communication Squadron who have worked diligently to bring the wing into compliance through training and tracking of a significant volume of data.

We all sleep soundly at night knowing our Defenders are keeping the base secure here in Enid, America. Yet, the threat of misused or insecure Privacy Act information concerns me.

Information flow in this age demands that we protect our data. Our enemies already know too much about us, who we are and our capabilities. It is so easy to slip because many of our Airmen have a role in generating and protecting this information.

Please eliminate documents no longer needed and safeguard those you are required to maintain. Be careful and consistent with procedures in how you send the information.

Again, my sincere thanks to all of you for your outstanding CUI preparation efforts and accomplishing your daily mission requirements. My hope is that you improved your organization while preparing to present your case for excellence to the IG.

Now is the time to prove that Team Vance is "Excellent!"