The flight lead concept Published Feb. 20, 2013 By Lt. Col. Chris Callaghan 71st Operations Support Squadron commander VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- We -- as an Air Force -- preach the Wingman concept. The notion of always looking out for our Wingman is the foundation of the teamwork and mutual support that makes our Air Force capable of great things. It is also frequently a reminder we hear before a holiday or a long weekend. That said, I think this concept is incomplete because we don't talk about the role of the flight lead. The Air Force employs the vast majority of its airborne weapons systems in formation for a variety of good reasons; increased firepower and mutual support are the biggest two. Flight leads, regardless of the size of the formation they lead, are responsible for the success of the mission and the safe return of the assets under their charge. Because of those responsibilities, flight leads must avoid taking unnecessary risks or bringing their formations into a situation where both the success of the mission and the safety of the assets are needlessly in jeopardy. If flight leads fail to make the proper assessment and the appropriate decisions, they could be dragging their wingmen into a bad situation that neither the flight lead nor the wingman is capable of escaping, regardless of how good they are. Airmen across our Air Force, who are upgrading to flight lead in their various weapons systems, are taught this early and are ultimately evaluated against these criteria when being certified as flight leads. Okay, so what? Well, this obligation -- this responsibility -- absolutely applies to each of us off-duty as well. We hear time and time again that the Air Force suffers more off-duty injuries and fatalities than we do on-duty. So, to help change this trend, it's time to take the flight lead concept with us when we leave our place of work. When we develop off-duty plans with friends and family, whether it's an outing on the water or a night on the town, we have to approach it with a sense of responsibility for the safety of those around us. We can't simply say, "I'm not driving tonight, so I'll just go push it up and let my Wingman take care of me." This mindset often takes otherwise well-intended folks into a scenario they no longer control. That's when folks get in trouble, injured or worse. The Wingman concept is founded upon looking out for each other and providing mutual support. The flight lead concept obligates all of us to avoid taking unnecessary risk, dragging our fellow Airmen into bad situations and requiring our Wingman to conjure up huge quantities of moral courage to try to rectify poor decisions made by their flight lead. Situations like that are not only unfair to the Wingman, but they frequently exceed the Wingman's capability to fix. Important safety tip: Each of us is ultimately responsible for our own actions, and sometimes even the best Wingman can't save a poor flight lead. The Wingman concept we preach is a good one. But it sometimes gives folks a false sense of security and a lack of appreciation for their own responsibilities as flight leads, particularly in off-duty and social scenarios. Be the better Airman...be a good Wingman, but also be a good flight lead.