Reserve leaders visit Vance

  • Published
  • By Capt. Tony Wickman
  • Public Affairs
Vance Air Force Base, Okla.-- --  Vance Air Force Base was treated to a view from the top when Maj. Gen. James Sluder made a base orientation visit here Monday and Tuesday.

General Sluder, the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Air Education and Training Command, and Col. Robert Williamson, 340th Flying Training Wing commander, visited Vance from Randolph AFB, Texas, to observe firsthand the wing's mission, conduct a T-6 training sortie and meet with the Reservists of the 5th Flying Training Squadron.

While weather cancelled the flying sortie for the general, he was able to visit with wing leaders and hold an informal meeting to discuss Reserve, AETC and Air Force issues and pass along kudos to the Reservists assigned to the 5th FTS.

For General Sluder, he felt the Reservists at Vance are very lucky to be here and AETC is lucky to have them.

"What a great base and place to raise a family. If I could have started my Reserve career differently I think I would have liked to come to Vance. It is a great place to work and you should feel very proud of what you accomplish here," said General Sluder.

"Vance has been recognized as the best of the best and even though it was my first time visiting, I was struck with how well the base is cared for, everything is immaculate and the airmen are shinning examples of professionalism," he said. "In saying goodbye to Colonel (Rod) Gillis, I understood why he was so very proud of this command. I can also tell you that 'Team Vance' is a Total Force team that has been facilitated through the efforts of the 71st Flying Training Wing, and the men and women of the 5th FTS commanded by Lt. Col. Dan Crawford."

The general spoke to the more than 25 Reservists assembled about career progression, current operations and issues in AETC and around the Air Force, and passed along a job well done to the men and women accomplishing the joint specialized pilot training here.

"Gen. Looney is very proud of the job you are performing here at Vance. He knows you are a highly disciplined team of professional aviators who perform an extremely difficult training mission. He also knows that you are setting standards that your students will carry with them for the rest of their career. You are the men and women our young Airmen need to see and emulate," said General Sluder. "Your continued success here at Vance and in the commands your students are serving in now is a testament to how well you do that job."

As far as changes to how JSUPT will be done in the future, the general said AETC doesn't change for change sake.

"There may be some logical changes to the syllabus due to better equipment and new technology, and the AETC staff will rely on your input for smarter, cheaper and better ways of implementing any change. Right now the command sees the success story here at Vance and it is hard to argue with success," said General Sluder. "You as a command are an example to model, so do not look for whole sale changes to the way you do business."

When asked how important the JSUPT work being done at Vance is to the warfighting mission of the Air Force and Department of Defense, the general said it is job one for AETC.

"Our job is to provide trained Airmen to the combatant commanders and we know that we will always operate jointly with our sister services. If we train together early in our careers, we will learn how our sister services operate and that will allow us to go to war as a more seamless force," said the general. "Here at Vance our Airmen, Sailors and Marines are getting some of that sister service knowledge from day one."

As for how well the Reserves at Vance are supporting the JSUPT mission, General Sluder explained that the role of Reservist has evolved and has expanded in scope over time.

"When the Reserves started in the UPT mission, our requirement was to provide the regular Air Force with line Instructor Pilots. In the last 10 years the Reservists' role has evolved into supervisory and leadership positions as well," he said. "We are 20 percent of the IP force, and now we are also 30 percent of the supervision. Reservists that are on their second or third tour here at Vance bring a wealth of experience and continuity to the operation that helps produce a better student, as well as aiding the new regular Air Force IPs in their transition to the JSUPT environment."

"This evolution has been great for Reservists seeking added responsibility and leadership opportunities. The 5th FTS brings a corps of extremely dedicated and professional Airmen to the 71st FTW operation. It has been a huge success and we look forward to continued total force integration," said General Sluder.