EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, California -- Fellow Citizens, Teammates, and Close Friends,
There’s absolutely no doubt that we’re living through multiple unprecedented events - simultaneously. Your continued leadership *by example* in our four simultaneous combat fronts is vital to the current and future defense of our Nation, her Partners, and her Allies. Let’s not get distracted… our success in these four combat fronts remains as vital in 2021 as it was through the last 10 months of 2020:
- Safely and efficiently generate, deploy, support, and return Airmen to combat today so they can fight tonight.
- Remain vigilant during each and every excursion we have into the Cyber Domain from any device enabling our front-line cyber warriors to maximally protect all of us in cyber, the newest of warfighting domains.
- Continue to lead the Community, the State, the MAJCOM, and the Nation in our Knowledge of the COVID Threat, our Respect of the COVID Threat, and therefore maximizing our Beating back of the COVID Threat.
- Maximize the indefinitely sustainable throughput of all of our test capability to increase our Nation’s future combat capability… developing, building, maturing, and sharpening the tip of our Nation’s spear.
Additionally, our Nation has called on us - *ALL OF US* - to lead *by example* as we continue in our journey toward a more-perfect Union. Many of us have sworn an Oath to Support and Defend the Constitution of The United States of America and the principles on which our Nation was founded. All of us, by participating in Team T-Cot-A-TU, are contributing to that same strong, but ever-challenged, defense. Our challengers include competitor Nations, hostile ideologies, the physical and fiscal environments, and the waning inertia of failed previous domestic policies and domestic actions that are incompatible with our Constitution and its founding principles. Let me briefly, but clearly, highlight two items in that last category.
First, determining and addressing the roots of the racially-based unrest that rose to a roar last summer remains a focal point of mine, of our community, and of our Service. For a recent testament to that Department of the Air Force determination, I encourage you to consume the Report of Inquiry (S8918P) published in December 2020 from The Department of The Air Force Inspector General. The US Air Force article is here (https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2453681/department-of-the-air-force-releases-findings-on-racial-disparity-review/) and the full report is linked here (https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/ig/IRDR.pdf). Locally, I remain fully committed to the Hard Talks sessions that have been occurring beginning at 1500 every (duty day) Thursday at the Chapel 1 Annex. If you have a Diversity & Inclusion topic you want to share with Installation Senior Leadership or need a location to just get something off your chest related to this topic, this is the safe and non-attributional place and time to do so. For more details, contact the 412 TW POC, TSgt Keith Bias via e-mail (keith.bias@us.af.mil).
Second, events in Washington DC – including around and within The Capitol Building itself – this week requires your leadership *by example* as we support the Constitutional process of a peaceful transition of executive powers from our 45th President to our 46th President. All of us on Active Duty must continue to remain non-political on- and off-duty. Our civilian teammates must continue to remain non-political on duty. Our workplaces must continue to remain free from any and all political disagreements or discussions. The step in the process of electing our President that occurred in the House and Senate chambers of The Capitol 6 January 2020 and the Inauguration of our next President on the steps of The Capitol on 20 January 2021 are ones we must continue to support. I implore you, Americans all, to lead *by example* by remaining calm, thoughtful, and deliberate in all you think, say, and do as we witness yet another peaceful transition of power.
Finally, we must all continue to condemn violence – in all forms and against all targets – that violates our Constitution, the rule of law, and the foundational principles of our Nation; we must lead *by example* and not be drawn into the fray.
Compete!