From the Top: Commentary by the 7th BW Commander Published Jan. 6, 2014 By Brig. Gen. Glen VanHerck 7th Bomb Wing commander DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Happy New Year Team Dyess! Welcome back and I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday season and have returned refreshed and ready to tackle the opportunities and challenges that we'll undoubtedly face in the upcoming year. I like to take a mental inventory early in the year, as I am sure many of you do, to reflect and make some new resolutions and set goals for the upcoming year. Perhaps this year, we can share some common resolutions and strive to not only become a stronger team, but to maximize the assets we have available to us at Dyess, and to best utilize the limited funding we have. It is my goal to tackle these tough challenges and turn them into opportunities that will have positive and beneficial results for our Air Force and Nation. Ten years ago our Air Force looked much different than it does today. The past decade has brought changes in posture, budget and personnel strength, and in turn, impacting how we do business. These are changes that many of whom have been around the Air Force for a while, my family and myself included, are familiar with, and they are changes that we are going to continue to have to get used to. Unfortunately, in 2013 harsh budget cuts forced Air Force installations to make tough choices, shifting resources that support "like to do" and "ought to do" things in order to pay for the "must do" challenges. To ensure the Dyess mission continues I have had to make some tough calls, and there will be more tough calls in the future. As always, I need to maintain a combat-ready force, and as our budget continues to shrink, dollars that were once going to less mission-critical areas will be supporting that combat role. This challenge requires us to curb our frustrations and focus our energy on creative solutions. It requires us to unite as teammates and take care of each other. And it will require increased communication and support of our families in order for us to be successful. Our uniformed and civilian Airmen must always remain focused on our primary mission--to provide America with operationally effective combat airpower and combat support. Accomplishing our mission requires leadership at every level. Commanders, talk to your troops. Look them in the eye and give them honest feedback and be open to new ways of doing business. For supervisors, I'm all about common sense. I certainly welcome your innovative ideas and if you see something that needs your dedicated leadership, take initiative and handle it at the lowest level. For all Airmen, if you see wasteful spending or misappropriated funds, you, and all government employees, have a responsibility to report it. We need you and each and every Airman to identify the waste and inefficiencies that you see and report it up the chain of command. In 2013 alone we canceled our annual air show support and all flyovers and curtailed non-critical TDY travel. Our flying hours for our squadrons were drastically reduced and we've been continually reviewing all contracts for potential savings. Further, we temporarily closed our library and pools and ended funding for much of our grounds maintenance. Ultimately, we have to change the way we do business and the way we think- it's going to take a culture change. It's up to all of us to find innovative ways to be efficient, and wasteful spending is not one of them. The whole country needs to team up and solve this problem and recognize that our days of feeling entitled are over. But let me assure you that in the midst of this challenging new mindset, taking care of our Airmen and families is still of the utmost importance to me. I promise to continue to balance this with ensuring that we are able to accomplish the mission at home and abroad, each and every day. Finally, are you doing your part to support our Morale, Welfare, and Recreation programs? When I joined the AF nearly 26 years ago, the club membership rate was near 100% for active duty and many retirees remained members of the club system. Today our membership rate is approximately 15% and that is a significant loss in revenue. What many folks don't understand is that by being a club member you are supporting all Morale, Welfare, and Recreation programs. The Morale, Welfare, and Recreation fund supports the library, club system, child development center, bowling alley, golf course, auto hobby shop, outdoor recreation, family camp, archery range, and arts and crafts. Let's stop thinking about the "club" being a building on base that in the past served meals but rather let's think of all of us being part of a club of "members" that support and utilize our Morale, Welfare, and Recreation programs. These programs are fantastic benefits that we have become accustomed to and many folks view them as entitlements. They are not. With the fiscal realities and the change in culture of our force, these programs continue to be at risk and likely could be cut in the upcoming year without a significant change in culture. We can greatly increase the funds available for these programs by increasing our club participation and membership rate. Help me accomplish this as my goal is to not close any of these programs. If there is a way I can maintain a service by finding a different and more innovative way of doing business, I want to do it to support our Air Force community. However, I can't sacrifice mission capability to get there. I often point out that if you aren't a member, then you haven't bought the right to complain. And if you aren't using these services, then they will go away. I want to tell you folks it's a tough choice, but it's one I have to make. So let's come together this year as an Air Force team and resolve to make the best of this challenge by maximizing our assets and stepping up as responsible leaders in a fiscally-constrained environment. Thank-you for your continued service and I look forward to a great new year.