AETC civic leaders experience Wright-Patterson

  • Published
  • By Brittany Reynolds
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  Twenty one civic leaders from across the country along with the commander of Air Education and Training Command, Gen. Stephen Lorenz traveled here Sept. 7-9 to get a firsthand look at the many diverse and critical missions vital to the Air Force.

The civic leader group included men and women from a variety of backgrounds and included business owners, pastoral leaders, educators, along with CEOs, presidents, and vice presidents of companies.

"Public trust and support is vital to our future as the world's most formidable and respected Air Force," said General Lorenz. "The importance of public support cannot be overstated, it is absolutely vital to our existence."

This visit was an opportunity to showcase the Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Research Laboratory, and Aeronautical Systems Center missions, all headquartered at Wright-Patt. The group also visited the National Museum of the United States Air Force and the Air Force Institute of Technology, the graduate school for the Air Force and a component of Air University and AETC.

"We are thinking about and planning for the future...we constantly change the way we do business to adapt to technology...and we must continue to outthink our enemies," said General Lorenz.

The group was excited to learn that Aeronautical Systems Center manages more than 500 Air Force, joint, and international aircraft acquisition programs. Displays were presented to the group to exemplify the ASC mission "Dominate Air Power: Design for Tomorrow...Deliver today".

"You can spend a lot of dollars trying to sell something to an audience that simply is not listening. For a fraction of the cost you can educate someone and make them an advocate that will sell your product over and over for you," said Jack Hebdon of Hebdon Consulting based in San Antonio, Texas.

The consensus of the group was that the AFRL and AFIT portions of the tour were particularly enlightening. These missions embody the advanced research and education that go into supporting the Air Force Mission to "Fly, Fight and Win... in Air, Space, and Cyberspace," General Lorenz noted.

"I have no doubt that after seeing the cutting-edge technology explored here, the caliber of our people, and our unwavering dedication to improve every aspect of how we operate, that these community leaders will continue to provide outstanding support for the Air Force mission in their local communities," said General Lorenz.

The group was given the opportunity to spend a great amount of time at AFRL and AFIT. Brig. Gen. Walter Givhan, AFIT commandant, hosted the group throughout their visit. AFIT provides technologically, defense-focused education essential to advancing air, space, and cyberspace power for the Nation, its partners, and our armed forces. "We educate our students to be science and technology leaders," said General Givhan. "They are our future."

"Being able to spend time with the PhD candidates and hear them talk about their research was priceless," said Hebdon. "The look on their faces told me this was not just a briefing, but something they truly believed in. This is the future of the Air Force and I like the direction it is heading."

"We cultivate that relationship by showing our community leaders--not just telling them, but showing them--how, at places like AFRL and AFIT, our Airmen constantly seek innovative ways to improve our processes and our capabilities," said General Lorenz. "When those leaders go back to their respective communities and tell their colleagues, friends and family about what they saw here at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the positive impact is literally immeasurable."

That positive effect was evident when the group departed on Thursday. "The amount of research power in one place is astounding," said Hebdon. "When I went to bed on Thursday night, I was proud to be an American and felt safer knowing that great minds are working hard to keep us the great nation we are."