Mobility commander tours command: Gen. Lichte, AMC command chief visit Dover AFB

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Air Mobility Command's commander and command chief visited Dover Air Force Base to discuss the mission and visit with assigned Airmen Sept. 20 and 21.

Dover AFB was the first base Gen. and Mrs. Arthur Lichte visited since the general took command of AMC Sept. 7. Accompanying him was Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Barron, AMC command chief.

"My plan over the next couple of months is to go out and visit all the Air Mobility Command bases and then put together a game plan," said the general. "You can expect I'll be continuing on with the plan the Air Force has for Air Mobility Command," he said.

Shortly after assuming command, the general announced that Dover AFB would be his first base. According to the general, his inclination served him correctly.

"Coming to Dover first was definitely the right decision," said General Lichte. "The heart of the mission happens here."

While at Dover, the general visited every group on base, toured quality of life facilities, discussed mission objectives and visited several work centers.

At the same time, Chief Barron met with enlisted Airmen from across the wing to discuss issues currently affecting the enlisted force.

One issue the chief addressed was enlisted performance reports.

"I once had a commander say to me 'Chief, I wish we had a way to rack and stack Airmen when it comes to career job reservations, special duty assignments and award nominations,'" he said. "I told the commander there already is a way - it's called the EPR system. Supervisors need to ensure they are evaluating their Airmen fairly and truthfully documenting their performance. The bottom line is not everyone is truly among the best, which is what an overall 5 indicates."

Another issue the chief addressed was the quality of Airmen coming into the Air Force today. The Air Force is great "because of the quality of our Airmen and their high standards," he said.

"When we recruit potential Airmen and bring them into our Air Force, we stress quality - quality of training, quality of work and quality of life," he said. "It's all about excellence in all we do."

Chief Barron expressed pride in the high caliber of Airmen he met at Dover.

"Dover has some of the best NCOs in the command," he said. "The supervisors here know what it means to get out from behind their desks, look their Airmen in the eyes and lead by example. They know what it means to engage issues first hand and they understand the future of the Air Force is in their hands."