NCOs see big picture at AMC's Phoenix Stripe Published June 29, 2006 By Staff Sgt. James Wilkinson 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- As a junior NCO, I don't regularly get the opportunity to discuss important Air Force issues with Air Mobility Command's commanding officer, and I'd venture to say, there are not many NCOs that get such a chance either. Along with speaking with their major command or MAJCOM commander, there are probably even less NCOs that can say in the same week they also had lunch with their chief functional manager, attended a social in casual-dress with generals, colonels and chiefs, as well as get a VIP tour of their command's headquarters. But last week I, along with 43 other staff and technical sergeants and two civilians, had the privilege of speaking candidly, honestly and personally with not only Gen. Duncan McNabb, AMC commander, but an array of other AMC flag officers, senior civilians, commanders, command chiefs and first sergeants during Phoenix Stripe, an AMC leadership development seminar for junior NCOs and civilian equivalents. To be honest, I didn't know what to expect when I first found out I was selected to go to Phoenix Stripe. I just thought it was a sure opportunity to get away from my desk for a week. I definitely didn't expect to meet with some of the most senior of senior leaders at AMC headquarters. I also didn't expect to experience a tornado warning either, but that's beside the point. Over the course of four days, these leaders took the time to impress their wisdom and advice upon a growing generation of Air Force NCOs and civilians that will eventually mature into senior NCOs, officers or civilians working within the Department of Defense. With ongoing cuts in both personnel and budget, our leadership is telling us there are upcoming challenges that the Air Force has never seen the likes of before. To better handle the imminent transformation, the Air Force needs to prepare leaders at all levels to accept, embrace and help facilitate the changes. A part of this preparation and force development is Phoenix Stripe - a unique opportunity offered exclusively by AMC biannually at Scott AFB, Ill. The big picture The goal of Phoenix Stripe is to give NCOs additional tools to lead Airmen more effectively and prepare those we supervise for future responsibilities as they take our place over time. The briefers stressed that NCOs must continue to improve upon a cycle of excellence that will deliver great leaders to the next generations of Airmen for years to come. To better achieve this goal, we were shown the bigger picture to help see more clearly where we - as NCOs and supervisors - fit within that picture. As technical experts in our respective career fields, we sometimes overlook the big picture because we are too focused on what we do at our units on a daily basis. Directors from each AMC directorate - Manpower and Personnel, Intelligence, Operations, Logistics, Plans, Communications and Information, Installations and Mission Support - explained their portions of the big picture in detail. The idea behind it is - the better we all know our place within the big picture, the more aptly we are able to lead Airmen. This big picture perspective expanded with briefings and discussions with Lt. Gen. Christopher Kelly, AMC vice commander; Maj. Gen. James Hawkins, 18th Air Force commander; and Brig. Gen. Paul Selva, Transportation Command director of operations, each elaborated on topics of leadership, the future of our Air Force and our responsibilities as NCOs. We were shown the big picture both figuratively and literally through our dialogue and tours of various facilities, which included a guided tour of the Tanker Airlift Control Center, commonly referred to as the TACC. The TACC is, quite literally, AMC's big picture entity, tracking thousands of tanker and airlift sorties worldwide though a centralized command and control center. Other topics and mission areas discussed were: quality of life, plans for aircraft operations and development, dormitory and housing renovations, human relations, workplace diversity, family matters, civilian integration in the Air Force, enlisted force development, assignments and promotions, safety, leadership, the air and space expeditionary force, chaplain assistance, health and medicine, a chief and first sergeant's panel, legal matters, security, education, public affairs and fitness. Clarification Those who were selected for Phoenix Stripe came from the Air Force active duty, Reserve, Air National Guard, and, for the first time, Air Force civilians; all from a diverse collection of vocational backgrounds and brought their own, unique perspectives to the table - a true Total Force concept. Each perspective clarified the big picture for everyone to see. The discussions, question and answer sessions and crosstalk brought issues to light that benefit both the participants and the senior leaders, who inversely do not see our "smaller portions" of the picture, and hopefully benefited from our micro-level insight. Such clarification is essential to equally understand each other, minimize mistakes, enhance communication and ultimately maximize the success of our force to accomplish the mission. As frontline leaders, we were charged with the responsibility of bringing our experience back to our units to share the information and spread the word in our workplaces and throughout our wings. VIPs At Phoenix Stripe, we were treated like VIPs with an indisputable respect and encouraged to carry out casual discussions with the most senior officers and enlisted personnel. The first day, we had lunch with the functional managers in our respective career fields to gain specialized insight and ask questions to senior enlisted leaders about our career fields and what changes may be coming down the road in our specialties. The following day, our group was invited to a social hosted by General McNabb to eat and drink and personally meet with the general and various other speakers from the seminar in casual dress in a more relaxed environment. Our exemplary treatment symbolized to me the fact that we are all Airmen, equal in value, and all deserve that same respect across the board - the Airmen we lead deserve that same treatment and respect because in essence, all Airmen are VIPs, vital to the success of the Air Force. All the way up the chain of command, we all fit somewhere into the big picture. Without any one piece of that picture, the masterpiece that we are proud to call the U.S. Air Force turns into an indiscernible blur - and this is why we must understand, maintain and improve upon our force for our families, our country, our Air Force and ourselves. More information about Phoenix Stripe including all briefings, photos, and schedule of events can be found online at https://private.amc.af.mil//cc/phoenix_stripe/pstripe.htm.