Twentieth Air Force commander visits space wings

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Daryl Knee
  • 90th Space Wing Public Affairs
F. E. WARREN AFB, Wyo. --  The Twentieth Air Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Roger W. Burg, recently visited the space wings under his command to meet and familiarize himself with Airmen from all the levels of leadership to the lowest enlisted members.

General Burg's numbered Air Force commands the three space wings located at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.; Malmstrom AFB, Mont.; and Minot AFB, N.D.

His trips to the different bases are beneficial to both himself and the Airmen at the wing level.

"When I visited, it was both a personal enjoyment and a professional one. I want [the Airmen] to know that I'm their commander and I care about them," General Burg said. "It's very valuable to talk directly with the Airmen who are doing the job. It's my job and I love it."

He noticed the one factor that seemed to be predominant for each of the bases is the amount of first-term Airmen.

"It's surprising how many first-term Airmen we have assigned to this command," General Burg said. "Almost 60 percent of enlisted and officers are on their first assignment. For the rest of the Air Force, the normal number is around 35 to 40 percent."

The significance of those numbers is apparent in the number of leadership positions that are entrusted to Airmen at an increasingly lower age.

"Take a senior airman who graduates [Airman Leadership School] in a security forces squadron for instance," the general said. "He's 23, maybe 24 years old, and has a little over four years in the Air Force. I'm going to immediately make him a supervisor of six to eight Airmen not that much younger than him."

General Burg said that good leadership is the key to supporting our younger force.

"I realize the tremendous responsibility given to these Airmen and how well the vast majority do their job," General Burg said. "The programs we have in place need to be supported with good leadership. I'm putting the pressure on because I don't have as many young NCOs as other parts of the Air Force and I know that most younger Airmen decide whether they like their work or not from the influence of their leadership."

General Burg intends to visit the ICBM wings at least once per quarter.

"I want to get to the wings often enough to put a finger on the pulse of the operation," the general said. "I'll make sure to take time to see the Airmen doing work. Every day, they have the huge responsibility to do their job, and do it well. It may seem at times that no one notices exceptional work, but I notice. Hard work, dedication and commitment are to be recognized and praised."