• Why enforce the ‘Standards’

     In the military we constantly refer to "the Standard." Most standards are developed within Air Force instructions or technical orders and are what sets us aside from our civilian counterparts. Webster's dictionary defines a standard as "something established by authority, custom, or general consent

  • Sequestration: Are you ready to fight tonight?

    Is our nation ready to fight the next war? Is the U.S. Air Force ready to fly, fight and win? Are you ready to "take the fight north?" Answers to these questions rely on knowing yourself, the threat, and having Airmen who are leaders and innovators with the ability to overcome difficult challenges.

  • Sexual Assault, what about personal responsibility?

    Usually when I'm facilitating group discussions on sexual assault someone inevitably says - "okay, I know sexual assault is wrong, got it - the person who committed the assault is the only one to blame, check - but really, at the end of the day aren't we all responsible for ourselves?" A lot of

  • Family resiliency

    Being separated from our families when on a remote tour or deployment can be challenging. It's important to work at being a resilient family during these times. Resilient families can survive and indeed thrive while separated from each other. A family member's ability to manage hardships while

  • What makes an organization successful?

    As I spend time looking through the dozens of leadership books that fill the shelves of bookstores everywhere, both physical and electronic, it amazes me how many different "experts" have the solution for building the perfect organization. Whether it's creating the best multi-million dollar

  • It’s all about family

    You heard it when you arrived: "Welcome to the Wolf Pack Family." Or maybe you've heard people talk about the Air Force Family. When I speak with the Airmen in the Operations Group, I speak about being a family. So why do Air Force leaders refer to family when we talk about our organization? I can't

  • Give thanks in every circumstance

    As I was dealing with emotions in response to the third crazy event of the day -- I reflected on a lesson I was taught as a child -- "give thanks in every circumstance."Returning to my room, I thought about where I was a year ago, in Iraq with U.S. Special Forces closing bases and drawing down the

  • Attitude and Action

    The United States Air Force Academy invited me to speak to the cadet wing in 2008. At that time I didn't realize the topic of my discussion would be so relevant to my Air Force career and specifically to my time as a commander. The Air Force currently finds itself depicted in an unflattering light

  • Relationships facilitate mission success

    A mentor of mine once said, "Relationships matter, that's how we get things done in the Air Force." My squadron recently deployed to Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska to conduct training on one of our nation's premier air-to-surface bombing ranges in the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex. Among other

  • For this, we can be truly thankful

    The Pilgrims landed in the New World in the winter of 1621. We celebrate their arrival in our history classes and their survival at our Thanksgiving tables every year. But how often do we consider their struggle to survive and their faith that saw them through? Of the 109 that landed that day,