Watch the video or read the transcript of SEAC Ramón Colón-López, Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass; and Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force Roger Towberman talking about “Leading in a Time of Change” during a panel discussion moderated by retired CMSAF Gerald R. Murray, AFA Chairman, during AFA’s 2021 virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium.
Gerald R. Murray, AFA Chairman and CMSAF No. 14: “Now, it’s my special pleasure to introduce our first panel of this symposium, coming to us live from the Pentagon. Please welcome, the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Chief Master Sergeant Ramón Colón-López, the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Chief Master Sergeant JoAnne Bass, and Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force—the first Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force, Roger “Toby” Towberman. Today, they’ll be discuss, they’ll discuss leading in a time of change, they’ll share insights and experience in driving change and setting priorities and direction in their respective areas of responsibility. So chiefs, let’s get started. Chief Bass, how about you provide the first opening remarks?”
Chief Master Sergeant JoAnne S. Bass: “Alrighty. Well, as always, No. 14, it’s so great to see you. Look forward to all of the engagements that AFA is going to have this week when it comes to accelerating change. Also good to be with my two brothers CZ and Toby, fun with that. So, you know, we’ve been in the seat for about, close to seven months for me. It’s been a whirlwind. I feel like it was just yesterday that we were sitting here at AFA, about six months ago as well. We’ve been very focused on accelerating change or lose, what my boss, the strategic approach that my boss pushed out when he got into the seat. We’ve been focused on the four action orders that we’re getting after, and we’ve been focused on, people, readiness, and culture. We’re excited to talk about those things. I’ve just started getting out, COVID permitting, to a few of our bases to hear and listen and share with our Airmen, and I look forward to sharing with you today.”
Murray: “Great, thank you so much, Chief Bass. All right, CZ. Chief Master Sgt. Colón-López.”
Chief Master Sgt. Ramón Colón-López, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: “Thank you, No. 14, and it’s always a pleasure and an honor to be, to be with you. Also a pleasure and an honor to be with Jo and Toby again, part of this panel. AFA, thank you so much for this opportunity to have the three of us talking to the force about some of the actions that were taken, and also some of the initiatives that are driven by their feedback, which is the most important thing. To our Airmen and our families, Janet and I always have you in the forefront, and always know that the purpose and the reason that I’m here is to be your voice for the Total Force, not just the Airmen, in collaboration with Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Bass and Chief Towberman. And lastly, to our partners and allies, you know, our strength is in the collaboration of our wartime capabilities, and not a day goes by that we take you for granted, or that we disregard the contributions that you have made, side by side by us, in war and peace. Since December of 1990, this has been a pretty interesting journey. When I graduated basic training, I needed direction. Then in October of 1996 is when my purpose as a human being and as an Airman was defined, when I graduated pararescue school. But then in December of 2019, I was given an alternate, an ultimate opportunity to make a difference for the Total Force, and that difference comes in the form of being your voice, speaking to the highest of authorities to make sure that we do not get it wrong when it comes to taking care of you and your families. So again, thank you so much for this opportunity, and I’m honored to be part of this panel.”
Murray: “Thank you, Chief. All right, Chief Towberman, over to you.
Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force Roger Towberman: “Hey Chief, thank you so much, Chief Murray. Thanks AFA. Thanks to my great teammates, you know, SEAC and, and CMSAF and I have kind of grown up together, and so it’s always fun to talk, and great to be here. I know we all wish we could be sitting in the same room, with you, Chief Murray, but, man, what a, what a really cool thing. And really, a special thanks to AFA starting out this week with us sends a really strong message to the fine enlisted men and women out there in all services, and, boy oh boy do they deserve it. The backbone of our military, and so to start out, it’s an honor. I know for all three of us, but also just really cool and so thanks, thanks for doing that. Thanks to Tobias [Naegele] and Amy [McCullough] for anchoring this all week. Thanks to everybody for tuning in. We really appreciate you, appreciate you including Guardians and being an AFA that’s focused on being relevant to everyone, so all the thanks out of the way, and look forward to having a conversation. This is going to be fun.”
Murray: “All right. Well, thank you. Like you, I wish I was either there with you, or you here with me, or that we were all in person for this, as we continue to make sure that we keep each other safe and, and others as well. Well I appreciate also that y’all are willing to take a few questions, you know, and with the discussion there, too. So with that, you know, I’d like to probably delve into a little bit about your philosophy of leadership, and perhaps across your career and then especially of where you’re at right now. So to the SEAC, you know, which also a first. You’re the first senior enlisted leader from the Air Force to hold the position, now, now, as the Senior Enlisted Advisor the Chairman. So chief, explore a little bit about what your philosophy in the joint environment is, and does it differ from, your service, you know, specific environment that you came from?”
Colón-López: “Thanks, Chief. And my philosophy really hasn’t changed much from my Air Force time, now to being a joint entity. And I will say that the overarching theme has always been the same: collaboration without encroachment. And let me, let me explain what I mean. I see myself as a sensor, a synchronizer, and an integrator for the Total Force, and a lot of that comes with understanding the issues that are exclusive to the services. I have counterparts across the services, like Toby and Jo as an example. But the one thing that we’re in the habit of doing is always getting around a table to discuss the issues, find the connective tissue between those particular items, and then come up with the best solutions. You earlier mentioned, Chief, that AFA’s all about loud … and consistent messaging. Well, this forum is no different. That is exactly how we carry on our daily duties, and the way that we execute the request from the force. And I will tell you that, you know, everything that we do is with one ultimate goal, and that is to influence and to energize a force to take the right course of action and make a difference for our service and the Department of Defense. And that is really the essence of my leadership philosophy.”
Murray: “Great. All right, Chief Bass, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Bass, Jo, similar question. You know your philosophy throughout your career, and now that you are the most senior enlisted leader for our Air Force has it changed? Or, you know, what has been your culminating philosophy?”
Bass: “All right, well, you know, mine’s a little bit more simpler, and I took my life lessons from my mom, believe it or not. But, but she really taught me, as did my dad, he’s gonna call me up later and say you didn’t mention me right up front, but anyway, but really my mom, which is do your job and do it well, and that has been kind of my life philosophy, if you will. As a young Airman, do your job, do it well. And as I’ve grown into every position and every responsibility that I’ve had, the job jar has grown. And so doing your job and doing it well has just continued to grow, even into this seat, you know. My, my own personal philosophy and task to myself is, ‘Hey Jo, you got to do your job and do it well.’ And now it includes almost 700,000 Airmen and their families that I’ve got to make sure and take that responsibility, and like the SEAC said, our service members and their families and our service, and the entire Department of Defense is really what’s at mind when it, when we look at how do we do our job and do it well.”
Murray: “Great. Thank you Chief. And Chief Towberman, your leadership philosophy through your career, and has the creation of the new U.S. Space Force caused you to adjust in any way?
Towberman: “Yeah, so, you know, I’ll tell you, it hasn’t caused me to adjust. It has absolutely, I think has, I think everyone would agree, certainly standing up a new service though it’s, it’s, I mean, the buck stops here. Like, you really have to kind of commit to that philosophy and, and check yourself to make sure that, that you’re living the life that you need to live, because there’s no, there’s no safety net. There’s no one else to, to kind of look to and, and so I think, you know, my philosophy that I grew up in 29-plus years in the Air Force, to be, to be a, to be a voice to those without a voice, and to be a champion for, you know, for the real weapon system, which lives and breathes, and so to take those issues, to make the mission easier, to make the mission more effective for the human beings that have to execute it, has always been kind of how I saw my role. And that has evolved. I’ve gotten better at it, hopefully gotten better at it over the years, but now to be standing up a service, and really have to really, really think through that every single day, to go, ‘Am I doing enough? Are we doing enough? Are we putting those human beings first? Are we remembering that nothing happens without their blood and sweat and their significant capability and contribution?’ So I would say nothing’s really changed, except the heat gets turned up as you, as you move up the ladder.”
Murray: “Great. Thanks, Chief. The second question deals with the Total Force fitness resilience, and putting people first. Chief Bass, you mentioned that in your opening comments, of the importance of caring for people, you know, of course, I want to say that’s always been the most, the most important thing for us. But what is the Air Force doing to put people first, and has there been any shift in the efforts recently?”
Bass: “Yeah, I don’t know that there’s been a shift in the efforts. What I will say is, as you said, it’s always been people first, and so when I, when I got into the seat and we thought very deliberately about what were my focus areas going to, going to be, they were going to be people, readiness, and culture. And then when you look at, as I mentioned, Gen. Brown’s four action orders, Airman is the first one, action order A, and so we are very, being very deliberate and thoughtful in how do we recruit people into the world’s greatest Air Force, and once those people are recruited into our Air Force, we’re being very thoughtful. And, in the 21st century, how are we training them, educating them, developing them to be that, the Airman that we need. And then I’ll tell you, I’ve put a lot of thought also in the people and the family piece, on when they take this uniform off, how are we trying to, how are we making sure that we’re taking care of them, that they’re going to be successful when they get out of our Air Force? And, you know, the reality is they never really get out. You’re Airman for life. But that’s where our focus is, on the people piece, and I don’t think that it’s shifted. We are just continuing to amplify it and make sure that they know that they’re taken care of.”
Murray: “Great, thanks, Chief. To Chief Towberman. Are there any unique challenges in the Space Force, how are people adjusting to the new service as well?”
Towberman: “Yes, so there’s certainly unique challenges, and with, you know, with, with so many things, I think two sides of the same coin. Our size challenges us, you know, we’ve got to rely on the Air Force, which does a great job of supporting us, but it’s a little bit, you know, scary, to say hey, we’re not going to have this organic capability necessarily to take care of you. That’s a little scary for people, it’s a little disheveling. At the same time, our size gives us an advantage, so there’s a degree of intimacy that we expect with all Guardian formations, that they’ll know each other well, that they will care for each other well, that they’ll will see each other throughout their entire career, that no one will ever be that disconnected from each other, really from day one, just because of our size and scale. So I think that offers us an advantage as well. A lot of the work that, that our sister service, the Air Force is doing, we’re taking advantage of, with embedded teams and, and, and a holistic look at comprehensive fitness. So we will continue to do that, and continue to give input into the joint models on resilience and fitness as well. Some things that our size and scale give us advantage, beyond the intimacy, is that we do think we can embed more teams, we think we can get those caregivers closer to Guardians, but maybe more importantly, we think we can get Guardians left of their own challenges, and do a better job than, than most at creating a culture where comprehensive fitness is baked into everything they do. So, we’re looking at wearable technologies, we’re looking at different ways to monitor the health, mental health, spiritual health, physical health of the force, and to, and to remember that as you come in and raise your hand and give a commitment that extends to death, that the institution has to earn that level of commitment every day. So we really see these as institutional obligations to take care of folks, not personal obligations to take care of yourself. Obviously there’s, there’s a personal component to care. We’ve got to do a better job of ensuring that they’re resourced, they’re trained, they’re equipped to put their mask on first, and to keep themselves healthy and fit across the full spectrum of comprehensive fitness.”
Murray: “Great, thanks for that. So, Chief CZ, what’s the Joint Staff doing to increase the well-being of all service members?”
Colón-López: “Well, Chief, simply put, we are listening. And, since the beginning of COVID, we have taken a very, very proactive approach to hear the voice of the force. Again, a lot of that is in collaboration with our service counterparts, but a few items that we have discovered since then is that the force, writ large, is dealing with food insecurity, poor nutrition, reduced physical activity, barriers to access to physical and behavioral health programs, childcare and education challenges, just to name a few. And I personally have been active with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, making sure that the policy matches, matches the needs of the people. And often that comes with high expediency and a sense of urgency, to make sure that our forces are, are taken care of. Because we know that if they’re not taken care of and their families are not taken care of, the mission readiness is going to decrease. And that is part of the Total Force fitness approach to the way that we’re wanting to go ahead and shift the focus to the maintenance of the human weapons systems, versus mechanisms that prevent people from doing what they appreciate as their purpose, and their lot in life. On the Total Force fitness arena. For those who don’t know, there’s eight dimensions to that initiative, and that is a program that resides in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, on their personnel readiness, and those eight dimensions are social, physical, financial, ideological and spiritual, medical and dental preventive care, environmental, and nutritional, the last one being the most important, psychological. Right now, most of the injuries that we’re dealing with, that are taking our people off the line, are what we call disease and non-battle injuries. And we’re breaking away at the barriers that are imposed and that stigma that comes along with seeking help when you need it the most. And I will say in this forum publicly that here next week, I have a follow on behavioral health assessment, again because of my TBI, and some of the issues that I have been dealing with, since spending several years in combat. There is no shame in doing that. If you need to help, please seek it out. And don’t think that the services, or the department is going to put you out to pasture if you decide to go ahead and come open with weaknesses, all right? In the end, it’s not a weakness, it’s a strength to be open about the help that you need. At the end of the day, what we want from every single one of you is to make sure that we’re here to help you out, and we’re here to maintain the combat effectiveness of every single human weapon system in the inventory of the Department of Defense. Focus on people. Absolutely. And then, with regards to the families, just as we speak right now today, Janet and all of the service senior enlisted spouses are at my quarters discussing and comparing notes on ways that we can better take care of our people. So this is a two-phase dimension here. We’ve got us as a service, and the department’s senior enlisted leaders, but our spouses are also heavily engaged on making sure that we have everything we need.”
Bass: “Hey, Number 14, can I jump on that one, too?”
Murray: “You sure can, go right ahead.”
Bass: “You know I love that the SEAC brought that up, and I love that he brought up that our spouses are engaged as well, because I’ll tell you, you know, Ron and I were chatting last night about, you know, how do we get things better for our families who are sometimes, the first indicator that things are going on with the service member. And so our spouses are very engaged, and keeping their ear to the ground on how do we how do we do better by the family piece. So I know you asked me initially about, hey, where are we shifting, and, and where, you know, have we changed our focus a little bit? One thing that I would offer that is different from, from when I came in. The military family dynamic is different today than it was 20-something years ago. When you look at today’s family, you have more single parents, you have more dual military, you have dual working. You have all different constructs, and to that point, the way we look at, wellness, fitness, has changed, and we’ve got to acknowledge that, and we’ve got to make sure that we are taking care of all aspects of the family. I just want to make sure that I chimed in on the family piece.”
Murray: “Fantastic. Fantastic, thanks for doing that. You know, one, and I think all three of you are well aware of, you know the one of our Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Brown’s priority, priorities, is to accelerate change. So, kind of the final question then is that, the overarching, why do we need to change? How about Chief Towberman? You know, you’re in a unique position, setting the groundwork for best practices and, and the new branch of the military. What efforts are you currently making, and how will you improve the mission of the U.S. Space Force?”
Towberman: “Yeah, you know. So I think first and foremost, I think what’s important is certainly, from a headquarters perspective, it’s our job to kind of set the foundation for success. So when we talk about change, what’s become a swear jar word in my office if you will, is to talk about us changing, because we’re not changing at all. We just were born. And I think that that’s one of those conditions. To see this not as some change or evolution from another service, but as this opportunity to start with a clean sheet, to do something brand new, and to anchor ourselves to this notion that everything is new, and we can do anything we want, and we’re not changing anything, right? There’s certainly change that we’ve got to manage in everyone’s lives, but to think of this, first and foremost, as a new opportunity. Innovation is not about changing things. Innovation is coming up with new things. And so, I think that that’s kind of the first thing, and that would be included in, in, in several what I would call rules of thumb or heuristics that we try to bake into shared consciousness so that we can get the help that we need from the levels that we need it. If you’re sharing your consciousness, if you’re, if you’re setting those conditions for success, you really can now get ideas from the people that have to live with your decisions. And so, from the lowest levels on everything that we’re talking about, we’re getting input, we’re listening, and, and we’re hoping to bring all of that together always, so that people feel included and part of this new service from the very beginning. So that’s how we’re trying to tackle it. That’s how we’re kind of setting those conditions for success, and really just trust, right? There’s greatness there. A lot of times, you just have to, you know, give it a little water, give it some sunlight, and then watch it, watch it take off. So that’s what I keep hoping that our staff is going to do, keep reminding them, is what we owe everyone else, and then really trying every day to prove to everyone that we are listening, that we are paying attention, that we do need their help, and that we want them to be part of their future.”
Murray: “Great, thanks. So Chief Bass, then, in addition to helping Toby stand up the U.S. Space Force, the U.S. Air Force has been making some pretty major adjustments, including some that you’re leading. What changes can people, our Airmen and others, expect, and why are these changes important at this time?”
Bass: “So Gerald, there are a whole lot of things that we are seeking to get after when it comes to what is the Air Force need to look like in 2030, and what does an Airman need to look like in 2030. And I would offer and frame that the Airmen coming into basic training today are going, or the Airmen that are coming in through OTS, or some other accessions, are going to be our, our senior NCOs, or there’ll be our NCOs and senior NCOs, or our CGOs and FGOs leading the force in 2030. The current NCOs that are watching this today, or the current CGOs or FGOs are going to be the same people who are perhaps sitting on these panels in AFA in 2030 and beyond. And we have a lot of work to do when it comes to making sure that we are modernizing all things. And I would say, you know, modernizing the way we look at every policy and process that is in our ranks, whether that be something tactical at the unit level, or if that is something strategic, and so we are very focused on enterprise-level strategic changes, to weapon systems, to the human weapon system, to, to where we need to go, but every single Airman has a part in this. And their part is, when they get to their duty section or, or to wherever their space is, you know, what are the things that are going well, what are the things that are not. How do they see things from their lens, and how can they modernize and get after and be more effective in the space that they’re working in. We’ve, we have an opportunity now today more than ever, we’re, we’re at an inflection point that we’ve got to get this right. Our Air Force is smaller than we’ve ever been. And our adversaries are greater than they’ve ever been. And so we have got to maximize this opportunity, the stakes are just too high, and every single one of our Airmen counts in getting after the changes needed. Again, whether they be unit-level changes, wing-level, or all the way up to the Air Force level. We’re focused on those things.”
Murray: “Great, thanks, Chief. Chief Colón-López, CZ. What important, what is important to the Joint Force, or what important changes are important to the Joint Force, and how do you see these changes improving the joint mission?”
Colón-López: “Well, Chief, I’m gonna use this opportunity right now to educate the majority of the forces out there on the changes that actually may seem minimal but that make a huge difference. Everybody knows, since we have been fighting this counterinsurgency, counter-terrorist war for 20 years, that no fight has been unilateral it has taken a joint effort, a multinational effort, to get after the mission at hand. And that is the model that we’re going to follow from now on. So the joint perspective is critical to the success of future missions. Now, we all know that an educated force is a lethal force, specifically an enlisted educated force. But what we want to do with that education is number one, make it relevant. Number two, pointed. And number three, timely, to ensure that we’re getting the knowledge at the right time, so that our people can translate that into expectations, with the final outcome of action. Here tomorrow, we’re going to go ahead and unveil the enlisted PME vision, and we’re going to post it on our Facebook page, the SEAC Facebook page, the Joint Staff, and also on the Joint Staff web page. The intent, and the purpose of this particular document, is to provide you a foundation of expectations from every member fighting a joint war. And it’s titled, ‘Developing enlisted leaders for tomorrow’s wars.’ This has been done in collaboration with every single service senior enlisted advisor, and the senior enlisted advisor to the National Guard Bureau, also including the Coast Guard. And the reason we did that is because the multiple approaches to leadership that we have, based on the different cultures of the services, is what matters the most for a joint warfighter. And once we build the right Airman, Soldier, Guardian, Sailor, Marine, and Coast Guardsmen, to be able to go out and fight in the joint arena, there’s three things that will require, and that is character, competence, and commitment. And from that, we start growing you into a more rounded entity, to be able to go ahead and execute the mission, anytime, and any place. Part of that required change is that, once I came into this joint billet, the Joint Staff stripped me of my title of chief, so I am no longer a chief. My rank, as of December of 2019, is actually SEAC, and that is actually what is on my ID card. And the reason the chairman did that is because he didn’t want a parochial approach to the senior enlisted Advisor to the chairman based on knowledge by service, or bias to service. That forces any entity in this particular position to learn and know more about what is important in the culture that resides in every particular service. So when we look at great power competition and the way that we’re going to train and fight and equip for future conflicts, it’s going to take a joint approach. But what we’re gonna do for you, because of this necessity, is make sure that we give you the right tools to set you up for success, and make sure that you have clear, pointed, and timely education, to be able to be successful in the joint environment.”
Murray: “Well, SEAC Colón-López, I stand educated today, which is, one, I’m sorry that it took a couple of years that I hadn’t realized that that change, I knew your title, but about your rank so, you know, one of the more important things about, you know, why we’re here today, in professional development and education there. So, thank you very much for that. You know, it was when I sat in Chief Bass’s seat is when the position of the SEAC, the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman was created. And some of our early vision, you just laid out for us, the fulfillment, some of the fulfillment of that. And bringing together, so I may, I’ll be excited to read about, you know, what you’re putting the focus on our senior enlisted leaders in the joint environment. All right then, SEAC and chiefs, we have just a few more minutes, and so let me give you just an opportunity here to, to give any final comments that you might have. We have, you know, as of today, nearly 4,000 people that have been that have signed up, and as I spoke about earlier, Guardians, Airmen, government and industry professionals, that signed up for this symposium. And then, we certainly, we hope after this that we’ll have the opportunity to air, and so many others will be able to get the chance to tune in and to hear your thoughts, you know, from this live session. So, any follow up? Any last comments that that you’d like to make here for our audience today? Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Bass, how about, we’ll start with you again.”
Bass: “All right, hey, Gerald. Once again, thanks to AFA for providing an opportunity for us to come out and, and talk, and dialogue with you guys. I always learn something great from spending time with SEAC, and CMSSF, you know, as well. You know ,what I what I typically close out with, and share with our Airmen and families, first off is just thank you. You know, we’re an all-volunteer force, and, and we don’t have to do what we do, but you raise your hand to, to serve our great nation, and there is no greater honor than to wear this uniform every day, and serve this great nation, especially at a time like this, where your service counts more than ever, where we’re at an inflection point that we really do have to make the necessary changes, and accelerate towards them, to make sure that we can continue doing our mission, which is to defend our nation, and her, and her interests. And so we’re very focused on those things, every one of our Airmen counts. We’ve got to be in the business of developing, growing, and training Airmen to think differently, to think critically, creatively, and innovatively. And those just can’t be buzzwords, we have to develop Airmen that are resilient, and have the grit to be who we need them to be. And we have to create a culture where it is one that is inclusive of all the very talented Airmen that we have across the force. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but I am honored to serve in this capacity, as the chief master in the Air Force, to lead our Airmen, to care for their families, and to partner with our sister services, to get after our nation’s business. That’s ultimately what it’s all about. And so I look forward to seeing a lot of you all in your formations. Thanks for listening in, but more importantly, I would encourage everybody to listen in to some of the other great senior leaders that are going to be talking and sharing currently what’s going on, as well as strategically, where we are going, listening to the panels. This is, again, how do we develop critical leaders and ones who think differently? We’ve got, we’ve got to get some of that in us, so thanks AFA for creating a platform where our Airmen can get that.”
Murray: “Thank you, Chief Bass. Chief Towberman.”
Towberman: “So I’ll say thank you, as well, of course. I mean, It’s just, it’s really, really great to have this welcoming attitude from AFA for our Guardians, and, and to include us in this, so just from the bottom of my heart, thank you, and thanks to everybody that’s out there, paying attention, and taking advantage of this opportunity to grow. You know, we were visiting a prominent commercial space partner recently and, and when, when I asked them about talent management, and I asked them about how they know, you know, who to hire, and what, what’s the, you know, what’s the, what’s the thing they’re looking for, there was an answer that maybe I should have expected, but it was really cool to hear, and that was that the single greatest indicator of long-term success is a willingness to self-improve. And so everyone that’s tuning in this week has shown a willingness to self-improve, has shown this inherent growth mindset that’s so important to every service, to our nation, and to our future. And so I just really appreciate that all of you out there with that growth mindset, with that willingness, perhaps obligation to get better every single day, are using it to spend time with AFA this week, and to listen to all the senior leaders, to all the special speakers that are here, and to do everything you can to, to make your tomorrow include a better version of you than your today does. So thanks, thanks to everybody for tuning in, thanks again to AFA, thanks SEAC and Chief Bass, we appreciate you both, and look forward to seeing you again soon.”
Murray: “Great. Thank you, Chief. And SEAC, if you will close us out.”
Colón-López: “Thank you, No. 14, and again, thank you all so much for this opportunity to be able to reach out to many Airman, civilians, and contractors that may be tuning in. But I will just leave you with one thought, and that is, you deserve what you tolerate. Now it’s no secret that we have been living in some pretty tough times here lately. All right, we have some issues, you know, we’re dealing with sexual assault, harassment, suicide, many other issues, diversity and inclusion, that are plaguing and eroding the cohesion of military services. You deserve what you tolerate. If you see a problem, don’t walk past it, take action. If you have a fix, voice it. And if you need to stand up for somebody, stand tall. And make sure that your voice and your actions carry the mail to the people that need to correct that. This is all about personal involvement, and accountability, and we can do that at the lowest levels. Do not wait for the institution to spoon feed you the solutions that are intrinsic to mission command. So get after the issues and make sure that you’re properly taking care of your people. And for the families, man, I have to tell you that I mentioned a few of the issues that you have brought forward, some of the hardship that has been imposed over this, under this COVID environment, but we’ve got your back. We continue to seek solutions to your problems, and we’ll continue to seek out every particular option to better take care of you. So again, thank you, and it has been an honor being here with you today.”
Murray: “Well, SEAC, it’s been my honor. And Chiefs, I can absolutely, I know firsthand, because I know all three of you, and have for a long time, of just how well that our Guardians, our Airmen, and our Joint Force forces are served by your great leadership. We can’t thank you enough for your service, and look forward to, as you continue to lead our forces. Thank you.”