Wing commander sets goals, priorities for 2015

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman William J. Blankenship
  • 42nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. --  The 42nd Air Base Wing commander, Col. Andrea Tullos, sat down with this reporter Jan. 13 to talk about wing accomplishments since she assumed command of the wing in May 2014 and to share her vision for the Maxwell-Gunter community in 2015.

Public Affairs:  Reflecting back on 2014, what were things that the wing did well?

Col. Andrea Tullos:  What the wing did best was executing the mission. Despite a lot of distractions last year and a pretty significant tempo--in terms of the amount of work we had to do and the number of people we had to do it--I think we did a great job. That speaks highly of the leadership within the squadrons and of our NCOs that are showing up to work every day and getting the job done. Our mission is invisible. On a great day no one notices us, but there is a ton of work and effort going on behind the scenes. It is important we take the invisible and make it visible to leadership, and for those Airmen, so that they realize just how much our Airmen actually accomplished last year.

The second thing we did phenomenally well was managing the impacts of all the force shaping programs and the uncertainty not just for the military, but for the civilian workforce that went through a reduction in force, as well. We lost some high-quality people to those cuts. But, at the same time, I think we did a really good job of getting information out early enough so people could make informed decisions and make sure they understood their options. I was very pleased with how the year ended and even more pleased when our Air Force leadership announced we won't go through more force shaping programs this year--enough is enough.

PA:  What were things that could be improved upon?

Tullos:  I think our biggest improvement area is, as a leadership team, highlighting our priorities and making sure subordinates are focusing most of their efforts on the higher priorities and not spending as much time on the lower ones.  Airmen need to become comfortable knowing leaders are OK with them not spending as much effort on the lower priorities. We've been doing so much for so long, people don't want to let go of any of the little tasks in their 'inboxes.' In order to accomplish high-priority tasks as well as we want them to be done, we have to let go of some of the smaller ones.

PA:  As we head into 2015, what are the goals for the year?

Tullos:  Our first goal is to get the wing into a sustainable battle rhythm. That means getting some of those low-priority items off our Airmen's plates. We want to give back time to Airmen so they can focus on professional development every day, and we need to give Airmen the feedback they need so they can step up into leadership positions.

We want to make sure training time is accounted for so we don't have Airmen sitting at their desks when they could be out there doing physical training or be at home with their families. We need to make sure there is a balance so when Airmen come to work, they are energized, healthy and fit. That is why our battle rhythm is the wing's number one focus for this year.

Secondly, we are going to put a lot of effort into our airfield and what we do to support airfield operations. We owe it to the 908th Airlift Wing to be focused on the airfield and everything that supports its flying operation. Maxwell's airfield needs to be ready to go to support our senior leadership during contingencies. You never know what's going to happen. On 9/11, we had a lot of aircraft pushed through Maxwell. If we had to do some major deployments overseas again, you would see more aircraft coming through here.

Also, the Air Force is going through some significant changes. If opportunities to move aircraft around appear and our Service needs to find a place for these aircraft, we want Maxwell to be at the top of the list for consideration. We have some excess capacity to accommodate additional aircraft. Our Air Force leadership understands Maxwell's capabilities, and we are optimistic that in the future you will see more planes flying here.

We are the second busiest distinguished visitor airfield in the Air Force. On any given day, we have senior leaders flying in and out from all across the country. We owe them the best airfield operations they can get. Their expectations should be no less than of any other base with a flying mission.  Just because we don't fly as frequently doesn't mean the service should be any different. It's important to the students at Air University--and anyone who comes here to the intellectual and leadership  of the Air Force--that they see planes flying and Airmen training to be aviators.

I know our newly formed 42nd Operations Support Squadron is going to have an exciting year ... we will be busy.

PA:  For 2015, what significant changes can Maxwell-Gunter Airmen expect?

Tullos:  I think the biggest change is not having to face more force shaping programs. I don't know if we can really estimate how large of a positive impact that is going to have. Just the uncertainty and anxiety created may have been more physiologically draining than even our most senior leaders suspected. I had NCOs tell me that they are having a hard time focusing on supervising their Airmen, because when they go home at night, they can't stop thinking about what the board results are going to be and whether they are going to get to stay in the Air Force or have to get out before their 20-year mark. These are things you don't want Airmen to come to work and have to think about.  Now, people have less stress, especially when there is enough stress already on Airmen trying to do their jobs.

This shift in stability can instill trust in our leadership. I don't see a single downside to not having force shaping programs. When Airmen see the kinds of opportunities that are out there, whether it is assignments or growth within their own offices, it does a lot for morale ... to be able to say we are past this and I will have the same opportunities that the generation before me had. We just had to go through a little bump in the road to get there.

PA:  What are your personal goals for 2015?

Tullos:  My goals never change. I always go back to family, fitness and finance. As a family, we sit down every year and review our goals from last year and set some new ones. I'm never happy with what I did the year before.  I'm always thinking I could have done better. I don't know if it's because the military beats into you that you need to set goals every year, but it's a pretty big part of how I try to keep a little balance and keep myself motivated.

It's no joke that fitness is harder as you get older. I won't try and sugarcoat it. I'm not as fast as I used to be.  I have little nagging injuries here and there, but I can still set some good goals and go after them.  I always expect myself to max out my Air Force PT test, but it gets harder and harder to do so every year.  For me, fitness is more about establishing a consistent workout schedule. I have to get myself in the door--or out the door if I am doing something outside--four or five days a week.  If I can do that then I find my other goals tend to happen. It is also about setting the example. If I don't go work out, the people under me won't either. I like to work out in the mornings so I can get it out of the way. I feel better the rest of the day, but more so, it is that first accomplishment. If I get nothing else done the rest of the day, at least I can say, 'OK, I took care of my fitness.'