New commander describes Kadena's role as 'pivotal' to alliance Published May 31, 2007 By Master Sgt. Jeff Loftin 18th Wing Public Affairs KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- The 18th Wing commander described Kadena Air Base's role as "pivotal" to the U.S.-Japan alliance during his first interview since taking command of the largest combat wing in the Air Force May 24. "The Pacific is an incredibly important strategic region for us, Japan and our other friends and allies in the region," said Brig. Gen. Brett Williams, during an interview with Air Force News May 29. "Kadena plays a pivotal role in that alliance. Our job here is to support Lt. Gen. (Bruce) Wright, the commander of U.S. Forces Japan. We have a number of missions that directly affect our security relationship with Japan and our other allies and partners in the region. We will continue to do everything we can to ensure those alliances remain strong, and that we are able to provide security, peace and freedom for both America and our allies in the Pacific for the foreseeable future." The general outlined several priorities for the wing to continue fulfilling this role. Fighting the Global War on Terror was foremost on his mind. "Kadena's Airmen support the War on Terror on a daily basis," he said. "We just had 500-600 Airmen return from an AEF deployment. We'll have more going out this summer, then another large rotation in the fall. We have to make sure we're focused on supporting the War on Terror. That is our number one priority." General Williams said the wing's next priority is the operational and support missions here in the region. Training will continue to be an important component of those missions. "Kadena has a huge role in supporting our joint force and our coalition activities, primarily on Okinawa, but also throughout the region," he said. "We need to make sure the day-to-day work is done, but we also have to be trained and ready because we don't know where the fight is going to be tomorrow or who the next foe will be. So in addition to conducting the War on Terror, while the wing performs its day-to-day operational mission, we must also make sure our Airmen, our warriors, are trained and ready for whatever we may face tomorrow." In fulfilling those priorities the general said the biggest challenge will be reduced resources. "I think we at Kadena are going to continue to find ourselves challenged in resources," he said, "not just in money - but also resources of time and people." The general said the wing's major missions are not going away, so units across the base will have to work to eliminate tasks that aren't mission critical. "The bottom line is that through Air Force Smart Operations 21 and other initiatives we need to find ways to do things faster, better, cheaper," said General Williams. "We can't do more with less. We can't do the same with less. We have to do less with less. "The way we're going to solve these issues and continue to get the mission done is by our leaders, particularly our squadron commanders, getting together with the leadership teams in their units; setting priorities and making sure that the resources they have are allocated to top-tier priorities," he said. The general stressed that even though Airmen may be challenged by the wing's pivotal mission and reduced resources, they still need to ensure their families are a priority. "The bottom line is spouses and families are critical to executing the Air Force's mission around the world and that certainly applies here at Kadena," said General Williams. Airmen, he said, must spend time with family members, and also make sure their needs are being met. The new commander also stressed the importance of base members being good wingmen. "Personal responsibility is absolutely critical especially overseas," he said. "We have to present a level of unwavering professionalism, a culture of conduct that causes us to always remember we're Airmen; we are representing the United States Air Force and the United States of America. We need to conduct ourselves accordingly. Personal responsibility is an overarching leadership philosophy here. Folks need to understand they have a responsibility as Airmen 24/7."