PACAF commander visits Kadena

  • Published
  • By A1C Zackary Henry
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Gen. Hawk Carlisle, Pacific Air Forces commander, visited Kadena Air Base July 11, 2014, to discuss important issues facing Airmen, including sexual assault, force management, and the new Airmen Comprehensive Assessments.

Carlisle visited several base agencies and spoke to a gathering of hundreds of Airmen at the Rocker Non-Commissioned Officer Club where he reminded them of the importance of their work in the context of the Pacific mission.

"Team Kadena is incredibly important to what we do in the Pacific, and it's incredibly important to our nation," Carlisle said. "The work that goes on here is critical to the success of everything that happens in this part of the world."

Force management has had a significant impact on the U.S. military in past months, and Carlisle said he is pleased with the way personnel on Kadena are handling the transition.

"Today we have more mission than we have money, manpower or time," Carlisle said. "Our obligation is to produce the very best military we can, given the resources we have. Our job is to make sure Airmen understand their units' priorities and they focus their effort on those priorities. I think folks here at Kadena are doing an exceptional job of that."

With regard to personal and professional success, Carlisle said taking advantage of opportunities the U.S. Air Force offers is key. He also said he thinks a positive mindset is the most important trait of successful people.

"If you have an attitude of 'we're going to get better, we're going to do things better, I'm part of a great organization, I serve my country, I wear the cloth of my nation and I'm going to do it better than anybody else,' you'll be successful in everything you do," Carlisle said.

Carlisle stressed the importance of service members' dedication, integrity and character and said they will be valuable assets as we face the challenges of the future.

"The answers to future challenges are sitting in this room," Carlisle said. "You are the Billy Mitchells, the Jimmy Doolittles, the Roy W. Hooes and the John Levitows of the future."

"To all the men and women that are serving our nation today: we don't say it enough, we could never say it enough, but thank you," Carlisle said. "Thank you for what you do, thank you for being great Americans, raising your right hand and swearing an oath on our constitution and living to a great ideal and having character, personality, dedication, discipline and integrity to be the great folks that you are."