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CMSAF Cody shares insights, answers questions

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Maria Bowman
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  While visiting Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, during Air Mobility Command's Total Force PHOENIX Rally May 9-10, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody sat down with the 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs staff to share his thoughts on military spouses, the AMC mission, and the challenges senior leadership is facing today.

The following are the questions and answers from that meeting:

Q. What are some trending, top concerns from the enlisted force that you are currently addressing?

A. Our Airmen certainly have concerns and questions ... just an overall concern with the Enlisted Evaluation System and the impact of those changes on the promotion system. With any changes there is anxiety and uncertainty, and there needs to be a period of transition and normalization to regain that confidence and understanding. Our Airmen have a lot of questions about that, but we are moving in the right direction. I think as we see the results of the Weighted Airman Promotion System over time, (it will gain) increased understanding and a higher level of confidence.

We continue to address the blended model of Professional Military Education, where we ensure our Airmen get the education at the right time in their career and have an opportunity to go into a in-residence environment to learn about leadership and to collaborate with fellow Airmen. It's really a forward thinking methodology of education to get the maximum benefits out of that education for a larger portion of our force. Those things are on their minds as we switch to time-in-service distance learning where Airmen have a year to get (their next level of PME) done--that's something new for our Airmen, so that creates a lot of questions.

Our Airmen are also concerned with what's going on globally and with the size of our force.

We are the smallest Air Force we have been (in our history). We had to go through a difficult time with force management to bring the size down to be within our end strength caps within the budget.

Now, we are trying to modestly grow and bring back Airmen, not necessarily the specialties we let go, but in the areas we clearly have deficits in the manpower areas we need.

There are lots of questions about what that future looks like and where that manpower is going to go and how reasonable that will be for us.

Q. Having previously served as the 18th Air Force Command Chief, you have close ties to the Air Mobility Command mission. What do you think is their most important contributions to the Air Force mission?

A. AMC is a great capability for our Air Force, (which is) unlike any other Air Force in the world. Certainly, I have a pretty good lineage with this command and really feel connected to them, as well as all other Airmen. When you think about global, and what we can do that nobody else in the world can do, it's really Air Mobility Command for our Air Force that gives us that global ability. There isn't a place on Earth that we cannot reach with one of our aircraft or with one of our Airmen in this command. They give us the ability to define the battlespace; they give us the ability to keep all of our would-be adversaries or enemies at bay, because we can find them, anywhere on the globe, with our mobility assets. We have the ability to provide humanitarian relief, not only for our own country, but for our partners who need our assistance, which makes the command really unique in their ability to do that. Without AMC, we just aren't the world's greatest Air Force.

Q. The military honors spouses in May and your wife, retired Chief Master Sgt. Athena Cody, is a huge force in advocating for quality of life issues for our Airmen, as well as supporting you. How important has her support been, and what is the impact that spouses have on our Air Force?

A. I have a great appreciation for all our spouses who support and serve in their own right. I wouldn't be here, today, without my wife, Athena; without her support, it just wouldn't be possible. Athena is a little bit different, having served 26 years on active duty. (She is) a mom of two, one who is an Airman, had a beautiful career of her own, and continued as a spouse since her retirement.

I think she has a perspective that adds to the perspective of others. Athena has done both, so I think she can relate to our family members in a way that is unique, and she understands how to balance careers and raise a family. She doesn't shy away from the fact that it's hard. We wouldn't be the strong Air Force we are, or do what we do without that strong foundation of our spouses.

Q. What other messages do you have for our Air Force family?

A. On behalf of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Chief of Staff and myself, I want to thank our Airmen for what they do every day. They are working extremely hard. There is no lacking of a demand signal for air power globally and that means there's no lacking of demand for our Airmen. With that comes great sacrifice, not only on their own behalf, but also their family's behalf. Words don't ever adequately express what that means to the American people. They constantly provide us feedback and offer their thanks for what the men and women serving in our Air Force do. Our Air Force never loses sight of who is getting the work done every day-our Airmen, who are in turn supported by amazing families. Thank you!