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Leadership Forum updates, informs retired generals

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SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (USTCNS) -- Air Mobility Command recently hosted an Air Force Chief of Staff Leadership Forum here for 16 retired one- and two-star general officers from the Midwest region to update them on issues affecting AMC and the Air Force.

Members from the Air Staff in the Pentagon and other AMC guest speakers provided information on military family housing initiatives, TRICARE, modernization and legislative programs, logistics, personnel and leadership issues. The forum gave the veterans information they need so they, in turn, can talk with their civilian counterparts regarding the "state of the Air Force."

Forum attendees met not only with host Gen. Charles T. "Tony" Robertson Jr., commander of AMC and commander in chief of U.S. Transportation Command, but also with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael E. Ryan.

"It meant a lot to us that General Ryan took time out to be with us today," said Brig. Gen. Gibby Vartan, who retired in 1989 as the mobilization assistant to the deputy chief of Air Force Reserves. "The retired veterans are crucial in helping today's Air Force connect with the public. We're a source of information and perspective for (the public) … they come to us when they see things like Kosovo in the news, and they ask us what's going on."

Vartan is a consultant to a graphics firm in Chicago and is a national director of the Air Force Association. He's also a past national president of The Reserve Officers Association. He said the forum better equips him to speak about key issues such as recruiting and retention.

"People want to know what's happening with our troops," he said. "They're concerned about the ops tempo, and at the same time, they're amazed at the willingness of our folks to perform at that level."

The forum "re-energized" retired Brig. Gen. Bud Crabb, who left active duty in 1979 after directing the Office of Military Cooperation in Cairo, Egypt. While he flew fighters during his Air Force career, he said he enjoyed finding out what's going on with the airlift and tanker world.

"The information we received today is invaluable," he said. "I'm asked to speak in my community (Indianapolis) quite often, and coming from a state that doesn't have a major active-duty military presence anymore, they really do look to veterans to provide that up-close and in-depth look at what's going on."

The forum provided an avenue for Ryan to speak about the value of retirees in the Junior ROTC programs. He said that 30 percent of the youth who complete JROTC join the Air Force and another 10 percent join one of the other services.

"That's indicative of the value of you (retirees) to our Air Force," the general said. "We're focusing even more on our recruiting and retention efforts … and I'm a firm believer that if we solve the retention problem, we won't have a recruiting problem."

Robertson focused his remarks to his three themes of leadership -- readiness, modernization and infrastructure, and people.

"The bottom line is that readiness is good -- not without warts, but we show the world every day that we're ready to do the mission. Our challenges come in the area of procuring more C-17s, in upgrading our aircraft, and of upgrading our airfields, real property and fuel storage areas. There's not enough money for everything we need to do, so we continue to prioritize and do what we can where we can.

"As for recruiting, the Air Force is still 3,000 people short for fiscal year 2000 … this makes retention efforts all the more important. There have been significant Air Force-wide efforts to improve recruitment programs, and AMC is joining in the cause as well," said Robertson. (FROM AIR MOBILITY COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).

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