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Viewpoints of the 21st Air Force commander

MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. (USTCNS) --- Maj. Gen. Nick Williams, 21st Air Force commander, made his first official visit to the 305th Air Mobility Wing Dec. 12, meeting with airmen, company grade officers and senior leaders.

Williams, who took command Oct. 12, said he wanted to meet people, see where they work, and make sure they have the resources needed to do their job.

"My leadership philosophy is simple," said Williams. "First, understand what resources people need to do the job, work as hard as you can to get those resources and then get out of the way. Second, make sure people understand the mission of the 21st Air Force, which is to command and to ensure the combat readiness of mobility forces in support of global reach while incorporating the Air Force's core values as we accomplish this mission."

The general's third leadership viewpoint is recognizing people's accomplishments and telling them what a great job they're doing.

"We can buy a lot of airplanes, tools, engines and computers. But, they are useless unless we have good, high-quality people to operate them and do the job," he said.

Commanding the 21st Air Force is the 22nd assignment of Williams' career, which has spanned more than 30 years. Williams said the biggest challenge of his job is the responsibility of covering such a great portion of the world and understanding the needs of all the organizations he commands.

"It's a lot different being a numbered Air Force commander compared to a wing commander," said Williams. "Wing commanders mostly stay focused on things at their base while numbered Air Force commanders have responsibilities around the world. Different resources have to be integrated, as well, to ensure the readiness of Air Mobility Command not just a particular wing."

Speaking about his adjustment to these differences, Williams added, "I've taken every job I've had and done my best with it. When you stop having fun, you're in the wrong business. Support from my family and being around great folks in the command and Air Force has made having fun pretty easy." (FROM AIR MOBILITY COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).

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