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CMSAF visits Shaw, conveys top priorities to Airmen

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Krystal M. Jeffers
  • 20th Fighter Wing
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody visited the men and women of 9th Air Force, Air Forces Central, the 20th Fighter Wing and tenant units of Team Shaw to get an update on the mission and dynamics of each unit while conveying his top priorities here June 17.

While at Shaw, Cody held an Airmen's call where more than 2,500 men and women from an array of units here were able to hear him discuss his main focus areas. Cody made the Airmen's call interactive by opening the floor to those in attendance, giving them the opportunity to ask questions.

Cody discussed his key focus areas : the deliberate development of Airmen; caring for Airmen and their families; and balancing Airmen's time. The CMSAF also made a point of speaking about sexual assault within the military.

"First and foremost we have to accept the fact that we have a problem," said Cody. "It is sometimes hard for people to do that because, if you haven't been personally touched by it, it is very easy to sit back and say we don't really have this problem. The fact is that we do have this problem and it is a big problem. It is impacting our Air Force, the Airmen and their families. We all have to accept the fact that we have a problem and we are all part of the solution. Those people who don't accept that fact are part of the problem."

"We have to fundamentally look at each other in different ways than we have been," he added. "The foundation for that is how we treat each other - that is with dignity and respect. We have an environment of trust - all of us: peer-to-peer, the reporting chain, and the chain of command. That takes a lot of work and that is what we are committed on doing."

"I was really excited about the whole event," said Senior Airman Federico Devera, Air Forces Central knowledge operations manager. "It was very informative. He addressed some big Air Force topics and issues really important to us."

Some of the other topics discussed included the proposed nominative selection process for recruiters, military training instructors, first sergeants, and other special duties that have broad impact on the creation, development and care of Airmen, and the future of the abdominal circumference measurement component of the Air Force's physical fitness assessment. Many Airmen were interested in the latter.

Cody started the discussion with a fact: The vast majority of people who fail the fitness assessment fail not because of the run, push-ups or AC, but sit-ups.

"Over the last three years we have administered the test more than a million times," said Cody.

"Obviously, some of those people failed and had to re-test. Out of all the tests, 348 people passed every other component but failed AC. Of the 348, only 76 have been separated because they have been unable to subsequently pass the AC. There are a lot of people have done some pretty extreme things to get their waist measurement within standards who are not represented in the numbers."

"You have to understand that if we walk away from the AC we would have to go back to the BMI standards." Cody continued. "Department of Defense policy requires all services to do BMI. The Air Force has the only exception to that policy because we use the AC. We are going to do either AC or BMI."

"We may adjust the standards. We may add a provision where if someone passes all the components but fails the AC then we might go back and look at their BMI to see if they pass it and meet DOD standards. We will probably make a decision in the next couple of weeks," he finished.

In addition to holding an enlisted call for members of the 20th Fighter Wing, Cody also had lunch with members of Team Shaw and visited 9th Air Force, 28th Operations Weather Squadron and 20th Fighter Wing Airmen at their work centers. He also visited men and women at Airmen Leadership School.

"I thought it was very neat," said Staff Sgt. Michael Carney, 28th OWS weather forecaster. "He came over to the 28th OWS where we work because a lot of us wouldn't be able to leave (for the Airmen's call). You could tell that he cares about everybody. He took the time to shake everyone's hand and let them know that he actually cares about the people in his Air Force. To me, that meant a lot."

While Cody discussed his key focus areas, he also took time to recognize some of Team Shaw's top performing enlisted members. The chief visited with the Airmen and presented them with his CMSAF coin for their superior performance.

"It was definitely an honor to be coined by the CMSAF," said Airman 1st Class Nicole Sikorski, 20th Fighter Wing public affairs. "It feels good to be recognized at that level and to know that the hard work at the Airmen's (E-1 through E-4) level plays a key role in the Air Force's mission."

As Cody travels to different units speaking to Airmen and recognizing their hard work, he encourages questions which he answers as fully as possible.

"The men and women of Team Shaw received a great perspective from Chief Cody on what he termed 'family business,'" said Chief Master Sgt. James Davis, 9th Air Force command chief. "He discussed having an effective work-life balance, the effects of sequestration, deliberate development, and he placed emphasis on the most important topic of the day, sexual assault against fellow Airmen. There were many other topics discussed as he was candid and transparent on the future of our Air Force. Our Airmen appreciated him allowing them to express their perspective of how they see the Air Force from where they sit and stand on a daily basis."

"Overall the visit was very successful, because we needed to hear what our senior leaders are thinking and ask questions about issues that we don't understand; we were able to do that," Davis concluded.