“Panel: On Call Air Force” - with Lt Gen Wyatt; Lt Gen Stenner; and Maj Gen Williams.

On a panel, entitled “On Call Air Force”, we had Lt. Gen. Harry M. Wyatt III, Director, Air National Guard; Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner Jr., Commander, Air Force Reserve Command; Maj. Gen. Brett T. Williams, Director of Operations, Hq., USAF, talk about the Total Force.  

(Left to right: Lt Gen Stenner, Lt Gen Wyatt, Maj Gen Williams)

In the opening remarks, General Stenner noted that he is excited about the opportunities that come from the challenges the force continually faces. General Wyatt pointed out that the Air Force is better at keeping the reserves stocked and prepared better than any other branch, which is important to maintaining the total force readiness. General Williams added that the mix of talent that is found in the total force is an envy of the other services, expressing that he is thankful for the reserve because it is a good place to sustain experienced airmen while growing new experiences with current active airmen.

The panel spent a while discussing the benefits of stimulation exercises, stating that they will be very valuable paradigms to utilize as resources. Williams pointed out three points to focus on in regards to simulation: 1. That the system completely mirrors the live environment, 2. There is sufficient level of fidelity, and most importantly 3. There is the capability to network training together across the total force. Another important point made was the importance of finding the balance between reinvestment of the money that is saved by implementing simulation environments.