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Week in photos
Oklahoma Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Rebecca Imwalle
Maj. Nicholas Reynolds, 219th Engineering Installation Squadron director of operations, administers the Oath of Enlistment to Staff Sgt. Jessica Middleton, 138th Civil Engineer Squadron emergency management technician, while in Mission Oriented Protective Posture gear during Middleton’s reenlistment ceremony at the Tulsa Air National Guard Base, Okla., Sept. 20. Middleton, an Oklahoma native, has been a member of the 138th Fighter Wing for six years.
Photo by Kemberly Groue Photo by Master Sgt. Perry Aston
Col. Jason Allen, 81st Training Wing vice commander, and his wife, Mayra, release a lantern during the Gold Star Families Sky Lantern Release at Biloxi Beach, Miss., Sept. 23. The event, hosted by Keesler Air Force Base, included eco-friendly sky lanterns released in honor of fallen heroes. Seneca, 409th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron military working dog and explosives detection dog, receives instructions from Staff Sgt. Sirmann Toliver, 409th ESFS military working dog handler, while on patrol at Air Base 201, Niger, Sept. 7. This will be Seneca’s final deployment before she retires after 10 years of service.
DoD invests funding to help reduce prices, economic security for military families
by DeCA Corporate Communications
FORT LEE, Va.—Service members and their families will soon see a 3-5 percent decrease in pricing on most grocery items in their commissaries as part of a Department of Defense (DOD) initiative to bolster the economic security and stability of the military community.
DOD’s “Taking Care of Service Members and Families”initiative lays out comprehensive actions to support military members struggling with the financial impacts of inflation, supply chain disruptions and the pandemic.
“The Department’s added investment in our budget allows us to reduce commissary prices at the register about 3-5 percent on most items – particularly on food staples that struggling military families need most such as bread, eggs, milk and more,” said Bill Moore, director and CEO of the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA). “With this boost we can achieve at least 25 percent in overall savings for eligible patrons who shop their commissaries.”
Commissary customers are expected to see price changes at most locations by mid-October. Pricing on some products and categories of items will vary.
Before the additional funding, DeCA was able to provide service members and their families with discounted groceries that cost on average 22 percent less than civilian grocery stores for fiscal year 2022.
“Going forward with the Department’s initiatives, we want to sustain the increased savings through fiscal year 2023 and exceed the 25 percent benchmark to the extent our resources allow,” Moore said.
“In addition to the savings, we provide healthy food options, clean and safe stores, convenience and premier customer service for our service members and their families,” Moore said. “Commissaries are there when our military families need them most, even in disasters or pandemics or periods of inflation. We’re an insurance policy to ensure food security for our military families. With all that value and now additional savings, our patrons would be very smart to shop their commissaries!”
“Taking Care of Service Members and Families” aligns with DOD’s overall campaign for economic security, first announced November 2021 when the Department unveiled its “Military Leader’s Economic Security Toolkit” on Military OneSource. The webpage is a central landing spot to help leaders connect service members and their fami-
See PRICES, Page 20
MacDill holds women’s leadership panel
by Staff Sgt. Alexis Suarez
927th Air Refueling Wing
More than 25 Airmen across the 6th Air Refueling Wing and the 927th Air Refueling Wing attended a women’s leadership initiative chief’s panel hosted by four command chief master sergeants stationed at MacDill Air Force Base, Sept. 16, at the Bay Palms Golf Course restaurant.
Panel members included Chief Master Sgt. Shae D. Gee, 6th ARW command chief, Chief Master Sgt. Kelly Kruger, 927th ARW command chief, Chief Master Sgt. Erin Willis, 927th Maintenance Group superintendent and Chief Master Sgt. Catrell Wilson, 6th Operations Group superintendent.
The panelists highlighted the importance of mentoring women at all levels of their careers and the importance of seeking guidance, topics such as pillar management, setbacks, family, competitive and flexible career moves, and mental health were discussed.
“I was working all day, then would go home and continue to work, I wasn’t taking care of myself,” said Kruger. “Self-awareness is number one. You have to be aware of who you are, what your values are, what you believe, and I lost myself over those years which made some relationships in my life suffer and as a chief you’re building relationships.”
See WOMEN, Page 16
Photo by Staff Sgt. Alexis Suarez
From left, Chief Master Sgt. Shae D. Gee, 6th Air Refueling Wing command chief, Chief Master Sgt. Erin Willis, 927th Maintenance Group superintendent, Chief Master Sgt. Kelly Kruger, 927th ARW command chief, and Chief Master Sgt. Catrell Wilson, 6th Operations Group superintendent, were the panelists for the women’s leadership panel held at Bay Palms Golf Course restaurant, MacDill Air Force Base on Sept. 16. Topics discussed included the importance of seeking guidance, pillar management, setbacks, family, competitive and flexible career moves, and mental health.
USAFEC commander publishes strategy to prepare Airmen for expeditionary warfare
Photo by Staff Sgt. Dennis Hoffman
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Chad Kotce, 921st Contingency Response Squadron emergency management craftsman, walks between pallets of cargo on board a C-17 Globemaster III in eastern Europe, May 1, 2022. The 621st Contingency Response Wing recently deployed Airmen as a Contingency Response Element to move resources in support of U.S. European Command operations.
U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center Public Affairs U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center Public Affairs
JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHU-
RST, N.J.—Maj. Gen. John Klein, commander of the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, published a new strategy defining a roadmap for the enterprise on how and why Airmen must prepare for the ‘next big fight.’
In support of the center’s higher headquarters, with particular focus on Air Mobility Command’s recently released command strategy and the anticipated Mobility Manifesto, Klein is accelerating change by focusing efforts on organizing, training and equipping Airmen for expeditionary warfare.
The central theme throughout Klein’s guiding document is victory delivered by Airmen. As such, Klein has charged his commanders to invest now in the Airmen that deliver the flexible, strategic options our nation needs to lead from a position of strength.
The Expeditionary Center has a unique set of functions that it fulfills. We have two Air Mobility Operation Wings that allow us to project the joint force globally; the USAF’s only Contingency Response Wing that help us respond to emerging situations at a moment’s notice, as well as fortify our relationships with partners and allies through our advisors; our Joint Bases that allow us to project forces and integrate seamlessly with our sister services; and our Expeditionary Operations School which helps us train and educate the entire Air Force for expeditionary warfare.
“With the combination of these capabilities, I have no doubt we will fortify the warrior mindset within our Airmen and empower them to accomplish anything necessary to win the next big fight,” said Klein.
With the release of this strategy, Klein has initiated a one-year shot clock that will see to several key enhancements to the USAFEC, mirroring that of Air Mobility Command.
“Next-Generation tactics will be applied to our Contingency Response and Air Mobility Wings along with optimizing Joint Base structures and evolving our expeditionary training to support the joint force, Air Force Force Generation, and advance capabilities needed to win high-end peer conflict,” Klein said.
