Week in photos

Photo by Airman 1st Class Zachary Foster

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Austin Wilson, 6th Security Forces Squadron defender, stands guard in front of C-17 Globemaster III aircraft assigned to the 729th Airlift Squadron, March Air Reserve Base, California, at MacDill Air Force Base Nov. 20. Security Forces personnel are responsible for ensuring the safety of all base weapons, property and personnel from hostile forces.

Photo by Senior Airman Joshua Hastings

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kyle Cota, 6th Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal technician, left, shakes hands with Capt. Gregory Helton, 6th CES KC-46 liaison, during a reenlistment ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base Nov. 22. EOD Airmen are trained to detect, identify, recover, disarm and dispose of explosive threats in extreme environments. Cota reenlisted after serving his first term as an Airman.

Photo by Senior Airman Joshua Hastings

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jayden Sanchez, 6th Security Forces Squadron patrolman, performs a 5-minute prone float during a marine patrol tryout in Tampa Nov. 21. The tryout also consisted of a 20-foot high-dive jump, and a swim test featuring different strokes. The defenders were tested on their capabilities in the water to ensure they are fit to handle potential search and rescue missions around MacDill.

From Page 3 partners, and maximizing capabilities and readiness in order to close connectivity, survivability and agility gaps. During his opening remarks, Brown commented on the significant accomplishments of AMC over the last year. “When I think of all the things that have occurred … coming out of Afghanistan, bringing the KC-46 [Pegasus]online, all the support for Ukraine, and setting up for [exercise] Mobility Guardian – that’s a lot to get done in a year,” he said, also highlighting trusting and empowering Airmen as key to those successes. Brown presented his top priorities for the Air Force, among which is the requirement for forces to be light, lean and agile in combat employment. Lt. Gen. James Jacobson, Pacific Air Forces deputy commander and rally attendee, put into perspective why that matters in the Indo-Pacific area of responsibility. “Agile combat employment is the way the Air Force is going to generate and sustain power in the Pacific,” he said. “We were happy to have General Minihan and his team with us at [our weapons and tactics conference] last week working on some key components and the challenges of aggregating airpower in a contested environment.” The rally included multiple guest speakers and presented a deliberate agenda focused on leveraging diversity, promoting a culture of dignity, and encouraging a Warrior Heart mentality – all with the goal of arming Airmen with the emotional resilience to be ready for the realities of a violent fight. “Part of what these rallies are about is getting after resiliency model, or what we call Warrior Heart,” Minihan said. “That’s mind, body and craft – everything it takes to strap in and get after it. And then the other aspect is focusing on lethality – what mobility brings is the maneuver to concentrate capabilities and turn that into lethality. ” A break in the schedule allowed attendees to witness the historic presentation of a Distinguished Flying Cross to a Scott AFB Airman for her contributions to aeromedical evacuation during Operation Allies Refuge. Tech. Sgt. Katherine Rosa Orellana received the medal for her actions in response to a suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport Aug. 26, 2021. Orellana was among the first to respond to the mass casualty, evacuating and saving the lives of 22 multinational and joint-service casualties, including five ventilated patients and multiple Afghan evacuees over an eight-hour period. AMC’s presentation of the winning scheme of maneuver advances the command one step closer to Mobility

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Zachary Boyer

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. and Gen. Mike Minihan (center front) stand shoulder to shoulder with senior leaders from eight major commands at Air Mobility Command’s Fall Phoenix Rally at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. Nov. 17.

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Zachary Boyer

Gen. Mike Minihan, commander of Air Mobility Command, and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. answer questions at Air Mobility Command’s Fall Phoenix Rally at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. Nov. 17. The event brought together leaders from across the Mobility Air Forces and the broader Air Force to talk about what is required to ensure the joint force is ready for a high-end fight.

Protect your skin from the sun

by Maj. Lesli Tristan

6th Healthcare Operations Squadron dermatologist

Did you know that Florida is nicknamed “The Sunshine State” and MacDill Air Force Base’s neighbor, St. Petersburg, holds the Guinness World Record for the most consecutive days of sunshine of 768 days?

With an abundance of sunshine and no shortage of outdoor activities, sun protection should be a part of everyone’s skincare routine.

Not only does sun protection prevent painful sunburns but it also aids in combatting skin cancer, rosacea, melasma, lupus, dark spots and evidence of aging.

Have you noticed a new, growing, changing, or bleeding spot on your skin? This could be the beginning of skin cancer.

Melanoma is not the only skin cancer on the scene. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are much more common than melanoma. These occur in direct response to the amount of sun exposure during your lifetime.

Often, they appear as small, pink, scaly areas that do not go away. Are you experiencing dark spots on the face that only get worse with sun exposure? This could be melasma, sunspots, or something more concerning.

See SKIN, Page 15

U.S. Air Force graphic

From Page 2

Our goal is not to force a country to choose a side. It is to make sure that they have … sovereign rights.”

Lloyd J. Austin, Secretary of Defense

The international order that the United States helped build at the end of World War II is designed to protect sovereignty. It’s designed to keep the seas and air lines open and free. It was designed to prevent big countries from imposing their wills on smaller countries.

And it has worked. It has been 77 years since great powers fought each other. There hasn’t been a recurrence of the violence that killed tens of millions of people during World War II.

Like-minded countries have been unified in defense of the order. Austin’s trip to meet with officials at the ASEAN meeting is part of the overall U.S. strategy to build alliances. “These are countries that we share values with,” he said. “These are countries that we that we share a vision with, and that vision is a free and open Indo-Pacific … where they can protect their … territories and they can choose which path they want to.”

The United States isn’t asking the nations in the region to choose between the United States and China, the secretary said.

“Our goal is not to force a country to choose a side,” he said. “It is to make sure that they have … sovereign rights.”

Austin said the United States works with allies and partners in the defense world. He pointed to the defeatISIS coalition that grew to more than 100 nations. He also mentioned the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, where more than 50 nations have bonded together to deliver Ukraine the materials it needs.

“You see us continuing to develop and strengthen our relationships with our allies and partners here in the Indo-Pacific,” he said. “This is a vast, vast area, and it supports a lot of commerce. We want to make sure that the skies and seas remain open and accessible to everybody in the region and around the globe.”

In Cambodia, Austin met with his Chinese counterpart Gen. Wei Fenghe and emphasized the importance of keeping the lines of communication open between the two countries.

“I also talked about the importance of making sure that we emphasize safety and make sure that don’t do dangerous things in terms of close approaches to our aircraft,” Austin said. “And I told him that we’re going to fly, sail and operate anywhere that international law allows us to do it. That’s a message that he’s heard before.”

Spotlight: Focus on Indo-Pacific

Photo by Chad J. McNeeley

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III greets Vietnamese Defense Minister General Phan Van Giang at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ meeting of defense ministers in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Nov. 22.

Photo by Chad J. McNeeley

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III meets with Gen. Wei Fenghe, China’s defense minister, at the Association of Southeast Asia Nations defense ministers’ meeting in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Nov. 22.

PhotobyAirman1st ClassZacharyFoster

U.S.AirForceGen.MikeMinihan,commanderofAirMobilityCommand,arrivesattheDiningFacilityatMacDillAirForceBaseNov.23.Minihanvisitedthe6th ARWtoexplaintheAMCStrategyandthestrategicimportanceMacDillAFBand mobilityairmenplayinexecutingagilecombatemployment.

AMCleadershiplookstothe future duringvisittoMacDillAFB

bySeniorAirmanHiramMartinez 6thAirRefuelingWingPublic Affairs

TeamMacDillwelcomedGen.MikeMinihan,commanderofAirMobilityCommand,andChiefMasterSgt.BrianKruzelnick,AMCcommand chief, forabasetourNov. 22.

Thetourhighlightedthe6thAirRefueling Wing’sroleinAMC’smission andhowitmight changeontheroadtoExerciseMobilityGuardian,setto takeplace in 2023inthe Pacific.

“The6thARWhasanincrediblyimportantparttoplayintoday’s warfighting,” saidMinihan. “Astheadvancementofthepacing challengeaccelerates change, the6thARWconductedacapstoneexercisebackinAugustwhich provedthat72-hoursofcontinuousairrefuelingoperationscanbeaccomplishedinasimulated contestedtheatre. We canusethisknowledgetoensurecombatsuccessin any futureconflicts.”

Throughout the two-day tour, the AMC command team visited the 6th Security ForcesSquadronMarine Patrolunit,6thMaintenanceGroup ARWBoltCell,andheldanallcallwiththe50thand91stAirRefueling Squadrons.

“ItmeansalottousthattheAMCcommandteamisabletocomeand speakwithourunit,” saidMasterSgt. JuanRomero, theflightsuperintendentwiththe 6thAircraftMaintenanceSquadron. “AMC’sleadershiphas doneagreatjobinincorporatingtheideaofACE,alongwitha clearvisionfor thefutureofAMC.”

The6thAirRefueling Winglooksforwardtotheupcomingtransitionfrom theKC-135StratotankertotheKC-46A Pegasusaircraft,whichwillrequirenewinfrastructure, trainingmechanismsandorganizational str aroundthebase.

“MybiggesttakeawayishowconfidentIaminthefutureofourAir afterspeakingandmeetingwithourAirmen,” Minihansaid.“Theirdedication,creativityandinnovationaretrulyimpressive. Itwillplayahugerolein theupcoming challengesthattheDepartmentofDefensemayface.”

PhotobyAirman 1stClassZacharyFoster

(Above)U.S.AirForcemarinepatrolmenassignedto the6thSecurityForcesSquadrongreetU.S.AirForce Gen.MikeMinihan,commanderofAirMobilityCommand,atMacDillAirForceBaseNov.23.6thSFSMarinePatrolmenworkjointlywiththeU.S.CoastGuardto ensureMacDill’scoastalbordersaresafeatallhoursof theday.

(Left)U.S.AirForceGen.MikeMinihan,commanderof AirMobilityCommand,salutesanairmanassignedto the6thSecurityForcesSquadron,MarinePatrolunit, atMacDillAirForceBaseNov.23.The6thSFSMarine Patrolunitistheonlyfullyoperational,24/7unitinthe AirForce,andis responsibleforprotectingoneofthe largestcoastal restrictedareasintheDepartmentof Defense.

From Page 8

Austin said U.S. service members will spend more time in the IndoPacific cultivating relationships and generating interoperability with a variety of friends, allies and partners. “China is our pacing challenge,” he said. “We don’t call them a threat … but a challenge. That’s the relationship that we believe we have. We have a competitive relationship and not a contentious relationship.”

Austin was asked what other lessons he got from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and he pointed to logistics. “The Russians have struggled with logistics from the very beginning,” he said. “We saw that in the Battle of Kyiv, as they were unable to sustain ... their momentum because they just couldn’t master the logistics. We saw that continue to play out throughout this, this entire fight.”

The secretary also said the leadership of young officers and noncommissioned officers in the Ukrainian military has been very important to Ukraine’s success to date.

“We saw Ukrainian leaders exercising initiative on the battlefield,” he said. “The importance of professionalism and training at [the company] level, I think, cannot be overemphasized.”

FALL PHOENIX

From Page 6 Guardian 2023, a bi-annual exercise set to take place in the Pacific next year. This event set up the next rally as a milestone, which will include total force mobility Airmen as a standard going forward. Speaking about the challenge ahead of AMC, Brown referenced the power of legacy, citing the experiences of “mobility legend” Lt. Gen. William Tunner, who conducted major airlift operations over the “Hump” during World War II. “He talked about how Airmen understand and know how to compete,” Brown said about Tunner. “He was doing this in the Indo-Pacific. That’s where our focus is, and that’s where Mobility Guardian is going to be next year … We have to challenge ourselves, and we have to challenge the status quo. What worked yesterday may not work tomorrow.”

Be sure to visit the official 6th Air Refueling Wing website at www.macdill.af.mil

From Page 7

If you have a concern or are struggling with your skin, you should seek care from your primary care provider or local dermatologist. The MacDill AFB Dermatology Clinic is always happy to see new Tricare beneficiary patients and alleviate any skin concerns.

No matter your skin color, sun protection can benefit you and your skin. Look for sunscreen with at least SPF 30 and remember to reapply at least every 90 minutes.

Females, look for powder sunscreens for easy, on-thego reapplication without smudging your makeup. Males, broad-brimmed hats and UPF clothing allow for worryfree fun in the sun.

Still unsure of the potential benefits of sunscreen? Check out the photographic evidence of sunscreen and its ability to block ultraviolet rays from the sun.

For more information, please contact the MacDill AFB Dermatology Clinic at 827-9372.