Global Strike Commander: ‘Together as a Team’

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt.Terri Barriere
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  Just one day after taking command of Air Force Global Strike Command, Lt. Gen. Jim Kowalski met with Airmen of the 2nd Bomb Wing to discuss the way ahead for the command.

The new commander assured the audience of more than 1,500 at historic Hoban hall that as the command moves forward into the next year, "there will be no big vector changes, and the changes that are made will be made thoughtfully and together as a team."

Global Strike Command's "deadly serious" mission is to develop and provide combat ready forces for nuclear deterrence and global strike operations in a manner that is safe, secure and effective, General Kowalski said.

He took the opportunity to explain what is unique about the Air Force's newest major command. The general said that in the nuclear and global strike business, the "how" of the way a task is accomplished is as important as the "what" that is accomplished.

Offering his vision of the role of the major command, headquartered here at Barksdale, the new commander said the only measure of success for a headquarters is how well the units below it perform, and the 2d Bomb Wing has done a fantastic job, he said.

General Kowalski said he sees three challenges for the command.

"I want to consolidate our gains and mature our headquarters - complete the restoration of a culture that embraces the special trust and responsibility of nuclear weapons," he said.

"Additionally, I want to achieve enduring cultural change while also aggressively supporting the current fight," he said.

"Lastly, I'd like us to sustain and enhance the current force while preparing to meet challenges of the future. Let's be productive and innovative."

General Kowalski closed his remarks by sharing his three fundamental beliefs with the Airmen: the Air Force Core Values, the importance of discipline, and what it means to be a good leader.

"Core values are the foundation of air and ground discipline. They aren't just what we say or put on slides, coins and signs, but they are behaviors. How we choose to act, or not act," he said.

The general defined discipline as the single characteristic most common to success in any endeavor.

"We are the compliance command," he said. "We follow the rules, but that means we have to work to ensure the rules make sense."

Central to any unit's success is leadership, the general said. A hallmark of the Air Force is high-performing leaders, he said, noting that every Airman is a leader to others --formally or informally.

"The number-one job of any leader is to make more leaders," General Kowalski said, as he encouraged the audience to accept that challenge.

"Stay optimistic, enthusiastic and reject cynicism," he said.

"And I pledge to give you the leadership and guidance you deserve."