United States Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James spent Wednesday and Thursday with the 14th Flying Training Wing at Columbus Air Force Base.
James began leading the Air Force almost a year ago. As her one-year anniversary approached, she felt she needed to visit CAFB.
“I could not let my one year conclude without visiting one of our important undergraduate pilot training bases,” she said during a press conference at the base Thursday. “So I chose to come to Columbus.”
While James was at CAFB, she visited various agencies around the base, had lunch with both commissioned officers and enlisted airmen, hosted a dinner for base and community leaders and flew in a T-38 Talon, according to Staff Sgt. Blake Mize.
“It’s a great team here at Columbus,” James said. “It’s an enduring and critical mission. It’s one that we have to keep strong because, of course, the mission is to produce our Air Force pilots.”
James noted that the Air Force — formed in 1947 — is smaller today than at any other point in its history. The Air Force began 2014 with 330,700 active-duty airmen and by early November that number had dropped to 316,500, according to Air Force Times.
Jones admitted that the Air Force’s readiness has dipped and said the military is investing in infrastructure and training to buoy it back up.
There were 6,129 airmen cut involuntarily in 2014, according to Air Force Times.
James, during her visit to CAFB, said the Air Force has no plans to do any involuntary separations in 2015.
Sonic Johnson, chief of public affairs with the 14th Flying Training Wing, said that as far as base officials could tell, James’ visit was the first time a sitting Secretary of the Air Force had visited CAFB.
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