News United States Air Force
 CSAF visits Tinker AFB, shares ‘Accelerate Change or Lose’ approachPublished Aug. 17, 2021
                        
                        By April McDonald
                        
                        
                        72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
                **TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. (AFNS) --**
                Air Force Chief of Staff **Gen. CQ Brown, Jr.**, and his spouse, Sharene, visited **Tinker Air Force Base**, learning the installation’s diverse mission and meeting with Airmen.
Representatives from across the base briefed the CSAF about current operations and initiatives and discussed Tinker AFB's role in maintaining readiness across the Air Force.
At the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex, Brown toured the F135 Heavy Maintenance Center to see the production gates and learn about the team's constraints. He also received an overview of **B-52 Stratofortress** modernization and discussed the impacts on the sustainability of the fleet.

Sharene Brown, spouse of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., back center, has lunch with Tinker Air Force Base first sergeants at Tinker AFB, Okla., Aug. 10, 2021.Sharene Brown, spouse of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., back center, has lunch with Tinker Air Force Base first sergeants at Tinker AFB, Okla., Aug. 10, 2021. Brown also met with several spouse groups and Child Development Center staff during her visit to the installation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Paul Shirk)
            
            
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    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. speaks to an audience of aerospace and defense business leaders and contractors to kick off the 15th annual Tinker and the Primes at the Reed Center in Midwest City, Okla., Aug. 10, 2021. The three-day event brought together Department of Defense officials and industry partners to interact and share knowledge.Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. speaks to an audience of aerospace and defense business leaders and contractors to kick off the 15th annual Tinker and the Primes at the Reed Center in Midwest City, Okla., Aug. 10, 2021. The three-day event brought together Department of Defense officials and industry partners to interact and share knowledge. (U.S. Air Force photo by April McDonald)
            
            
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    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., poses for a group photo following a discussion about F135 engine production at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., Aug. 10, 2021.Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., poses for a group photo following a discussion about F135 engine production at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., Aug. 10, 2021. Brown made multiple stops during his first visit to Tinker AFB as the chief of staff. (U.S. Air Force photo by Chris Seaton)
            
            
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In the Reverse Engineering and Critical Tooling Lab, Brown got an up-close look at the OC-ALC’s advanced manufacturing efforts and learned how the **Air Force Sustainment Center** and **Air Force Life Cycle Management Center**work with the **Rapid Sustainment Office**.
In addition, Brown stopped by the 552nd Air Control Wing, where he was briefed on the wing’s mission, readiness, training and infrastructure.
During the visit to Tinker, Mrs. Brown met with members of the base Key Spouse program to discuss Airmen morale and welfare. She also visited the Child Development Center to meet with caretakers and discuss challenges concerning dependent care.
Brown also attended the Tinker and the Primes Conference, Aug. 10, to elaborate on his **Accelerate or Lose** priority, with an audience of aerospace and defense business leaders and contractors at the 15th annual event held at the Reed Center in Midwest City, Oklahoma.
“Without change, we are at risk of losing our competitive edge to win in a highly contested environment,” Brown said. “We are at risk of losing our credibility with our joint teammates, our allies and our partners. We are at risk of losing quality Airmen and their families because the Air Force is not changing enough. Most importantly, we are at risk of losing aspects of our national security.”
Brown said the point of his approach is how the Air Force looks at things from a more enterprising view.
“I am excited about where our Air Force and our Airmen are going,” he said. “We have some complexities, but we also realize we are not in this alone. We must partner with industry and academia because I fully believe that strong partnerships make the partnerships stronger.”
To drive change, Brown said the Air Force needs to revamp processes and take an innovative approach to use allocated resources.
“We must be better prepared not only for today but for whatever transpires over the next couple of decades,” he said.

"Without change, we are at risk of losing our competitive edge to win in a highly contested environment.”Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr.

That also applies to maintaining platforms such as the B-52 and **KC-135 Stratotanker**, which are closer in age to the Wright Flyer than today's aircraft.
“Think about that,” Brown said. “This is why we need to modernize our Air Force. We need a paradigm shift from a sustain model to a perpetual design model for acquisitions where we move from a conventional hardware focus to more software-focused programs.”
Moving in that direction means everyone – government and industry – working together, Brown said.
“Navigating the challenging times ahead requires effective collaboration among all stakeholders to acknowledge, balance and share risk over time,” he said. “We’ve got to move at the same pace that our adversaries are moving – and so that’s why we’ve got to adjust and be willing to change and ready to change in the same way.”
Before exiting the stage, Brown took a moment to recognize the surrounding communities for all the support they give to the military.
“I want to thank you for your fierce commitment to support the Airmen and their families here in the state of Oklahoma,” he said.LR 



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