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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      CMSAF emphasizes human connections at Hanscom all callCMSAF emphasizes human connections at Hanscom all call
                        
                        
                        Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright addresses attendees during a town hall at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., Sept. 6. Wright spoke to more than 400 military and civilian personnel about resilience, leadership and more during the one-hour session. (U.S. Air Force photo by Mark Herlihy)
                
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CMSAF emphasizes human connections at Hanscom all callPublished Sept. 10, 2019
                    
                    By Mark Wyatt
                    
                    
                    66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
            **HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. (AFNS) --**Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright spoke about resilience and leadership topics during a town hall Sept. 6.

More than 400 Airmen from Hanscom Air Force Base, as well as other invited Airmen from geographically separated units, listened as Wright touched on those topics and answered questions.

During the hour-long session in Hanscom’s Aero Club hangar, Wright spoke in length about the rise in suicides across the Air Force.

“This issue, not figuratively -- but literally, keeps me up at night,” he said.

He highlighted a closed Facebook group called Air Force Wingman Outreach, which, according to the page, is “for people to reach out, tell their stories.”

“There are about 30,000 Airmen ... giving their testimonies about how they’re seen, how they’re feeling, what they’re battling, their stresses, their depression (and) their anxiety,” he said.

He asked those in attendance, “Do you know what your Airmen are saying?” That was a critical point: that connectivity is the main differentiator, the thing that can prevent the downward spiral that can form when an Airman feels isolated.

The 18th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force addressed the need for leaders at all levels to think about what they can do.

“Some of this just comes down to being good humans,” Wright said. “Let’s all commit to doing just a little bit better.”

Other topics he addressed were ones Airmen may see in the coming months.

“We’re close to having a provision in the AFI (Air Force Instruction), with some help from the Joint Staff and Congress, so commanders can grant a little bit of time (for Airmen) to take for themselves and their families for the purpose of bereavement,” Wright said.

He spoke about indefinite enlistments with provisions for those Airmen with more than 12 years of service.

“Once most people hit 12 years, they’re pretty well vested in the United States Air Force,” Wright said.

The chief also discussed military retention of non-deployable service members, which represents less than 5% of the force, he noted. Wright encouraged attendees to keep “your teammates mission ready.”

During the question and answer period, Wright discussed uniforms, the Developmental Special Duty Program and the enlisted performance report process.

“Performance reporting is designed to help leaders, at some point, make management decisions,” he said. “Maybe five years from now, somebody will pull it out and determine if she should be a recruiter, she should be promoted to chief (or) she should be the commander’s exec.”

He encouraged supervisors to focus on substance during the EPR (Enlisted Performance Report) process.

Prior to the all-call, personnel from the Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence and Networks Theater Deployable Communications program office showed Wright some of the work done at Hanscom AFB.

“Thank you for carving out some of your time to spend with me,” he said at the conclusion of the town hall. “I do appreciate what you do and all the support you provide us.”LR 



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