Additionally, my staff works closely with OSD to provide you with the Quarterly Readiness Report to Congress. As you know, the report has recently been expanded to include a significant increase in technical indicators, which will hopefully provide staff analysts with the means to extract meaningful conclusions. I would like to comment on the perceived gap between official Pentagon readiness reports and the anecdotal reports you and I receive from the field. My view is that both reports are true and generally consistent. On the other hand, field reports are much better indicators of the human cost of doing business.
Field reports can convey the personal strain and professional frustration of our Airmen.
They introduce the vital element of personal perspective and human emotion into the assessment process. Although a bit imprecise or homespun at times, we would be wise to continue encouraging this part of the staff-field readiness dialogue. But we believe readiness is even more than that, so the Air Force took another step. The IPT was chartered by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force to provide a broad cross functional look. Extensive team travel occurred throughout the field.