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The Under Secretary of the Air Force visits Barksdale AFB

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jonathan E. Ramos
  • 2nd Bomb Wing

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, Louisiana - The Honorable Gina Ortiz Jones, Under Secretary of the Air Force, visited Barksdale Air Force Base to meet with 2nd Bomb Wing, 8th Air Force and Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen and leaders.

The Under Secretary of the Air Force is the second-highest ranking civilian official in the Department of the Air Force, serving directly under the Secretary of the Air Force. Together with the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and the Chief of Space Operations, as well as the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force and the Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force, the six make up the senior leadership team of the Department of the Air Force.

During her visit to further expand her knowledge of Barksdale’s Striker Nation culture, Jones was briefed by wing and MAJCOM leadership on a variety of topics including 2nd BW and AFGSC’s mission, vision and line of effort to include the bomber culture experienced daily at Barksdale.

“This visit was a great opportunity for our Barksdale Airmen and Guardians to show off their skills and dialogue at the highest level of Air Force leadership,” said Col. Scott Weyermuller, 2nd BW commander. “Knowing we cannot operate alone and learning what is important to our senior leaders is vital to maintaining the lethality expected from the 2nd BW.”

As part of her visit to Barksdale, Jones was featured as a guest speaker in the Women's Leadership Symposium. The symposium’s mission is to promote a community of inclusion across AFGSC and enable Strikers to lead as their authentic selves.

“This is about making sure that we’ve got the best folks in the right positions and ensuring that everyone has got the opportunity to serve to their full potential,” said Jones. “When we think about what our courage can lead to, it can lead to ensuring we are opening ourselves up to an even broader pool of talent.”

Continuing her tour at Barksdale, Jones toured a B-52H Stratofortress at the Tech. Sgt. Kidd Weapons Loading Training Facility to gain a deeper understanding of what capabilities this long range bomber has and the impact it has on our nation’s global deterrence mission.

“It’s been amazing to see what happens here at Barksdale, from its history to the B-52 itself,” said Jones. “Barksdale is so tied into current and future operations of the Air Force that I’ll be looking forward to seeing what continues to happen here.”

Visits like these provide a deeper understanding of how Barksdale’s Airmen and Guardians are always ready to support each other to accomplish mission operations both on the ground and in the air. These visits also demonstrate to higher Air Force leadership the dedication and commitment Striker Airmen apply to getting the mission done anywhere, anytime!