Commentary: Commander’s Corner -- We are a team of professional warriors

  • Published
  • By Col. Mike Duvall
  • 377th Air Base Wing commander
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, New Mexico --  If you are in the 377th Air Base Wing, you've heard me speak repeatedly about our identity as a wing -- we are a team of professional warriors dedicated to the defense of our nation. In the coming week, we get an opportunity to "walk the talk." 

As the AFMC Inspection Team arrives to conduct a Targeted Readiness Inspection and a Unit Compliance Inspection on the Nuclear Weapons Center, we need to take this opportunity to showcase and highlight the great work we do every day. 

My goal is to have the inspection team walk away with an appreciation for our teamwork and acknowledge the high caliber of professionalism we display in executing our missions at Kirtland. Several key factors will assist us in accomplishing this goal. 

First, planning and preparation are critical to success. We took advantage of every Staff Assistance Visit, self-inspection and exercise to hone our skills and highlight the areas we need to improve. It is important for inspectors to see that during our preparation, we identified areas for improvement and, more importantly, that we have a plan to achieve that improvement. 

Second, we must know our jobs. Part of being a professional is having an understanding of all of the instructions and processes that guide our mission accomplishment. It should be obvious to the inspection team that, as professional warriors, we know our business and can execute it day in and day out. 

Third, we must have an inspection attitude. My hope is that as the inspectors roll into your squadron, flight or section, they quickly sense the pride exhibited daily by Team Kirtland. It is important that we have an attitude of confidence -- we know our mission and can execute it. It is also important to not be defensive. Although our pride may try to get in the way, we will be successful when we acknowledge any findings highlighted by the inspection team and quickly move to assess and fix the issue at hand. After that is done, move on and showcase your unit's other programs and processes. 

I plan to use this inspection as an opportunity to highlight to AFMC the diverse missions of Team Kirtland and the amazingly high level of mission accomplishment by our professional team of military and civilian Airmen. Remember -- we are a Team of Professional Warriors and now is the time to prove it!