New command chief joins Team Kirtland

  • Published
  • By Jim Fisher
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Chief Master Sgt. Brion Blais arrived Monday at Kirtland to assume his new position as the command chief for the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center and Kirtland's host 377th Air Base Wing. The chief comes from the 96th Civil Engineer Group at Eglin AFB, Fla., where he served as the group superintendent since July of 2013.

Blais expressed his excitement about being part of Team Kirtland, and said he was impressed with the scope of operations and the base's varied missions.

"The 377th and the mission--the sheer number of mission partners that call Kirtland AFB home--is astounding," he said. "Few installations can claim to host training, test and evaluation, safety assurance and enterprise management functions, much less wing- and center-sized units. I will be investing a lot of time over my tour continuing to learn."

Meeting Airmen and understanding the challenges they face are among his top priorities, the chief said.

"My immediate priority will be to get to know the Airmen and to find out where their roadblocks are," Blais said. "The mission will dictate some of my priorities, but I will not lose sight of what actually carries us forward and that is the ingenuity and initiative of Airmen."

He stressed that innovation and creativity on the part of Airmen are best employed through teamwork, and in his leadership philosophy, the concept of teamwork is essential to success.

"Leadership is not about the individual. At some point in our lives we are all asked to serve or perform tasks that demand we take the considerations of other individuals or other missions into account when making decisions," the chief said. "Whether the mantra is 'mission first, people always' or our core values of 'integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do,' there is a common theme throughout. Putting the mission or service before personal desires is a foundational part of membership within the Air Force. That is not to say that balance in life is not required, but I believe an Air Force career is not measured by personal accomplishments, but the accomplishments of the team."

This philosophy was forged by a career in explosive ordnance disposal where the chief was called repeatedly to wade into danger with an absolute reliance on his teammates for survival and mission success.

"I learned early the value of working together to accomplish tasks and the family-like bond that teaming builds, but teams do not work without trust and trust can be easily lost," Blais said.

More than mere status as a member of a unit, membership in a team is an identity Airmen must choose to assume.

"Being a member of a team is an idea, more that any naming convention. We may be part of a unit, but we choose to be a member of a team. The drive to accomplish team objectives truly makes a difference," the chief said.

Being part of Team Kirtland as it pursues success for the 377th and mission partners is Blais's primary goal as command chief.  

"For me, there is no better feeling than being part of a winning team. My successes have come as the result of a lot of winning teams," the chief said, explaining that personal integrity and accountability are essential to have trust within a team.

"The same things that make you a 'good person,' make you a good Airman," he said.

When dealing with adversity caused by the drawdown and budgetary shortfalls within the Air Force, Blais said Airmen must concentrate on what they can control.

"All the military departments are going through a difficult budgetary time and there are too many mission priorities fighting for too little resources. My goal is make all of that just a headline on the paper," the chief said. "Airmen should be focusing on what is right in front of them and not worrying about the headlines. I joined the Air Force in the middle of a massive draw-down and I can honestly say that I didn't notice it a bit. Keep your attention on what you can control and don't hesitate to ask for help or assistance. This is a team sport!"