COMUSAFE visits downrange U.S., NATO bases

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Elizabeth Culbertson
  • USAFE News Service
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (USAFENS) --  The U.S. Air Forces in Europe commander visited multiple downrange locations Feb. 8-10 to fulfill USAFE and NATO objectives.

Gen. Tom Hobbins traveled to Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, Kandahar AB and Kabul, Afghanistan and Al-Udeid AB, Qatar with USAFE Band “Direct Hit” during the three-day trip, visiting with deployed USAFE members, touring facilities and meeting with NATO officials.

The general dined with expeditionary deployed USAFE Airmen at Manas and Al-Udeid air bases, leaving a lasting impression.

“We don’t get distinguished visitors through here that often,” said Tech. Sgt. Anthony Schultz, 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Civil Engineer Squadron. “Leadership should be out among their troops, and this first impression of the new COMUSAFE is definitely a good one.”

General Hobbins made it a priority during his visits to address troop concerns and get feedback on expectations.

“Going to see the air operations center USAFE Airmen [at Al-Udeid AB] was, in fact, a promise I made as the Airmen deployed out of Ramstein a month ago,“ said the general. “I was careful to make sure that they knew they’re in an expeditionary role now, and not assigned to USAFE, but I care and I wanted to understand what their concerns were for me as USAFE’s new commander. So as I sat around the dinner table with them, I was asking them, ‘What would you change if you were me?’ and I got great feedback.”

General Hobbins also donned his NATO hat for the visit; as commander of NATO Allied Air Component Command Ramstein, he was interested in command and control processes for air operations, a hot topic at the latest Joint Force Command Brunssum commander's conference and for NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

“The NATO visit was aimed at being able to go see the ISAF mission [in Afghanistan] and the support to the ISAF mission, in multiple locations. I wanted to see first hand how we connected our refueling and airlift missions that were going on at Manas along with the command and control and receiving missions at Kabul. Also, at Kandahar, I wanted to see first hand how ISAF connectivity will function with provincial reconstruction teams in the future,” said the general.

The visit demonstrated the importance of interdependence in air operations, said the general.

“For me to see the command and control that goes on from Kabul from an ISAF standpoint, gave me an appreciation of how we connect those forces. And while I was there, I was able to watch the theater air operations center and how they connected with the forces in Bagram and how they connected to their Army and NATO counterparts at the distant PRTs,” he said.

General Hobbins, who was formerly the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Chief Warfighting Integration and Chief Information Officer, brought a critical eye to communications functions in theater.

“Once I saw the way we move airplanes out of Kabul and Kandahar, we flew down to Al-Udeid to see the combined air and space operations center that services the Operation Enduing Freedom forces -- that’s our coalition forces in the east and south [of Aghanistan] -- working together hand in hand with our ISAF forces out of the north and west, to see if there were problems that I could help with, and I figured out that there are some communications processes we could be doing much better,” he said.

The general said the personal interaction with leadership was beneficial.

“Now I understand what it is they’re doing, who they’re talking to, and I know firsthand where the problems lay,” he said.

At the trip’s end, the general said he was struck by the tremendous work being accomplished by the coalition and NATO forces.

“How could you be anything but impressed with the level of dedication and professionalism that we see in the Airmen of our United States Air Force? I just had the opportunity to visit with several hundred from the United States Air Forces Europe active duty, Guard, reserve and civilian force, and I can tell you firsthand that, along with our outstanding NATO partners, they are proud, they’re doing their job with excellence, they think of service before self and there’s integrity in everything they do, so I’m very proud of what we have in our Airmen serving in the [area of responsibility],” he said. “They are ensuring freedom’s future.”