Photo By Tech. Sgt. Cesaron White | U.S. Air Force Colonel Tom Jackson leads the 126th Air Refueling Wing during...... read more read more
U.S. Air Force Colonel Tom Jackson assumed command of the 126th Air Refueling Wing at the precipice of a historic national health event.
Coronavirus also known as COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that impacted the United States and, in fact, the world. The disruptive effects of the virus were seen within commercial travel and operational logistics, then came to ripple into global economic viability and nearly every aspect of daily life.
Nothing could have prepared Jackson for the challenge of assuming command during this uniquely difficult time.
For Jackson, his initial leadership goal was simple: continue the wing’s award winning service record, keep a strong mission focus, and take care of the people within the wing. Often after an outgoing commander surrenders power and authority to an incoming commander, there is a period of adjustment. A learning curve is to be expected to some extent, for someone who has not yet previously led at that newly assumed organizational level. For Jackson, the natural growing pains an incoming commander might anticipate were multiplied by the fresh impact of Coronavirus on the United States and the international community. Challenges such as manning limitations and operational restrictions were set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as federal guidelines.
Referring to Coronavirus impact and response Jackson said “It changed everything.” Continuing in baseball terms he said, “I like to think of it more of as a high and tight to the side of the head. It was such a blow to the entire United States military and in the world as a whole. We didn't know how to respond, really."
Physical assets and manpower had to be managed differently in order to reduce viral spread and mission impact. The country shut down by mandating citizens shelter in place with the exception of essential travel such as groceries and medical necessity. This mandate also excluded personnel deemed essential workers.
“Not only did we lose access to our personnel, due to everyone having to shelter in place and go home, but we lost access to facilities, we lost access to aircraft, we lost access to everything that we would normally have. Then trying to work the electronic side, I wondered how we could best connect. Digital social connectivity was not developed adequately enough at the scale required to really execute what we needed to do, even in a work from home situation," said Jackson.
Many demands and expectations changed, but not all. The mission of the 126th Air Refueling Wing is to provide aerial refueling for U.S. military and U.S. allies anytime, anywhere.
“Anybody with real experience that had done this before, was no longer in position to execute,” he said. “So here I was, a brand new wing commander literally one day into it and forming a plan with my leaders about how are we going to deal with this.”
Rather than back down and pass the buck, Jackson continued to engage the challenge. Aspects of the way active duty and Air National Guard units worked had to shift. Civilian and military personnel shifted to more telework, in-person meetings became Zoom video conferences. New adaptive solutions were put in place across the Air Force to work collaboratively.
There were varying levels of success between platforms. Jackson made every resource within his power available to unit members in a way that protected their health, but didn’t leave the wing at a productivity standstill.
“We started developing. We had a slow return to work, started getting some folks flying and started operating some mission sets. We started easing some people out the door for deployments and managing who has gone," said Jackson.
Careful coordination had to be done between federal government planning, Air Force planning, as well as the plan of our host installation commander at Scott Air Force Base. The Illinois governor and the adjutant general also had their own plans of action. And in the midst of each layer, the wing had its own operational mission. The wing was employed in state active duty support for COVID-19 testing while Jackson sorted through the requirements planning return to work and the wing back running.
This season of change was further complicated by the military response to civil unrest nationwide. In 2020, racial tension surrounding perceived discrimination and police killings rose to a signifiant level nationwide. Protests across the country emerged, became more frequent and sometimes violent. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was charged in connection to the death of local citizen George Floyd, whose death was a catalyst for Black civil rights protests. Days before the trial, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker activated the Illinois National Guard at the request of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to prepare for potential retaliation of the verdict. The expressed goal was to keep the community safe, as Chicago was considered a potential target of civil unrest.
Speaking of the personnel sent to Chicago he said, “They’re very well trained individuals. But this is a little different in that the goal is peace. The goal is not to fight a battle, it's to maintain the peace, and they're all very well versed in how to do that."
Prior to departure, Jackson emphasized the peacekeeping mission and encouraged personnel to interact with civilians who wish to peacefully engage with them.
“You're there to maintain the peace. And just to let them say what they want to say in a peaceful manner,” he said.
Jackson had just become the commander of a unit actively participating in COVID-19 support while simultaneously tasked in Chicago civil disturbance, and flying refueling missions, while working through health guidelines. Details of social events stirred many questions about freedom of speech, organizational inclusion, and diversity.
The wing had already begun collaborating with the 375th Air Mobility Wing diversity and inclusion team, whose goal is to maintain a conversation about inclusion and ensure the diverse many members are adding to the strength of the whole, which aligns with the Air Force’s goals.
“I would hope that everyone takes a look at what are they doing to be better humans, and just be nice to people. Ideally, you try to respect everybody and all that, but just be nice. You can still be nice and have a difference of opinion. At the end of the day, move on and say, 'We see things differently, but we're still going to work together and be a good human to each other.'"
Surmounting unforeseen circumstances, Col. Tom Jackson plans to continue the wing’s legacy of excellence, serving the mission with a high operational standard, while considering and caring for the people of the wing.
| Date Taken: | 12.05.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.10.2021 12:11 |
| Story ID: | 410474 |
| Location: | SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 285 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Wing Commander Traverses Unexpected Challenges, by TSgt Cesaron White, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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