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419th Fighter Wing Commander Col. Ronald Sloma speaks to the Airmen and families about being ‘Ready Now’ by executing a good game plan and staying two-steps ahead in the Great Power Competition. (U.S. Air Force video by Senior Airman Jack Rodgers)
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A number of years ago, I was fortunate enough to coach middle school ball, and it was then, as a leader, that I realized the parallels that we have between the military and sports, in particular, football.
It requires effort. It requires dedication. It requires knowledge. It's not simply just going out there and grabbing a football and trying to score a touchdown. It is the synchronization of effort of 11 people on the field with different roles and responsibilities: different sizes, different shapes, different capabilities. And leveraging their strengths to ensure that we have a good game plan and we're able to execute a good game plan. It is as much mental as it is physical.
Looking at that, I recognize that that is our Logistics Squadron, our Civil Engineering Squadron, our Security Forces, our maintenance, our operations. That to be able to proverbially move the ball down the field, we have to be leveraging the strengths of each, ensuring they know where they fit in - role and responsibility on each play - so we don't fumble the football.
An example of that would be our Logistics Squadron, ensuring that we have the parts on time to feed maintenance so they can fix the jet, to ensure it’s ready to go to drop that bomb on target on time.
We just can't go out there and be sure that everyone knows what they're supposed to be doing. You actually have to plan for it. You have to train for it. And the ideal is to where we can get on the field, as a wing, and we look at the picture that we're seeing, we can look at the enemy, and we don't even have to say anything, we just know what we’re supposed to be doing.
That is truly a hallmark of a great football team; that is truly a hallmark of a great wing.
Whether it’s winning the Super Bowl or deterring your enemy. There's something that is shared by the team. Each team member has a role and responsibility in achieving that. For us, ready now is exactly that: that you are ready to play ball at any given point in time.
What does that mean? It's all the basics. The basics have to be done. We have to ensure that we are physically fit, that we're medically fit, and that our training is such that we are two steps ahead of the enemy at any given point in time.
To ensure that families are included, that families are aware of what we're trying to put forward [Ready Now], ensuring that they are a part of that [mission] - because they truly are. We are a team. We are a family, and we gotta make sure that families recognize the seriousness of what their Airmen are having to do, and that they are supportive 100% through to provide that peace of mind for our Airmen when they’re deployed.
Like any good football team, you never stay static. You’re continually trying to evolve, and as we're looking at the great power competition, we need to evolve to something that will match and exceed the capabilities of our adversaries. We need to train better as a team. And we need to make sure that our training ensures that we don't have any missed tackles, that we are continuing to move the ball progressively forward, and that we're scoring those touchdowns together - not in silos, but as a cohesive unit.
| Date Taken: | 10.31.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.03.2024 16:29 |
| Category: | Package |
| Video ID: | 945489 |
| VIRIN: | 241031-F-MI196-1920 |
| Filename: | DOD_110713155 |
| Length: | 00:03:59 |
| Location: | HILL AIR FORCE BASE, UTAH, US |
| Downloads: | 11 |
| High-Res. Downloads: | 11 |
This work, 419th Fighter Wing – Executing a Good Game Plan. Ready Now!, by SrA Jack Rodgers, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
