EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Brig. Gen. Christopher Azzano, 96th Test Wing commander, gathered Airmen and community members at the enlisted hall here April 20 for his final round of Commander’s Calls.
Azzano, who is scheduled to depart later this spring, began all three sessions praising 84 Air Force Materiel Command and Air-Force level award winners.
“What you do feeds the Air Force mission every day,” he said. “What you do every day is important.”
The general began addressing strategic planning. He cited more than 40 mission partners here, who rely on the Eglin community to enable their missions.
He pointed to test and evaluation, maintenance, range, and operations and Seek Eagle personnel, who test state-of-the-art aircraft weapons software systems to provide to the warfighter who deter or aggressively engage with our enemies.
“We provide quality installation and mission support and serve as responsible stewards of our resources to deliver war-winning capabilities,” he said.
The Wing’s vision is to be “the most agile, responsive, and cost-effective test and mission support organization in the DoD,” said Azzano.
The general encouraged the Eglin community to assist in working smarter while facing personnel shortages and budget constraints.
“With your innovation, mindset, dedication and collaboration, we can do what our nation needs us to do,” he said. “I know all of you all have great ideas. We just need to harness them and be more efficient in what we do.”
In noting that innovation culture is key to the future success of the 96th TW and Team Eglin, the general introduced Kathy Reid, the wing’s new chief innovation officer.
“We are constantly getting innovation challenges,” Reid said. “All of your good ideas and forward thinking are going to help solve tomorrow’s problems, today. Keep sending in your ideas.”
The general emphasized developing an innovation culture is key to the future success of the 96th Test Wing and Team Eglin.
I would like to see all of you bring your ideas forward,” Azzano said. “They don’t have to be multi-million dollar ideas. They can be very simple ideas. We need innovation to be effective in every area of what we do.”
Among the 14 short-term initiatives completed during Azzano’s tenure were: laying the framework the new Cyber Test Group stand-up and allocating $75 million towards refurbishing Eglin’s infrastructure.
Future plans include an F-15 modernization initiative, designed to expand the life of the aircraft until 2045.
Eglin will host Exercise Black Dart, a joint staff exercise designed to develop and assess solutions to countering hostile unmanned aircraft systems, again this year.
A clinic that will serve Airmen and their families with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, brain disorder and other invisible wounds, is scheduled to be fully operational by 2018. The clinic will serve as the Air Force hub for integrative medicine, research, consultative, and telemedicine support for all military treatment facilities.
Chief Master Sgt. Bryan Creager, who also departs this summer, also greeted the Airmen for the last time. He thanked the attendees for their contributions and encouraged providing feedback within their chains of command.
“I appreciate all the hard work you guys are doing,” Creager said. “You should never forget why you joined and the big picture impact of what you’re providing to today’s warfighter and future warfighters. Be proud of being a part of this wing, be proud of being an Airman, and do not ever forget what you do on a daily basis, for your country.”