AFSPC command chief: Today’s Airmen most informed in history Published June 9, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Jessica Switzer 21st Space Wing Public Affairs PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- 21st Space Wing Airmen put their best foot forward for the new Air Force Space Command command chief during his orientation visit here May 27. Chief Master Sgt. Todd Small became the AFSPC command chief in February but this was his first chance to really get out and meet the Airmen of the 21st Space Wing. "He's all about the Airmen," said Staff Sgt. Maryana St. Bernard, 21st Space Wing NCO in charge of personnel programs, who accompanied the Chief during his visit. "He's the most knowledgeable person I've had the privilege of meeting." Chief Small spoke to a variety of Airmen during his visit, some of the subjects he touched on included the new enlisted performance report, the importance of fitness to today's warfighter and how tech savvy today's Airmen are. Comparing himself as an airman first class to today's Airmen, the chief said the difference is vast. "The Airmen of today have more opportunity to be better informed than ever before in the Air Force," he said. "More information at the immediate disposal of the average individual Airman regardless of their grade or rank exists today than at any other time in the existence of the Air Force." What used to take between four and six weeks then, can now be done with a touch of a button. This awareness translates into Airmen who are more informed than any other time in history. "The Airmen of today, candidly, are some of the most savvy and most informed Airmen on the Air Force mission, the [Department of Defense] mission and the impact of the joint teams they deploy with," he said. Chief Small also spoke on the budget crunches many are facing and the challenges of making sure Airmen remain adequately trained and prepared to face any challenge that comes their way. He said that, in his experience, budget crunches come and go, but they have never truly affected the Air Force's capability to field Airmen who are ready to face anything. "Our Airmen are credible, capable and faithful," he said. "Our systems are designed so that over the course of a 20 or 30 year career you have the opportunity to move around, see, experience, learn and grow from a variety of opportunities and experiences." The chief also took the opportunity to address Airmen's concerns about the current operational tempo and how it affects Airmen's lives. "Clearly, Airmen are concerned about the operational tempo today, and the Air Force is working to address that," he said. "We've just gone through a restructuring of our [Air Expeditionary Force] cycles from buckets to banding to be able to better posture our forces, to give increased stability and predictably to our Airmen, and to be able to better communicate to our joint teammates the level of effort that we're putting into the war effort both in theater and at home station." The Chief's knowledge and ability to relate to all Airmen impressed those who met him. "He inspires me to do better every day," Sergeant St. Bernard said.