COMACC offers insights during Moody visit

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jarrod Grammel
  • 23d Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  U.S. Air Force Gen. Mike Hostage visited Moody Air Force Base, Ga., Jan. 8, for the first time since becoming the commander of Air Combat Command.

During the base visit he met with Team Moody, had lunch with Airmen and had a chance to view Moody's capabilities.

Hostage began his speech at the all-call by thanking Airmen for their service in the Air Force and presenting decorations earned during previous deployments to two Airmen. Before assuming command of ACC in September 2011, Hostage was the commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command and spoke about his experiences visiting deployed personnel in Afghanistan who benefited directly from the efforts of Moody Airmen.

"I got to hear what it means to be a Soldier out there in the middle of Afghanistan-- in harm's way, bullets pinging around his head-- to hear that 'hog' overhead and know that help has arrived," said Hostage. "They have the absolute assurance that if something bad were to happen out there, someone would come to get them, and it would most likely be the Air Force."

Hostage then moved on to a topic that has been all over the news recently: the fiscal cliff and national deficit.

"That fiscal cliff will have an impact on all of us in uniform," the general said. "In order to fix this, defense is going to have to participate. The problem is too large. So you can expect to see some more defense cuts down the road."

Hostage stressed that no matter how big the cuts, he vows to do his best to avoid a "hollow force."

"As long as we are strong and capable, the adversary is far more likely to decide that fighting with us is the wrong answer," he said.

"Know that if I ask you to do something, I will make sure you're resourced for it and prepared," he said. Part of this commitment includes commanders providing realistic assessments that drive resourcing and readiness decisions for deployable units, the general said.

Next, Hostage addressed rumors about changes in retirement programs. He said the commitment to provide benefits for service members and their families must be balanced against the rising costs of benefits as life expectancies increase. However, he said there is no current agreement on changing the retirement plan for current service members, much less an approved plan.

"Our system was first put into place back in the '50s," Hostage said. "It was built around a force that was drafted in place, with a vast majority of whom did not stay for retirement. And the force that did stay had a life expectancy of 65, so they didn't collect retirement for a long time.

"Whatever we do will have to be fair, fairly implemented and be good enough to entice people to stay in the Air Force," he added.

The general ended by thanking the Airmen in the audience for serving. He said that throughout all of human history, only 5 percent of humans have lived in a society with freedom.

"I have four grandkids, and three daughters who grew up making choices, getting to do what they want to do because you chose to put on a uniform," he concluded.