MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, GA -- The 93rd Air Ground Operations Wing hosted a Commander’s Conference from Sept. 19-21, 2023, at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.
Wings normally provide Commander’s Conferences to help inbound commanders acclimate and comprehend what resources and assets they have available at their new duty station. For the 93rd AGOW, it provided a meaningful opportunity for their geographically separated units to gather in one place and coordinate their efforts as leaders.
“We want to make sure that we're all on the same page,” said Col. Tim Hood, 93rd AGOW commander. “We may be separated, but we’re all on one team.”
Effective communication can be challenging for the various teams across the AGOW’s three groups and 16 squadrons, so this conference served to refine channels of communication, and the topics included lines of effort, wing capabilities, staff updates and mentor panels.
“This is the one time we can bring leaders together from our three distinct mission sets and sync our efforts behind the wing commander’s vision,” said Senior Master Sgt. Jason Tonkinson, 9th Air Support Operations Squadron senior enlisted leader and event participant. “It’s important to receive top-down guidance, but it’s also important to be able to provide the wing commander and his staff with feedback from the squadron-level.”
This conference allowed geographically separated units based throughout the continental United States the opportunity to communicate directly with each other and wing headquarters staff.
“It’s easy to feel like you’re on an island when you’re so far removed from each other, but this conference gives everyone the chance to stand in front of our command and give their perspective directly,” said Lt. Col. Matthew Perry, 93rd AGOW chief of staff. “It’s an excellent opportunity to make sure everyone’s voice is heard.”
Senior leaders throughout the wing were able to consolidate knowledge and lines of effort to move forward with a unified vision of the future.
“Our wing’s unique geographical separation and diversity in mission sets makes communication key,” Perry said. “Having so many variables is a challenge but having strong communication throughout the wing ensures we are all moving in the same direction.”