Released: Dec. 18, 2003

By 2nd Lt. Glory Smith

ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, England (USAFENS) -- The 20th Secretary of the Air Force received an enthusiastic welcome by RAF Mildenhall Dec. 11 and 12 as he visited the base prior to the holidays to say “thanks” to the men and women for their hard work during the past year.

During his packed two-day trip, Dr. James G. Roche’s visit was filled with tours of aircraft and units, mission briefings and most importantly –– meeting and greeting Air Force men and women he specifically came here to see. 

“The vision, the leadership, and the technological advancement that make us the most feared air force on the planet are a direct result of Dr. James G. Roche’s efforts,” said Col. Richard T. Devereaux, 100th Air Refueling Wing commander, who welcomed the secretary in front of a packed audience of more than 1,000 airmen during a ‘troop call’ briefing. 

Roche began his address by thanking the airmen. 

“I’m here to say thanks for all of your service.  Thank you for what you do each and every day.  You have made our Air Force the extraordinary organization that it is.”

The secretary explained the Air Force recognizes that investing in its airmen is the smartest investment it can make.

“We are doing a series of things to assure that we can work with the person who wants to be in our Air Force for a career and try to match as best we can the needs of our Air Force and the needs of that individual,” he said.  “It’s really something that will pay off.”

Being overseas, the community here is sometimes closed off from the sentiment back in the United States. Roche assured the audience the American public highly regards the Air Force.

“It’s still the case that when the American people are surveyed as to what is the most honorable profession, the military comes first.  The American people just think the world of the Air Force.  They really, really do,” he said.

While America’s view on her servicemen and women remains unchanged, airmen and the Air Force continue to undergo adaptations, as demonstrated during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“So the notion of bringing technology to warfare, one of our core competencies, was demonstrated again and again because of the agility of our airmen.  It is that ability to adapt us to a new era, to adapt to a new situation, that has been terrific,” he said.

The secretary assured the audience that with the upcoming base realignment and closure actions by Congress, he didn’t foresee a lot of great change.

“We’re not going to have a whole-scale walking away.  It may mean closing some outlying units and trying to consolidate others,” he said.  “We will take on new missions in forward operation locations in Eastern Europe.  There’s a sense that we will be revisiting some of these bases we’ve opened up recently in places many people haven’t heard of before.  But I don’t see it being a major, major disruption here in Europe.”

Being the only permanent tanker base in the European theatre, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, can expect notable changes in the future.  Roche explained that one way or another, the Air Force will replace its tanker fleet because it is a necessity, although he warned that it will be an on-going process.

“My bumper sticker is, ‘no tanking, no war fighting.’  It’s just that simple,” he said.

Responding to curiosity about the Air Force’s prospective new battle dress uniform, he explained the value of the uniform’s camouflaging capability, the cost-savings to the airmen wearing the uniform and the necessity for a new uniform in today’s expeditionary Air Force.

“I ask you to give it a try,” he said.

The Air Force’s core values of integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do can be seen in America’s airmen, Roche said.

“I’m continually amazed at every base I visit with the professionalism and selflessness of our men and women in the Air Force,” he said. “Thank you for what you do every day as you continue to improve the world’s best Air and Space Expeditionary Force.”