SECAF visits, addresses Pope Airmen Published Dec. 18, 2006 By Capt. Jeff Clark 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs 386th AIR EXPEDITIONARY WING -- Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne toured a base in Southwest Asia Dec. 7, and spoke to base members Dec. 8, about issues affecting today's Air Force. Secretary Wynne and his wife Barbara were taken throughout the base and shown many of the outstanding work centers, accomplishments and Airmen who make the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing so special. The tour started with a mission brief and was highlighted with visits to the fitness center, some major civil engineer construction locations, flightline operations and maintenance facilities, and of course the Desert Winds dining facility where the tour culminated with a Texas-style barbecue dinner. Secretary Wynne continually commented on how impressed he was with the wing's facilities and the importance of the wing here. "When you talk about global mobility, it's opening places like this," he said. "You're cooperating with our colleagues and coalition partners moving in and moving so many goods and passengers through yet you make it look easy." In his briefing Dec. 8, Secretary Wynne focused on the joint aspect of the battlefield, the future of training for and fighting in cyberspace and the Air Force continuing to support in lieu of taskings for the Army. "We don't have enough people to fill the Army with in lieu taskings," he said. Secretary Wynne went on to say we need to maintain our focus and our heritage, but some of the missions we do so well we may take on to some degree. "And right now we are not going to pull away or refuse to commit our forces." A video was also shown that in Secretary Wynne's words "shows the interdependency we (the Air Force) share with the Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Marines." While it did focus on the joint operations and the capability of the Air Force "to deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States of America and its global interests - to fly and fight in Air, Space and Cyberspace" there was one piece from our mission the video didn't show that Secretary Wynne stressed. He spoke about Contingency Aerial Staging Facilities (one of only two in theater) and medevac as being key to the survivability of the force. "The miracle of this engagement and this time is medevac," he said. "The survival rate as you all know is in the high 90s. If you can make it to the CASF here, I believe it's above 96 percent. This is unheard of in warfare. Bless everyone who does that mission and all of you who are additional volunteers when things get rough."