DALLAS – Lt. Gen. Michael A. Loh, the Air National Guard director, hosted the Air National Guard Senior Leader Conference April 19-21.
ASLC is an annual conference that joins senior air leaders and commanders from across the 54 states, territories and the District of Columbia to exchange ideas and provide input on critical matters affecting the future of the Air National Guard and the Air Force.
“This year’s theme is ‘The Air National Guard Family … Ready Today, Stronger Tomorrow,’ ” said Loh. “The National Guard is the cornerstone, the bedrock of our national defense all the way back to 1636. And it needs to stay that way. … To stay that way, we need Guardsmen who are ready at a moment’s notice and the support of their families and employers.”
Conference hot-topic conversations revolved around ready forces through the lens of current events, the National Defense Strategy, and great power competition. Ultimately, the conference provides the periodic ANG readiness status check within the context of senior leader vision and the national defense needs of the nation.
“We’re staring at an unprecedented moment in our nation’s history,” said Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau. “Today’s threat environment has shifted to strategic competition that threatens to dismantle the rules-based global order. We in the National Guard need to adapt to this dynamic environment. We are ready today, but we need to be stronger tomorrow.”
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown Jr., attending virtually, stressed that seamless total force integration between the three components is key to the warfighter’s effectiveness.
“The future may be uncertain, but I am certain each of us has a responsibility and commitment to ensure our national security,” said Brown. “I am certain that [the Total Force] will collaborate together so that our Air Force can continue to deliver airpower anytime, anywhere.”
The Air Force’s Accelerate Change or Lose strategic approach was another prominent topic discussed throughout ASLC.
During his speech, also delivered remotely, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall emphasized that to remain relevant as the world’s greatest airpower, an evolution of processes must take place across the enterprise.
“We have to move faster than our adversaries,” Kendall said. “We can no longer move at the speed of bureaucracy. We have to move at the speed the threat demands. This needs to be our new mentality in today’s Air Force.”
At this year’s event, the spouses of senior leaders and commanders were invited to provide feedback on the climate and well-being of military families.
“We need to know how to take care of our service members, how to take care of our military families, and that’s where our military spouses can help,” said Loh. “We need spouses involved in the conversation in order to maintain force readiness. We cannot do this alone. Thanks to you, your Airmen, your military families and employers, the Air National Guard remains always ready, always there.”