7th Air Force welcomes new commander

Published Feb. 14, 2012
51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- After accepting command of the 7th Air Force Jan. 6, Lt. Gen. Jan-Marc Jouas sat down with Crimson Sky journalist Staff Sgt. Stefanie Torres to communicate with Airmen throughout the peninsula and express his vision and way ahead for the 7th Air Force.

Lt. Gen. Jan-Marc Jouas is the Deputy Commander, United Nations Command Korea; Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces Korea; Commander, Air Component Command, Republic of Korea/U.S. Combined Forces Command; and Commander, 7th Air Force, Pacific Air Forces, Osan Air Base, South Korea. He is also the U.S. representative to the joint committee for the Status of Forces agreement between the two countries.

Crimson Sky: What is your first message to the men and women of the 7th AF?
Lt. Gen. Jouas: The first thing I would like to say is how proud I am to join the 7th Air Force team. I've been in the Air Force on active duty for 32 and a half years and this is my first assignment to Korea. I am very happy to be here. My wife and I also want to say thank you to all the Airmen of 7th Air Force for their warm welcome and the tremendous job they do every day.

Crimson Sky: What will you expect from the warriors here in Korea?
Lt. Gen. Jouas: We've got to be ready to fight tonight, and while that may be a saying that you hear often, it really means something in Korea. As Airmen, we take pride in who we are. We take pride in the fact that we deliver airpower for our nation, so we need everybody to be ready to do their job. We need them to live our core values each and every day. We also need them to be great ambassadors of the United States, but most of all we need them to be ready.

Crimson Sky: Knowing we have already been here in a semi-stable tension, what kind of budget reduction decisions do you face that will impact operations in 7th Air Force?
Lt. Gen. Jouas: Well, it's not just the Air Force or 7th Air Force that will face cuts. The good news for those of us in Korea is that with the strategic pivot towards the Pacific, and with the emphasis that is being placed on Asia, I think we can anticipate fewer cuts than units in the United States or elsewhere. That being said, there won't be as much money in the budget to do some of the things that we thought about doing in the past, such as tour normalization. For Korea in particular, we will not be bringing more families over than we have in the past. On the other hand, we will be able to retain a lot of the force structure that we currently have here.

Crimson Sky: With the recent death of Kim Jong-Il, how do you see the shift of power in North Korea affecting our readiness across the 7th Air Force?
Lt. Gen. Jouas: The fact that Kim Jong-Il is deceased and Kim Jong Un has taken his place and is solidifying his role as the leader in North Korea changes nothing for us. We still have to be ready to fight tonight. North Korea is still as unpredictable as ever and our mission is the same. We defend South Korea and we deter the north from any hostile action. If they were to take any action against us, we would defeat them decisively.

Crimson Sky: What is the command vision you bring with you to the 7th Air Force?
Lt. Gen. Jouas: I look at all Airmen as being part of a great team. As I mentioned earlier, this team has to be ready to fight tonight. We are ready -- we demonstrate that time and time again. I expect Airmen to look out for other Airmen, and I look to Airmen to do the very best at their jobs. I also look at them to be the advocates of airpower on the peninsula.

Crimson Sky: How do you feel having a split number of remotely stationed Airmen vs. those stationed with their families contributes to the mission here in the Republic of Korea?
Lt. Gen. Jouas: At Osan we have approximately 630 command sponsored billets, which are only 10 percent of our Airmen in Korea. So the overwhelming majority of our Airmen that are here are unaccompanied. That in some ways allows us to focus on the mission. On the other hand, we miss our families back home and so outreach programs are that much more important. The role of supervisors, commanders, chiefs, first sergeants, and mid-level supervisors become even more critical as they look out for the Airmen assigned to them.

Crimson Sky: You bring a unique blend of experience and education to the job. How do you expect to grow during your tour?
Lt. Gen. Jouas: I'm stepping into a new role now as 7th Air Force commander and the commander of Air Component Command. That is going to be my focus. I think that no matter where you are, from the youngest Airman to the most senior officer, as you come into a new position you have to set some goals for yourself. My primary goal right now is to become as proficient at being the commander of Air Component Command as I can be. Frankly, that's the most critical job for whoever occupies this position.

Crimson Sky: What advice and words of wisdom have served you well throughout your career?
Lt. Gen. Jouas: When I was a cadet at the Air Force Academy, one thing my instructors told me was to do the best you can with whatever job you've been given. I would give that advice to anybody whether they were in the Air Force or any other service, or not even in the military. Do the best you can at whatever task you have been given. At the same time, whenever we go to a new job, we should leave the organization better than how we found it. I've tried to do that throughout my career. Also, respect other people, and treat them as you would want to be treated. As I said earlier, be a member of the team, and in this case, it's the airpower team.

Again, I would like to say how proud I am to be joining the 7th Air Force team after so many years of not being assigned to Korea. Our first month here has been tremendous. It has been a great welcome from everyone - the Air Force, other services and the Republic of Korea. We are looking forward to whatever amount of time we have here, and hope it will be a long assignment.

(Maj. Eric Badger, 7th Air Force Public Affairs, contributed to this article.)

7th AF CC