Mustang 1 speaks to Osan AB, outlines mission, priorities

Published Oct. 9, 2015
By Capt. Robert Howard
51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Col. Andrew Hansen, 51st Fighter Wing commander, spoke to wing personnel during five Wing Commander's Calls, Oct. 9, 2015 here.

Topics included the commander's expectations, the wing's mission, priorities, and focus areas, the exercise tempo, and how Osan will respond during future events and contingencies.

One of the first topics Hansen mentioned was the recent success of Osan's temporary flight operations out of Suwon Air Base.

"The work that went on there in order to support operations and for us to do the much needed runway repairs here, to tide us over for the next six or so months until we get the outside runway done so that we can reconfigure and resurface the inside runway--huge!" said Hansen. "That deployment set the standard for how we will stand up and operate out of contingency bases in the future."

The wing commander also discussed personal readiness and the ability to respond to contingencies in an expedient, but deliberate manner.

"The equation for readiness is not just being equipped and trained to do the job we are supposed to do, it is also being available," said Hansen.

Hansen stated that personnel should analyze their actions, and that the over-consumption of alcohol is detrimental, not only to themselves and to their careers, but also on being available to accomplish the mission at a moment's notice.

Another topic on the commander's mind was fostering a culture of responsibility and respect for one another.

"The responsibilities we have to one another to step up...and have the moral courage to step in at the appropriate time and stop someone from hurting themselves or somebody else, think how rewarding that would be...and how much more effective we would be as an organization," said Hansen. He said that sometimes we lose good Airmen because we did not take the time to step up and step in to stop the behavior.

Hansen described stepping up and stepping in not only as a way to stop Airmen from making a mistake, but also as a means to handle a crisis or unplanned situation.

"It's not just trying to stop a bad situation, it's really stepping up to your job and having that confidence that you can handle anything that gets thrown at you," said Hansen.

At the end of the call, the wing commander outlined the wing's mission as:

- Defend the base
- Execute contingency operations
- Sustain the force

He stated Osan's priorities fell into two broad categories, mission and people:

- Mission First:
   -- Be ready to fight tonight!
   -- Strengthen the Alliance
   -- Maximize combat capability

- People Always:
   -- Care for our Airmen and families
   -- Leadership (at all levels)
   -- Fitness, to include physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional
   -- Community

Hansen closed the call by praising the group for their amazing accomplishments and mission success, stating, "I can't thank you enough for truly leading the charge!"