General goldfein has flown in combat air he has actually went in from into desert storm and had some Great Stories on that and if you have a moment after this event. He went on to several assignments, commanded a squadron in combat as a squadron commander, led to the highs and lows of that. He commanded a component, which is an air force level. And now he leads the United Force Air force in combat today. It is my pleasure to welcome my good friend and the chief of staff of the United States air force, general goldfein. Lets see how long it takes us before were talking like this. Its broken down already. I am going to take a couple of minutes to ask the questions. About 45 minutes and and will open it up to questions in the audience and see where it goes. Ought to be a fun conversation. General goldfein is readiness, the first one on the docket and if one of the biggest conversations on the hill and throughout the United States. In testimony last spring during your confirmation testimony, you told congress that less than 50 of combat force was ready to go to war in the fullspectrum combat situation. General nolan about a week and half ago, put a writer on that and said for a 56 squadrons, active duty guarded reserve, were ready for that level of combat. I just returned from two weeks in europe and i had the opportunity to spend time on your old stomping grounds and talking to a bunch of Fighter Pilots there. I was really impressed. I thought the Readiness Level and the energy in those guys was just like we knew it way back when. I have the overall impression that the components for safety are doing pretty well but i think its coming at a high cost for the folks here in the states. Could you talk a little bit about how were doing with readiness . Youth rates and line for a fight again Fighter Pilot. When you have a discussion about readiness because of the rather complex dialogue, you have to start with the answer to the question, ready for what, where, when. The most important part is ready for what. If you were to ask me the question which is something you saw when you were are we ready to continue our Current Campaign against violent extremism . Primarily in the middle east and continue at that pace for years to come . My answer is yes. That is my singular focus. If you were to walk, just like what you walk in europe and in career or bagram in afghanistan korea or bagram in afghanistan, what you would see was high levels of readiness. Our fight tonight forces. We had the appropriate manning and supervision, the parts that we need, the things we need that when you generate for an air force things you have to invest in to generate and sustain readiness are all very high levels. Theres a bill payer. The bill payer very often our often our basis back home that contribute, back home meeting the United States, that contribute to the forces that go forward. I can accept that risk. If thats what my focus is. Once you start heading in the business of simultaneity looking at doing more than one thing, then the Readiness Challenges start to surface. The force that you rely on can go into that next contingency is the one thats generating the readiness that we have forward now. For instance, in the air force, if you remember when we went into desert storm together we had 134 squadrons, not even talking about the remainder of the air force and all of the diverse missions we do. We had 83,434 squadrons in the air force and we deployed 34. Today, the grand total active guard reserve is 55. If you take a look at the number of squadrons that we have available to contribute to Global Campaign plans, were at a point now in the air force where weve gotten so small that the rubber band is stretched pretty tight. I will tell you that since last year, when i testified during my confirmation hearing, we had put a concerted effort at getting at all elements of readiness. Its been our number one priority. Its why you hear me talking so much about people. The reality is as weve gotten smaller over the years, our formations have been doubt and so right now, my number one priority is to move it back to where it needs to be is to increase the numbers we need in our formations to get to the point where we now have troops to test, assess right relative to what the nations asking us to do. We have seen some improvement. We look better than we did last year. This is very important that as we heard last week and the half in the hearing that we had, very important to the service chief that request was repealed and that we get a stable budget that we can plan for. That, quite frankly, will be the most important impact you can have on the air force. Thank you for that. The sequestration is a big a big deal. Having the wherewithal to pull back will be to watch and is what be something to watch and something we are pushing for at heritage. Theres applied here that just went up talking about the pilot one where the demand for pilots across the spectrum military and civilian employment is quite high right now. The shortage of pilots is becoming a large issue. Right now, the latest numbers general are 1000 pilots short of the 3800 pilot requirement. Could you talk a little bit about that for me . And then i may have a followon. Important to note as an air force, one of the things im proud of is that were truly one air force. Pilots that are in all three of the components that contribute to operations around the world. Quite frankly, as the chief of staff of this one air force, we cannot do the job we are doing without our guard and reserve with or with us. I have called it a crisis but i will tell you that it is a National Level issue that im trying to approach from starting off at a National Level. This is just a supply and demand mismatch. The nation, right now, is producing less pilots that we need to service commercial, business and commercial aviation. You have to start this dialogue at a congress level. On behalf of my fellow joint chiefs, because we are all affected by this. How do we first to get at this at a level where we can look nationally at incentives to increase the supply to better meet the demand. And then you take a look at what were doing with in the military. For me its a balanced approach of quality of service and quality of life. Quality of life tends to be those things that we incentivize family to make them stay with us. Its removing the financial burdens. How we approach the new aviation bonus. All those things that go into sitting around the Kitchen Table had table and have the discussion about whether not to stay. Quality of service is also important. I believe morale is an extra book linked to readiness. If you felt like morale was pretty high when you are walking the lines its because you were able to invest to keep readiness at a high level. Maintainers dont maintain, controllers dont control wont stay with us. Getting to Readiness Levels up so we are able to make quality of service the largest incentive for getting our pilots to stay. Thats where im focus. Theres not going to be one, big program that will do that will make pilot stay with us. It is going to be 100 little things. It is going to be a journey there were on for the next ten years. What i told our team is that there is no such thing as a bad idea. Lets not waste a good crisis. Lets look at every single option and opportunity and perhaps most important, lets listen to the force. Were out there aggressively talking to the force and saying what is on your mind, what is frustrating to you. You know, weve taken a swing at things that i would put a category of irritants additional duties that are piled up on smaller force that actually detracting from readiness, not adding to it. We are going after those. Significant number of computerbased training modules that again, actually doesnt improve your readiness, it detracts from it. Decision authority has been moved up away from squadron command which is the heartbeat of our air force. That we need to push back down and ensure that the force knows we absolutely trust themto make trusted them to make the decisions they need to make. Looking at prescriptive regulations and asking ourselves, how many of those are actually detracting from readiness rather than enhancing it. All those things and more we are not going to start until we get we are not going to stop swinging at this until we get it right. I had an opportunity to talk with 15 of your Fighter Pilot and it was an incredible conversation. You can see the fire in your eyes. We talked about several things and retention was one of them. Ou have three initiatives that are out right now. First, really caught their attention and you got them. That initiative was to reinvigorate the squadron. You touched on that a little bit and let me add a twist to it. Theyre gonna give you one more assignment, every person thats on the cusp of being able to stay or go, theyre giving you one more assignment because they believe in you but theyre afraid of the meyer and the bureaucracy that is here in the city. There wondering just how well youll be able to get them what they need. Could you talk about, no kidding, things youre going to make happen . One thing that would i would be concerned with. That is that i dont want this to be totally associated with the chief of staff of the air force. Ill keep swinging at it institutionally and i have a pretty good swing. And i wont let up institutionally to make sure we push the change that is required. But you know where the most powerful impact will be . It will be a wing level. Ive got Wing Commander for two days, 273 Wing Commanders. I tell we talked a lot about this whole idea of squadrons and when do we someone who has the potential for command. And then what we do with them . What Development Opportunities do we have . How do we manage . And want to get into command and their leading at the most important level of demand, what are we doing to ensure that they have all the tools they need . That were invested in their success because the mission of the United States air force succeeds or fails. Im at the bottom. Squadron commanders are at the top and everyone else is in support. So, i had all the Wing Commanders together and i want o leave with two messages. I trust you, i completely and totally trust you. We hired you because we trusted in you. Number two because i trust you dont wait for me. Do not wait for the chief of staff of the air force to come get after this. You start swinging away at your level. I send out examples of Wing Commanders who are leaning forward and getting after this and one of the messages that was out was hasty were getting rid of all additional duties that are not directly related to our missions. On page two you will find all the additional duties you will no longer be doing. Questions, call me. He said that out to all the Wing Commanders and said go long. Thats exactly what im looking for. Now we have to be thoughtful about it. But i trust the Wing Commanders were entrusted with the mission to get after this. I dont actually want the force to be relying on the chief of staff of the air force to deliver. I will swing away at it and im swing passionate about it but this will be a fullcourt press across all elements of the chart. I think people will be happy to hear once that statement hits the street. Im in a put up another slide and show how our retention numbers are going to become more challenging over time. 3800 to be the requirement by 150, 160 this year and 160 this year and will end up with a shortage of over a thousand active duty Fighter Pilots. You have this opportunity and the wing and the air force all the way up to your level to make changes and get people to want to stay. If that doesnt work out, there is talk right now, and its the worst kind that you and i have been in the air force when weve executed stop loss. Could you talk to me about stop loss and what would trigger your desire to go to the secretary of defense and say boss, we need help . That the most important part of this discussion. This is not anything that lives within the authority of the chief of service. This is a secretary and president ial decision in times f emergency. So, theres a little bit bit of chatter on the net right now bout me considering stop loss. I want to make it as clear as i possibly can everyone here and everyone listening. I am not considering stoploss. I am not considering that. Its a tool in the secretarys tool bag to use when were in a state of emergency, but were not any state of emergency. The reason it got into the news most recently is because there was a discussion it was discussed is one of those tools and that got linked to chief of staff is getting ready to do a stoploss. The reality is this is a great opportunity. Lets not waste a good crisis. This is an opportunity to get out there and went with our ears and listen to the force and figure out what the irritants that keeping them from being the very best they can be and the quality of ervice that make this business serving in the professional bonds, something that you want to stay in. So much of that is associated with our culture. Our culture is the heart, the heart of our culture is the squadron. Thats where we learn to be an airman. Thats where our airmen learn to be an airman. Thats where they thrive. The commander has the most impact on an airmans life. Its where we generate readiness and innovation. When you hear me talking about revitalizing squadrons and giving squadron commanders and the senior nco, the spouse, the tools and the resources they need to be able to build the culture in their organization where the wrong things are really hard and the right things are easier and it means something to be a thunderbird and it means something to be a thunderbolt and it means something to be a bulldog because the culture means that youre part of something special. We have to remind folks and i dont doubt that this is the case for many of you here but when i talk to folks who work in jobs and work parttime for the air force, the air reserve guard, i often ask, what company do you work for . Show of hands how many of your companies have called and checked in on you or your family when you been on a trip. Rarely, does a hand go up. How many times somebody from your company swung by your house to see how your family is doing. The answer very often is this not always in most the time the answer i get is no, they dont do that. Its not because theyre bad or evil but because its not their culture. Thats our culture. Thats what we we do. I want to make sure the airmen know that the airmans they are right and left and theyre the finest men and women deal of her service. This is a time in their lives when theyre doing something much bigger than themselves and i joke with airman, hey as a rights hiring and training i know that will all be in the mall sunday and its easy to find a retiree because we all put pins on our best, so you and i will be standing in the much bigger than themselves and mall one day and if you walk in to thats talking in the mall, theyre not talking about the kids for the grandkids, theyre not talking about the businesses they started, theyre not talking about other things, the talking worse worries. Why is that . Because that was when they were the most a life that was when they were a part of something big, when they served. They were defending the nation. The calling, the job. If we could capture that, well keep our folks. Fantastic answer. You are a wonderful speaker but i want to go back to talk grow uickly about maintenance and how important this is on the right side of the slide you can see two different graphs, one is in blue and that is during the carter administration. The red numbers are the its basically how often we use a airplane in a given month. Those numbers are starting to come down. Heyre coming down for a couple of reasons come apart in money but the biggest and you may agree with me on this our incredible maintenance. Were now 4000 people short of maintainers in the air force and training them up to a level where they can actually be supervisors and start signing off on bigticket items, and its a big deal. Could you talk to the audience about what were doing to retain our maintenance . Were doing a lot of the same things that were doing on the pilot force. One of the things were working hard at is one, how do we bring more maintainers in . Theres a fundamental math challenge in maintaining maintainers. When we were fine and young, think about this, wed show up at aircraft and thered be to critique dedicated and then wed taxi to the runway and thered be a Different Team doing last chance pull up tens and we take off to our fire another location and thered be a crew crew there waiting for us. Today, the taxi slow is the same single crew chief has to get to the runway and then fly slow because that crew chief as to get into another plane and fly to the other destination. This is a massive problem. If you go back and look at the stats, did did you take off in time, and did you do that on the backs of the young women who were out there turning wrenches and doing the incredible work on these older airplanes. We have to get more people and get that Cultural Family approach to this business. The other thing that i want to be uick on this has changed a little bit since you and i flew. We have to acknowledge that when you and i flew we went to the simulator to do basic work. Then we got in the airplane to little bit since you and i advanced work. This generation aircraft were already starting to see a reversal. I see that simulation and the environment were building in the virtual space is actually becoming some of our most high and training. Were already counting that is part of the number of stories. Thank you. Thats a great answer. Theres been a big transition since i sat on the stage where i went from an observer talking about the air force and this man has put me back up into the using the terms of our. I wanted you to know thank you for being here with us. Nuclear enterprise a completely different subject and this is one where you parked on several forums about the command control infrastructure and how weve got things in our missile silos the go back to the 1960s and the 8i