CSAF visits Hurlburt Field

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., shakes the hand of Lt. Col Rene Leon, 1st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander, during a visit here, Jan. 9. The General Schwartz met with Airmen assigned to the 15th Aircraft Maintenance Unit and toured a PC-12 Pilatus.

CSAF visist Hurlburt Field

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., receives a hat from Capt. Robert Carreiro, 1st Special Operation Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, as a memento of his visit here, Jan. 9. The General Schwartz met with Airmen assigned to the 15th Aircraft Maintenance Unit and toured a PC-12 Pilatus.

CSAF visits Hurlburt Field

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., shakes hands with Airman 1st Class Schuyler Hardesty, 1st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, here, Jan. 9. General Schwartz said a few inspiring words to the Airmen before touring a PC-12 Pilatus.

Air Force chief of staff visits 505th Command and Control Wing

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz greets Senior Airman Grace Blazado, 505th Communications Squadron Client Support Administrator, during a visit to the 505th Command and Control Wing January 9. The 505 CCW, located at Hurlburt Field, Fla., is the only Air Force wing dedicated to operational level command and control.

Command and control essential to delivery of AF capabilities

Published Jan. 14, 2009
By Jodi L. Jordan
505th Command and Control Wing Public Affairs

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- The Air Force's top officer had a chance to learn about the heart of command and control when he visited the 505th Command and Control Wing at Hurlburt Field Jan. 9.

"It's wonderful to be back here at Hurlburt," said General Schwartz, who has been stationed at the base three times, including a tour as the commander of the 16th Special Operations Wing from 1995 to 1997.

During his visit, General Schwartz spent time with the Airmen of the 505th to discuss the importance of the Air Force C2 mission to the joint team.

The 505th CCW is an Air Combat Command unit charged with improving and standardizing tactics, training, testing, exercises, and experimentation for command of air and space power in the joint and coalition environments. Among its many other missions, the wing is the lead agency for integrating command and control processes across the Air Force.

Col. Jack Shanahan, 505th CCW commander, briefed General Schwartz on the 505th's unique mission of being the Air Force's only wing dedicated to operational -level command and control.

Following the briefing, General Schwartz stressed the importance of the 505th CCW, a wing of only about 900 people. Despite the small size of the 505th, General Schwartz recognized the impact the wing brings to the Air Force mission.

"Our Air Force offers an array of capabilities for our joint team, and the discipline that brings them all together is command and control," General Schwartz said. "When we in the Air Force say 'everybody matters' - well, the 505th CCW exemplifies that."

"This was an enormously significant event for the Airmen of Team 505th," Colonel Shanahan said. "It was a real honor to host the Chief of Staff. General Schwartz stressed the importance of our operational-level testing, tactics, and training mission in enhancing Air Force command and control capabilities that are vital to success in joint operations."