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Recruiting: Crucial to national defense

  • Published
  • By Commander Brig. Gen. A.J. Stewart
  • Air Force Recruiting Service
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  As we start the new fiscal year, I congratulate you all for an outstanding 2008 recruiting year.

I appreciate the hard work you did - this was the ninth straight year we met or exceeded the Air Force's recruiting goal. In fact, we signed our last contract in May 2008, and we have been working ever since to seamlessly ship recruits to basic training every Tuesday. As a result of all your hard work we've actually taken a running start into fiscal year 2009, and on Day 1 we already had 36.15 percent of our contracts for the upcoming year signed. Now we are charged with filling in the gaps and inspiring additional high quality men and women to join our ranks.

While we have a great start for FY09, recruiting isn't without its challenges. Throughout FY08 we have closed one group, closed four squadrons, closed hundreds of offices, reorganized our Health Professions recruiting, downsized by more than 200 personnel and have added 4,000 accessions to this year's requirement. Additionally, we continue to be challenged with the fact that 73 percent of 18-24 year-olds don't qualify for military service, and propensity to serve is at a historic low. All of these factors represent challenges for our recruiting service. But we've been here before, and our only option is to adapt and overcome.

As we continue recruiting in this new fiscal year, you should feel the weight of responsibility that we all have and remember why we are in the recruiting business.

We live in a dangerous world full of challenges and overlapping crises abroad and at home. We are a nation at war -- terrorists and extremists still stalk us, there is global unrest; new competitors are rising and old ones are re-asserting themselves; and we compete with the global community as demand for resources outpaces our abilities to produce.

There are a lot of things going on in the world that can threaten our way of life. Our ability to move and to project power around the globe, our ability to maintain awareness, monitor events in the world to provide command and control, and our ability to stay connected and achieve synergy through cyberspace gives our nation a critical edge. This is why we have an Air Force -- to dominate in the air, in space and in cyberspace. But our success is not because of aircraft or systems -- without Airmen, our Air Force would fail. Airmen are the secret weapon for our Air Force, and the only place the Air Force gets Airmen is from you. You, the men and women of the Air Force Recruiting Service, are the single point of entry for Airmen to join this Air Force.

There is no doubt we'll make our FY09 goal of 31,800 new Airmen. If we fail, the Air Force fails, and if the U.S. Air Force fails, the nation faces catastrophe. Failure is simply not an option. And, we will make our goal without lowering our standards. We don't go out and find just anyone to join the Air Force; we go out and find the most highly educated, the most highly skilled, and the most highly motivated youth America has to offer. It's a challenging job, but I know you will come through with sending the Air Force the highest quality Airmen the nation has to offer.

The world keeps changing and the additional 4,000-plus Airmen we have been charged to inspire this year represent the new capability the Air Force must provide to the nation. They represent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, unmanned aerial systems, cyber-warriors, Airman to stand up U.S. Africa Command and many other missions in which the Air Force is engaged.

It will be a challenging year, but I'm looking forward to a repeat fantastic performance for FY09; but I want to remind you that while we have great tools to motivate and recognize our recruiting force, what we do is not just about silver badges and competition. It's about sustaining the combat power of the world's greatest Air Force. This is why we recruit.

I understand the long days and nights, the miles and miles of travel, and the hours spent on the phone. I understand that a significant portion of our support structure is challenged with manpower cuts and process changes for this year. Your task is to adapt to the changes and overcome the challenges -- but also to gather the data to allow us to re-attack, with facts, if we went too far in our squadron support cuts. We'll know more as the year progresses.

In closing, I understand the tremendous efforts you all put towards reaching goal and the stress it can put on you and your families. I want you to know I see what you're doing and I appreciate you and I'm proud of you. I am truly humbled by your dedication and service and I ask that as you go about your daily duties, you keep the ultimate reason why we're recruiting in the forefront of your mind. We are America's Airmen. We are warriors. Our nation depends on you. Thanks for all you do.