Flight plan: State of the Military
By Steve Herring
Published in News on November 13, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Col. Mark Slocum, 4th Fighter Wing commander, and Col. Michael G. Miller, 916th Air Refueling Wing vice commander, wait to present during the annual State of the Military event at Lane Tree Golf Club Thursday. Some of the topics addressed were improvements being made for base personnel, their families and retirees, new construction and the new KC-46 tanker.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Julie Daniels, chairman of the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee, makes introductory remarks during Thursday's State of the Military program.
It has been a busy year at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base -- a year marked by new construction, the base's selection as a preferred site for the new KC-46 tanker aircraft, and efforts to improve the quality of life for base personnel.
It also has been another year of a great relationship with Wayne County and Goldsboro -- a relationship that is the envy of the entire Air Force, said Col. Mark H. Slocum, commander of the base's 4th Fighter Wing.
That relationship was a factor in the base being selected for the KC-46, said Col. Michael G. Miller, vice commander of the 916th Refueling Wing.
Slocum and Miller made their comments before a packed room at the Lane Tree Golf Club Thursday morning during the Chamber of Commerce's Military Affairs Committee's annual State of the Military program.
Both men spoke of ongoing construction projects at the base, including a new hospital, a planned new control tower and expansions of the runway ramps and taxiways.
But just as importantly they said is the relationship between the base and community.
"I am excited to tell you it has been a great year, mostly because all of you supporting us in the relationship," Slocum said. "As we talked last year, 2015 was going to be a big flying year and it was. It was huge.
"We have the largest flying hour program of any fighter unit in the Combat Air Force. That means a lot of work. Our airmen are cranking all of the time."
The good news is that the wing got its 2016 flying hours program fully funded, he said.
So much time is spent in training to ensure the wing is ready to go at a moment's notice, he said.
The new F-35 is not the replacement for the F-15E, and the Air Force continues to invest money in the F-15E, Slocum said.
One of the modifications is new radar. The base just had a multi-million dollar upgrade to a hangar so that work can be done on base, he said.
Perhaps one of the most important ongoing projects is the Make It Better program to help enhance the quality of life for the airmen and their families, he said.
Slocum said he started by asking wives what they think about Seymour Johnson.
"They think there is nothing to do," he said. "That is a communications problem. Right? Because (City Manager) Scott (Stevens) we know there is a lot to do around here. There is so much to do here. I owe it to you to do better, and that is what we are trying to do here."
It can be difficult for them (families) to make connections and make friends, Slocum said.
The base is working on that as well as working to take better care of deployed families, he said.
The Make It Better program is about every airmen and spouse getting involved and telling base leadership what they want to see, Slocum said.
As a result of the program, 98 clubs have been formed for a variety of interests including fishing, hunting, guns and a single parent group has just started, he said. The next phase will expand to add retirees.
"One place I am going to say where I really need some help is with our spouses," Slocum said. "The amount of sacrifices our spouses make moving around with military members is unbelievable. So many of them want to work, and they are having problems finding jobs.
"A month ago I hosted a telethon. It was almost like a Jerry Lewis telethon, at the Enlisted Club to get on Facebook and we started posting jobs. The school system came out. The county, the city, everybody. It was just phenomenal."
People can now post job openings on Facebook by typing in SJjobs, he said.
"That is where I need help," he said. "Give our spouses a chance."
Slocum said that Dr. Michael Dunsmore, the Wayne County Public Schools superintendent, is creating change just as he is.
"Working with childhood education with Dr. Dunsmore, great things are going to happen," Slocum said. "All of you between the county and the city, state Legislature, this is time if we are ever going to improve schools, it appears that the stars have aligned right now.
"I have over 2,000 spouses right now on our base. Many of them have kids in school, and a high percentage of them want to volunteer in the schools or be employed in the school system."
Miller received a round of applause when he spoke about the KC-46.
"There are three takeaways I want you to think about," Miller said. "People (say), 'How did you guys get this? How did you guys get this?' Well, we still have got to have the environmental survey. Guys, we have got great people. We are great teammates. We are great partners with the 4th -- the best in the Air Force.
"But most importantly, how did we get it here at Seymour? It is you guys, because of the community support you guys provide us."
That support is "off the charts," Miller said.
One of the biggest proposed construction project is a large new hangar that will be able to accommodate two KC-46s at once, with room to spare, he said.
There are currently 16 KC-135s on base, but when the new planes arrive the fleet will be reduced to 12. However, because of the new plane's larger size and other features the wing's capabilities will grow, he said.
The wing is a Reserve unit and in fiscal year 2015 its planes flew 2,100 sorties and had more than 10,700 flight hours with more than 61 million pounds of fuel capacity.
"We set a new record here for Seymour," Miller said. "We exceeded all other KC-135 units in the Air Force."
The unit has an estimated economic impact of $109 million on the local economy, Miller noted.