CMSAF Roy impressed with 45th Space Wing visit

  • Published
  • By Chris Calkins
  • 45th Space Wing Public Affairs
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  CMSAF Roy impressed with 45th Space Wing visit

By Chris Calkins
45th Space Wing Public Affairs

PATRICK AIR  FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Roy brings a lot of "joint and coalition" experience to his job as the Air Force's 16th senior enlisted advisor.

He made clear he doesn't need to be "reminded" what the 45th Space Wing brings to the warfighters in harm's way when he visited Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Patrick Air Force Base Aug. 21.

"I just visited with five tactical air control party Airmen last week who were deploying to Iraq to support an Army unit. Those war fighters will use satellites like the ones launched from the Cape last Monday morning to call in airstrikes to help us win the fight," said CMSAF Roy.

"Although Florida is a long way from the front lines, without the 45th Space Wing's mission support, our war fighters, along with our joint and coalition partners, would be severely hampered in their mission," he said.

Currently, the 45th Space Wing has approximately 100 Airmen deployed in harm's way, according to Command Chief Master Sgt. Larry Malcom, 45th Space Wing Command Chief.

"I think it's a very fresh and interesting perspective Chief Roy brings to the office. With all his joint background experience, his drive for additional joint and coalition training will only make our Air Force even better in five, 10 or 15 years," said Chief Malcom.

During the tour, CMSAF Roy visited with members of the Launch Group, toured the Morrell Operations Center, chatted with some CCAFS firemen, had lunch at the award-winning Riverside Dining Facility with several Airmen, attended a base housing meeting and hosted an "Enlisted Call" at the Base Theatre.

"One of the very first things I noticed was the incredible feeling of teamwork between the wing's Airmen, civilians and contractors. That's a key ingredient to success across all aspects in all services in today's world," he said.

CMSAF Roy also said he was making sure the welfare of the family unit - and that of the single Airman -- one of his highest priorities while serving the Air Force he loves.

"Our families sacrifice when our Airmen deploy. We need to make sure we look at the programs for them and find better ways to support them," CMSAF Roy said. "We're also going to look at programs for our single Airmen. They have a unique challenge when they deploy. As the chief master sergeant of the Air Force, I'm committed to making sure our Airmen and their families are taken care of," he said with conviction.

Chief Malcom said even though the visit was short, the impact was most powerful.

""What a great opportunity for the 45th Space Wing to showcase the space mission to the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. His short time was filled with rockets and Airmen from across the installation showing him where 'control of the battlespace begins'...and that's right here," he said with a smile.


 

United States Space Force logo

Official United States Space Force Website