TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. —
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi visited Travis Air Force Base Oct. 10 to recognize the progress Team Travis has made in support of the Department of the Air Force’s initiative to reoptimize for Great Power Competition and to discuss the central role mobility warriors will play in possible combat operations against the pacing threat.
“Team Travis is moving out to reoptimize our Air Force,” said Allvin. “The critical role you played in Exercise Bamboo Eagle this summer and the activation of the 22nd Combat Air Base Squadron here a week ago are proof of that.”
During their visit, the service’s top leadership engaged Airmen from the 60th Air Mobility Wing, 349th AMW, and 621st Contingency Response Wing to receive a firsthand overview of the Travis AFB mission and emphasize why the base is known as “The Gateway to the Pacific.” This designation is attributed not only to the base’s strategic location on the West Coast but also because the base integrates all four of the Air Mobility Command mission sets: airlift, air refueling, aeromedical evacuation, and global air mobility support.
“In a potential fight against a very capable adversary, Mobility Airmen will be at the tip of the spear and under fire conducting logistics in a highly contested environment,” Allvin said. “You’ll be responsible for getting the Joint Force into theater, sustaining the fight, maneuvering in Agile Combat Employment, as well as defending and recovering from attack. We all must recognize this is our new reality and actively prepare for it accordingly.”
Allvin and Flosi also met with the leadership from the three wings and recognized Airmen for their outstanding service.
Flosi emphasized the importance of readiness, adaptability, and the role the Air Force upholds in today’s dynamic strategic environment.
“We are the nation’s and the world’s most capable and lethal all-volunteer force on planet Earth,” said Flosi. “Whenever the Chief (Allvin) and I travel and we are out on the flight lines across the world, we see our Airmen delivering airpower in a way no other nation can deliver.”
To conclude the visit, Allvin and Flosi hosted an all-call, engaging more than 900 Airmen, where they connected directly with the team to share updates about the future of the force.
During the all-call, the leadership team highlighted why the service must integrate more effectively to be “One Air Force,” according to Allvin, and answered questions about Great Power Competition, family support initiatives, and readiness requirements.
“We must be one team coming together with a common goal to be the Air Force we need for the environment today,” said Allvin. “We must evolve. We are counting on you (Mobility Airmen) to lead this change as you may be the first ones through the breach…Air Mobility warriors know how to do this because you have done it previously when our nation needed it most.”
