The White Falcon - 05.08.1994, Síða 5

Q’s&A’s with Lt. Gen. Croker
8th Air Force commander discusses current issues
Force that I can’t get any other way.
A: There’s a couple parts to your ques-
tion. First of all, what we’re trying to do is
go from a permanent presence at a lot of
overseas locations to - where we can - a
temporary or occasional presence. For
example, in Europe we had eight fighter
wings; we’re now down to two. In the
Pacific we had five or six fighter wings;
we’re now down to three. The final num-
bers aren’t worked out, and they won’t
come quickly. We’ve made an agreement
with the Government of Iceland to main-
tain our presence here for several years
and then talk again. So I think the draw-
down will be gradually phased in. It
shouldn’t really abrupt or sudden, at least
as far as the people here on the island are
concerned.
Q: How will the drawdown of the fighter
presence here in Iceland affect the overall
Air Force levels here at Keflavik, if at all?
•f
t. Gen. Stephen B. Croker, commander of the 8th Air Force, presents the new commander
the 35th Wing, Col. Richard B. Cross Jr., the 35th Wing’s flag as Col. Branford J.
'cAllister, the former 35th commander, looks on. The change of command ceremony
took place last Wednesday at Hangar 830. (Photo by J02(AW) B. Natalie Dias)
On Wednesday, July 27, Staff Sgt. John R
Tway of NBS interviewed Lt. Gen. Stephen
B. Croker, commander of the 8th Air Force.
During the interview, the general discussed a
number of topics of interest to people at NAS
Keflavik.
Q: What’s the purpose of your visit?
A: As the commander I like to get around
as often as I can and visit with the folks to
find out what’s going on. It’s pretty hard
to sit behind a desk and get a clue to what
people are thinking about, what their prob-
lems are and how you can help them. A
visit like this is important to keep in touch.
Q: You’ve been here a couple of days
now. What’s your impression of the men
and women of the 35th Wing?
A: The professionalism of the people in
I the 35th is wonderful; I’ve seen all kinds of
■lique things here. For example, the secu-
Wty police squadron is working on some
special training so they don’t have to
inspect to guarantee quality any more.
This is the only place in the whole Air
Force where this is being done; they sort of
lead the fleet for that. The 35th Wing also
has the best rescue squadron in the whole
Air Force and a world-class fighter
squadron, too. It’s pretty hard not to come
away impressed. You’ve also got the only
step promotion in the 8th Air Force. Brian
Armstrong was just promoted from staff
sergeant to technical sergeant, not just on
the basis of his own skills but for the team-
work within the post office, which he runs.
I think everybody here in the 35th Wing
can be proud of Brian’s step promotion,
too.
Q: How does the 35th Wing fit into the
overall mission of the 8th Air Force?
A: 8th Air Force is the air component to
the U.S. Atlantic Command (USACOM).
In addition to the bases in the middle of
the country, I also have Lajes and Keflavik
because they’re in USACOM’s area of
operations. Keflavik is the forward air
defense point to watch the former Soviet
Union’s activity north of Norway, as well as
the sea lanes and air lanes down through
here. Keflavik also handles rescues in the
north Atlantic. The 35th Wing provide
those two unique parts to the 8th Air
Q: As the DoD drawdown nears its com-
pletion, can Air Force members expect to
see an upswing in promotions?
A: Well, the question on promotions is a
little cloudy, but I think you’ll see them
continue at the same rate they have for the
last couple of years. For the foreseeable
future, I think you’ll see good promotion
rates in the future, unless there is contin-
ued pressure to draw down the size of the
defense department beyond where we
think we’re going to level off. I think the
Air Force will remain a good place to
work.
Q: Is there anything else you would like
to discuss?
A: There are lots of rumors flying around,
all of which are incomplete. I’m reminded
of the childhood nursery rhyme about
Chicken Little, who convinced herself and
Goosey Loosey and Foxy Loxey that the
sky was falling. What I’m pleased about
most is the people in Iceland are focused
on the mission, paying attention to operat-
ing safely and doing the right kind of
things in the quality environment. Chicken
Little and her friends don’t really have
much of a chance because it’s clear that
the sky isn’t falling here and people are
doing very well.
August 5,1994
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