SEAC conveys joint priorities to Icemen

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Zachary Perras
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Members of the Iceman Team were reminded of what it means to take up the profession of arms when the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, Jan. 30.

During an all-call at the base theater here, Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan Battaglia took the time to share his thoughts with Airmen of the 354th Fighter Wing on the importance of being an integral part of the larger joint force family, regardless of which service one falls in to.

One key component to this oneness is the Oath of Enlistment, Battaglia said, which is common across all services. It is an important tool for all service members that should be taken seriously and serve as a reminder to renew one's commitment to the profession of arms. This vision is part of the CJCS's key themes for the joint force.

"I'm so passionate about the Oath of Enlistment that I think every enlisted service member in the entire military should know the enlistment oath by heart," the SEAC said.

We have to remember why we are committed to this profession and serving our nation knowing the consequences on the other end, Battaglia explained.

"That's really why you joined, and why I joined," he said. "It was to defend the nation, and there's no higher level of defending your nation than possibly going into kinetic operations."

Renewing our commitment also involves keeping faith with the military family on all levels, another of the CJCS's priorities, Battaglia continued.

"When you are assigned to a mission or deployed away from home and separated from your family, you need to be assured by the confidence that you have in your military leadership that your family will be taken care of," he said. "This country is too mature not to take care of [its people] ... because that's the way we are as Americans. I have that faith and that's the kind of faith that we want you to have."

This vision, along with a plan to develop Joint Force 2020 - the idea of achieving a leaner, meaner force by the year 2020 - underlies the top priority of the CJCS: to achieve national objectives in current conflicts.

Battaglia said "current conflict" should not necessarily mean at this very moment in time. The U.S. will always have a current conflict, and because of that we should always be prepared to act. The statement should be looked at with a more nonlinear point of view to keep the future in mind, he explained.

For the SEAC, this vision means complete dedication to leading others.

"This is leadership by example, and if I expect the force to be ready then I have to be ready - to be anything otherwise would be hypocritical of me," he said. "It's important for me as the senior NCO of the armed forces to remain in that posture. I can't find myself preaching something about readiness if I myself am not prepared to perform any missions that may be assigned to me."