Lt. Gen. Hoog tours Eielson

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Yash Rojas
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  The newly appointed senior military leader of Alaskan Command and 11th Air Force visited Eielson Air Force Base Nov. 22 and 23 to see the Iceman team first-hand.

Lt. Gen. Stephen Hoog arrived in Alaska just a few weeks prior to his visit here. As commander of ALCOM, he integrates the activities of more than 21,000 active-duty, Guard and Reserve members from all services in Alaska.

"I've come up to Eielson to visit the mission because that's how important it is," said Hoog. "The Iceman team ... I've heard all about the great things they do. The mission and the people are so intertwined you can't talk about one without the other; I need to fully understand the mission sets to give Airmen the tools they need to not only take care of themselves, but the mission at the same time."

As the new commander, Hoog's first order of business was to meet the people who get the mission off the ground.

"First thing a commander has to do is focus on the people," he said. "I can get PowerPoint slides all day long about the mission to understand what it is our Airmen are doing, but a commander has to get out first-hand and see it."

While visiting the facilities scattered throughout the base, he talked to some of those Airmen at their job sites, getting a real feel for what they do and what mission sets they are involved with.

Throughout the course of the commander's stay, he also received several briefings to better understand the different operations Eielson Airmen help make possible. The briefings included an overview of the Wing's primary mission: to prepare, deploy and enable, and others such as Aggressor support concerning RED FLAG-Alaska and the training opportunities the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex offers coalition partners and U.S. forces.

"Although there isn't a RF-A exercise going on today, I want to see that mission set to observe how we train and prepare," said Hoog. "I'm familiar enough with the JPARC now to know what it brings now, but I also know there have been some great efforts here in the last few years to make it even better and more relevant in the future by expanding on certain key aspects of it."

This was not his first visit to the JPARC, having flown a U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon here during an exercise more than five years ago.

"It's expanded and its capability to train not only our Airmen, but our allies' Airmen has greatly increased over the last couple of years," he said.

Today's Air Force focuses on the Airman and furthering his or her development, helping them reach the next level and shaping our future Air Force.

The general emphasized the importance of continuing successful programs such as military tuition assistance, the first-term airman course, mentoring and feedback -- programs that have helped Airmen gain confidence in their Air Force.

He also added his enthusiasm to work closely with regional leadership, including leadership at the base level, to ensure Airmen continue to have access to programs and new opportunities to better themselves.

Overall, Hoog's visit provided an opportunity to see many of the sights and sounds which make up Eielson - its people and its mission.

When asked about his impression of Alaska, he said, "cold weather, but warm people."