7th AF command chiefs sound off on culture change, impact on readiness Published July 15, 2014 By 7th Air Force Public Affairs OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- When the 7th Air Force commander, Lt. Gen. Jan-Marc Jouas, implemented General Order 1A for the weekend June 26, his concern was how the drinking culture was affecting the readiness of Airmen on the Korean peninsula. Following the dry weekend, the Crimson Sky reached out to the 7th AF, 51st Fighter Wing and 8th Fighter Wing command chiefs thoughts on changing the culture to positively impact readiness in 7th Air Force. Command Chief Master Sgt. Shelina Frey 7th Air Force CRIMSON SKY - You were in the audience when Lt. Gen. Jouas had his commander's call June 20 and he talked about alcohol abuse and the decision to enact General Order 1A for the weekend. What did you think of his remarks, and how do you feel the Airmen in the room took it? CHIEF FREY - I think his remarks were spot. He cares about the welfare and well-being of Airmen, and it's tough as a commander to sit back and read blotter after blotter of near-death experiences from our young Airmen. You can't spend a lot of time wondering what our Airmen are going to think. You have to go out there and deliver the message that saves people from themselves and force the leadership to stop and think clearly about what's happening in our Air force, what our Airmen are doing and how we get after this thing called "lack of readiness." A lot of thought from General Jouas went into crafting a policy that would impact everybody, and it was not about punishment. It was about taking a knee and talking about our game plan and asking ourselves if we are meeting our mission capabilities 24-7. Because that's what we say. That's what our vision is, but are we really doing that? As I looked around the room, you could see that some in the audience were like "YES!" Because they're tired of dealing with it too. Every weekend we're having to stop and deal with things downtown that have nothing to do with the mission. There were some who went "oh, man, here they go again, one person makes a mistake and now everybody gets punished." You can tell the people that thought this was the right thing to do and those who were slouched in their seats wondering how things were going to play out, not "how do I help us achieve the goal" the general is after, which is taking care of Airmen and being prepared to fight tonight. CRIMSON SKY - You only recently joined 7th Air Force, so you can still look at the command as an outsider looking in. How do you view the alcohol issue here in Korea? CHIEF FREY - As an outsider looking in, it concerns me that in the 20+ years between the first time I was here and now, we are still battling the same issue with our Airmen and that is being in a state of readiness 24-7. So we're still having the same discipline problems even though things have changed here. This is not the same Korea that it was for me in 1992, but the discipline is still the same and that's disheartening for me. While spending two years in the AOR, I got to see both sides of the alcohol issue. GO1 in Afghanistan is different from GO1 in Al Udeid and Al Dhafra. At Al Udeid and Al Dhafra you're limited to a maximum of three drinks per day. Afghanistan it was zero, and we understood why it was necessary. When you're in Afghanistan there are things tossed at you, mortars and rockets. We carry M-9s and M-16s, you're fully geared up. There's a warning that there's incoming, and you plant your face in the ground. Those are things you go through. That doesn't happen as much in Al Udeid and Al Dhafra, however what we had there was an ATO that happened 24-7. But it was the dignified transfers that brought it home for us at those locations that we were at war. That's what we were there for. Here, it's not the threat of things being tossed at us, but this is scary for me, because we don't know when we'll be called to fight tonight. It could be any day, at any time, in a manner of minutes. In the AFCENT AOR you saw it every day and so you were prepared every day. Here there's nothing that the Airmen can hear or see or do that says "this could happen any minute. We have to be prepared." CRIMSON SKY - You just came from Al Udeid AB where there are significant restrictions on alcohol. Do you see restrictions like those as a possible answer to the dangers General Jouas described? CHIEF FREY - No. And the difference is this: At Al Udeid, the alcohol, for the most part, came from the base so we could at least regulate it. Alcohol downtown was much like alcohol in the U.S. It's regulated, you know the percentages you're getting and it's not everywhere. Here, soju isn't a regulated alcohol. You never know what level of alcohol you're getting when you're drinking soju, it's right outside the gate, and it's a cultural thing. There's nothing wrong with that, but there's not that filter that says okay, you've reached your limit. Can we do that here? I don't think so. We're too close to it. We live with it every single day. It's right outside of our gates. And I don't think that we should. I don't think that we have to. This is not an AFCENT AOR where we're carrying weapons 24-7. This is not an AOR where the ATO is so incredible that the mission is fast paced. This is not like that. So I don't think there is a need for a drinking order. I think that we have to instill the level of leadership that helps our Airmen understand their role in this mission and that it takes all of us to fight tonight. To fly fight and win it takes every Airmen on the peninsula. Not 80 percent of our Airmen, not 90 percent of our Airmen. It takes 100 percent of our Airmen to be ready to fly, fight and win. CRIMSON SKY - The stand-down and dry weekend was reported on in Stars and Stripes. While the story itself was balanced, the reader comments were overwhelmingly negative with many believing the stand-down and dry weekend were useless gestures that amounted to collective punishment. If those commenters were in your office right now, what would you tell them? CHIEF FREY - My first question would be, "how many Airmen does it take to fly, fight and win?" There's no doubt, because I asked the Airmen of the 607th AOC. They said, "Chief, it takes 100 percent of us. It takes all of us." And then I said, "What happens on a Saturday night at 2 in the morning, how ready are we?" And they all looked at each other and none of them could say "we're 100 percent ready." I am not saying that drinking alcohol is bad. It's not. I'm saying being intoxicated to the level where you can't function at your job or mission is not professional. And you are a professional Airman 24-7. When you wear the cloth that says "United States Air Force," then readiness is 24-7. There is no off-duty. You are always on duty. You are always a professional Airman. So what we're asking is that you maintain that professionalism. Is that asking too much? You have core values that say integrity, service and excellence. And when you can't perform your duty, there goes integrity, there goes service before self and that is absolutely not excellence. And so we've got to remind you, then, of the oath you took. You said "I do solemnly swear to support and defend..." And that means being ready 24-7. What happened with the dry weekend was not punishment. It was an opportunity for us to reflect on who we are as a United States Air Force, as an Airman and what that looks like and what that means. CRIMSON SKY - As part of the stand-down, units were broken up into focus groups to discuss ways to change the drinking culture. One of the proposed solutions at a few of these groups was a phase card system like the ones used in tech schools. Do you think we've gotten to that point? CHIEF FREY - I don't. I think we have to be careful how we go forward because it may not be going forward. It may, in essence, be going backwards. And you may then hinder the dignity of our Airmen as adults and we don't want to do that. We are not a tech school here. We are a professional force called the United States Air Force and so we have to treat people with respect. It goes back to accountability. Hold Airmen accountable for being Airmen. Hold NCOs accountable for being NCOs. Hold senior NCOs accountable for being senior NCOs and take that all the way up to commanders. We have to hold them accountable for the rank and responsibility they hold. And I believe this all begins and ends with leadership. There's a saying, and I forget where I got it from, that says "the things that we tolerate are the very things our Airmen will embrace." So this is more than just drinking too much, this is about a behavior that begins long before our Airmen go downtown that we're not addressing. This also has a lot to do with a behavior that Airmen bring back once they've been downtown and done these things and how are we handling that? And how are we holding them accountable for their actions. Command Chief Master Sgt. Terrence Greene 51st Fighter Wing CRIMSON SKY - With the Songtan Entertainment District within walking distance of the base, Osan Airmen have no trouble finding alcohol when they want it. What challenges does Osan face that Kunsan doesn't when it comes to alcohol? CHIEF GREENE - I believe that when it comes to alcohol both Osan and Kunsan Airmen have easy access. What the SED adds at Osan is a much larger amount of unmonitored late-night activity for our service members with a certain level of lawlessness. Bar Owners are driven by profit and have no concern for our warfighting readiness even though it's for the defense of Korea. With 128 bars in a confined area it can become a feeding frenzy where a small number of warriors are unwilling to resist the temptation of consuming large amounts of alcohol. CRIMSON SKY - General Jouas enacted General Order 1A for a weekend last month hoping to get Airmen's attention. From what you see and hear on Osan, did it work? How do you define success? CHIEF GREENE - I am extremely proud of the strong and decisive leadership by Lt. Gen. Jouas with the GO-1A, which did get everyone's attention and reinforce his concern for our readiness and safety. I got queries from friends around the world wanting to know about the GO-1A, so yes I do believe it was a successful attention getting step. I was also proud of the commercial services who were true partners and voluntarily suspended alcohol sales on Osan AB to help refocus our service members on readiness. CRIMSON SKY - Osan had 173 incidents in 2013. The next closest base was Kadena with 102. Does that number and the immense lead Osan had on Kadena shock you? What do those numbers represent? CHIEF GREENE - This does not shock me since Osan has two times the military population as Kadena and a very aggressive Town Patrol Team. I think the important thing for measuring Alcohol Related Incidents is to assess the impact of continuing efforts to change the culture of overindulgence and bolstering our combat readiness. CRIMSON SKY - For every Airman that overindulges and causes an incident, hundreds drink responsibly and know their limits. What would you say to them? CHIEF GREENE - For the ones who drink responsibly I say it's not enough to look the other way, the actions of those that overindulge impact the readiness of our entire Team and threatens to fracture the alliance with our gracious Korean hosts. Article 134 of the UCMJ clearly identifies Public Drunkenness as counterproductive to good order and discipline. We need everyone, including family members, to be a part of the solution in curbing the abuse of alcohol. I challenge everyone to Program the Law Enforcement number in their phone (0505 784 5515) and call if you see any service member brining discredit to our formation. CRIMSON SKY - As part of the stand-down, Airmen had group discussions about the drinking culture and what could be done to reduce its effect on the mission. What have you heard from those groups and did anything from them surprise you in a positive or negative way? CHIEF GREENE - I was surprised by the positive response from the vast majority of military and civilian personnel. I was also equally surprised that most negative comments and complaints that I heard of came from the senior ranking NCOs and some officers. I believe that Team Osan and quite honestly most military personnel in Korea understand that it's time for us to change OUR legacy perception of what an assignment to Korea holds. It's time we as U.S. military catch up to the changed Korean landscape and let go of those out-of-date beliefs from years ago. We will need continued bold leadership and strong policies at all levels to reinforce these changes as we turn the tide. Command Chief Master Sgt. Lee Barr 8th Fighter Wing CRIMSON SKY - How would you characterize the alcohol issue on Kunsan AB/Kunsan community? CHIEF BARR - The legal age to consume alcohol is 21. As long as our Airmen abide by the law it doesn't affect our Fight Tonight capabilities. But when of age Airmen drink in excess that also affects our Fight Tonight capability as a wing. Squadrons at Kunsan have Lounges (Hooch) which are tightly controlled by group and squadron leadership as an additive to take care of our Wolf Pack family. CRIMSON SKY - How did the sudden announcement of the dry weekend play at Kunsan? How did Wolf Pack leadership make the case to Airmen that this stand-down was necessary? CHIEF BARR - We focused on our Fight Tonight capability and used examples where excessive use of alcohol by military members could reduce our combat readiness. As the Wolf Pack's Command Chief, I was extremely proud of them. We had zero incidents during the stand down weekend. CRIMSON SKY - The overwhelming majority of Airmen at Kunsan are there unaccompanied for one-year tours, essentially a deployment. Do you think it's time to enact the same rules you see for deployments to the AOR in regards to alcohol? CHIEF BARR - We certainly could do that but I believe our Airmen love what they do and love the mission here at Kunsan. When we as leaders provide expectations and guidance to our Airmen the majority always do the right thing. This isn't about alcohol is more than that--it's about readiness. We'll focus on making responsible choices which enable our Fight Tonight Ethos. CRIMSON SKY - What's next for Kunsan in regards to the drinking culture? What plans does the Wolf Pack have to change that culture? CHIEF BARR - We'll focus on mission readiness and Taking the Fight North and being ready to Fight Tonight. This is so much larger than alcohol, it's anything or choice our Airmen make that reduces our combat capability and readiness. CRIMSON SKY - As someone who has been in the Air Force for a long time, what trends do you see/have you seen when it comes to Airmen and drinking? CHIEF BARR - The Air Force culture is changing. Look at what we've done over the past year concerning creating a healthy environment and getting at the root cause of Sexual Assaults, and treating everyone is dignity and respect. We have women in AFSCs performing exceptionally that used to forbidden. As a previous SF Defender and Command Chief, I've seen a lot of Airmen not make the responsible choice that shortened their Air Force career. CRIMSON SKY - General Jouas has argued that the drinking culture is impacting readiness. As a unit where readiness is key to "take the fight north," does that argument resonate with the Airmen at Kunsan? How do they see it? CHIEF BARR - I agree with General Jouas. Mission readiness and combat capability is why we are all here. When Airmen don't make responsible choices, excessive drinking as the General stated in his 20 June 2014 article impact's our mission and readiness to fight tonight. As far as resonating with our Kunsan Airmen, I know it did--evident by zero incidents.