Incirlik 101

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Caleb Pierce
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Arriving to a new base can be stressful; getting orientated and settled in can take time. A command program has been put in place called Incirlik 101 here. The program is designed to help lessen the stress and time of getting to know the base, as well as helping senior leaders and key spouses be better able to help their Airmen.

Incirlik 101 is a weeklong program to be able to focus on the mission at Incirlik and learn a lot about the services that are offered as well as team building and being set up for future success.

"This gives us a great opportunity to be in the same room and get to know each other a little bit, but most importantly we learn all the things we need to operate effectively here at Incirlik," said Col. Craig Wills, 39th Air Base Wing commander. "The goal is to invest the time up front to get everybody on the same page, to get our leaders up to speed on important issues and to effectively accelerate the timeline so that we can lead our Airmen in the way they deserve."

Part of the learning process is understanding the mission, the direction the base is going and the priorities that are in place to complete the mission. Another aspect of the program is knowing what supporting agencies are available to Airmen and their families.

"Colonel Wills and the key leaders in the wing have given their vision of where the wing is going, where the wing is, and what the future holds for the wing and what we value," said Chief Master Sgt. Daniel Simpson, 39th Mission Support Group superintendent. "In addition, each one of the supporting agencies are giving a briefing and informing leadership from every echelon, squadron, group and wing, of what they do to support the Airmen, their families and civilians here at Incirlik."

More than 50 attendees were able to get hands-on and visual samples of agencies and functions on base and across the wing through briefings and even tours of facilities.

"It's great to have transparency across the wing so that everybody understands what's available out there, and how they can access those different supporting agencies is crucial to being able to take care of our Airmen and their families as best as we possibly can," said Simpson. "What we are going through this week is a lot about taking care of our Airmen and their families, and that's one of our priorities."

Not only is receiving information from the program important, but relaying and using the information is crucial to the success of the mission.

"If [senior leaders and key spouses] come out of this room and keep all this information to themselves, then we will have failed, but if these leaders take this information back to our Airmen who actually accomplish the mission then we will be months ahead and we will be set up for great success," said Wills. "My hope is not just to get the senior staff together, but that in two weeks, three weeks, three months from now, we'll see this information reflected in the eyes of our Airmen."