Supt.'s Call: Lt. Gen. Johnson chats with cadets

  • Published
  • By Ray Bowden
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  The Academy's top officer spoke to junior and senior cadets about the importance of commitment, trust and improvement, Jan. 6 in Arnold Hall.

Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson, the Academy's superintendent, also discussed the unexpected career paths cadets can expect when they become officers.

"You'll do things you never thought that you would do, that you could do, just like you've believed about being here for the last four years," she said.

The general cited her own Air Force career as an example. She graduated from the Academy in 1981 with bachelors in operations research. After beginning her career as a pilot, she found herself teaching political science at the Academy; a presidential aide; the personnel director of Air Mobility Command; the director of the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs Office; and in other capacities she originally thought had nothing to do with her academic major, she said.

"Look at all the possibilities the Air Force will give you," Johnson said to the cadets. "You're going to learn more and you'll always be in the process of upgrading. Everything you do is important to what the Air Force does."

Johnson said a successful Air Force career hinges on commitment, mutual trust, respect and continuous improvement.

"What are you committed to and what are you trying to measure yourself by?" she said. "This really hits home later during your career. Are you committed to the Air Force core values? Are you committed to each other? Are you committed to the graduates who have gone before you?"

The general said a commitment to do the right thing can affect officers at all levels.

"Whenever you assume command, it's not as if you're starting over with a blank slate," she said. "You will inherit anything that's been festering. If something goes wrong, you have to know what to do and this relies on your personal commitment to the right thing for your country, the Air Force and the Airmen you will lead. You'll have your own slots [as officers], but you will share a foundation with other graduates."

Johnson also said an Airman's lack of commitment to do the right thing could result in the secretary of the Air Force or the Air Force chief of staff testifying in front of Congress.

"Can I trust you and can you trust me?" she said. "That's what it's about for every Airman."

When it comes to mutual trust and respect, every Airmen needs to have an "in the door mentality," the general said.

"An 'in the door mentality' is when you're about to parachute out of a perfectly good plane or are part of our Soaring Program," she said. "Do you truly trust the person who packed your parachute? If you're a Soaring Program instructor, do you trust the cadet you've just handed over the controls to? Do they trust you? Whatever you experience as leaders, you don't go alone. You stand on others' shoulders. Are you ready for that level of trust?"

An officer's dedication to continuous improvement is essential to their career, the installation they lead and the Academy, Johnson said.

Some local improvements the general, her subordinate commanders and department heads are dedicated to are continued renovations on Arnold Hall, Falcon stadium, McDermott Library and Planetarium; the consolidation of the Academy's computer internet services, the widening of its network bandwidth, and improvements to the cadet area's Wi-Fi system; and the completion of Polaris Hall.

Johnson said less-tangible improvements, such as continuing to build relationships with tech-transfer industry and her hopes to establish an Academy ROTC exchange program are equally important.

"Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Colorado Springs mayor John Suthers have visited the Academy to learn more about Academy research," she said. "They're very interested in the advances of our Research Office here."

On the proposed ROTC exchange, the general said the challenges of attending a civilian university could benefit cadets.

"We're all united as Airmen regardless of where we received our commissions," she said. "I want people to see us as the Air Force's Academy and see if we can go to a college campus and excel there."

The general said the senior cadets are academically, mentally and physically prepared to become officers and Air Force leaders.

"You will join me as a graduate of this institution," she said to the senior cadets. "In these next 148 days [until graduation], we can make you even more ready."

Visit www.usafa.af.mil/information/biographies/bio.asp?id=17174 for more information.