Marshaling a superb AFOSI future

  • Published
  • By Linda Card
  • Headquarters Air Force Office of Special Investigations Public Affairs
What do Air Force Office of Special Investigations agents and former agents have in common with our nation's founding forefathers?

Besides sharing esprit de corps, leadership insight and a vision for the organization's future, both groups share leadership charter-making history in America's "most historic square mile" in the historic district of Philadelphia, PA at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel from July 21-25.

Almost 240 years ago, representatives from thirteen disparate colonies met in this same area in Philadelphia to charter a future course through enormous complexities and challenges, ultimately leading to the independence and birth of our United States of America. Eleven years later in this same area, our early country's leadership met during 1787 to establish the cornerstone of our democracy--the United States Constitution.

AFOSI senior leaders spent 4 days at the second AFOSI Worldwide Leadership Conference where they attended command briefings and breakout seminar sessions in order to charter AFOSI's course ahead through its own mission fraught with enormous complexities and challenges--with the same desire to firmly continue AFOSI's reputation for excellence in service of our nation.

Approximately 160 conference attendees focused on command transformation challenges and better solutions for "Work - Life - Balance" issues such as the compensation system, heavy workloads, organizational frustrations, time spent with family, clear direction, fear of punishment, the AFOSI culture and communications. 

"The timing from both a mission and a corporate governance perspective was perfect. This event occurred approximately one year into the largest AFOSI reorganization in over 15 years," said Brig. Gen. Dana Simmons, AFOSI commander.

According to Gen. Simmons, tomorrow's challenges for AFOSI are significant. He told the group of senior leaders that AFOSI faces many new, as well as ongoing warfighting challenges in the future. These challenges include: terrorism, violent extremism and ethnic strife; instability in key regions; rising peer competitors, dangerous regional actors; proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, advanced weapons; rapid technological advances and adaptation; exploding information volume, exchange and access; surging globalization and competition for scarce resources; and dislocating climate, environmental and demographic trends.

And - these aren't all the future challenges AFOSI faces! AFOSI is not only a military warfighting agency, but it is also has a law enforcement mission. This mission presents a multitude of complex challenges for AFOSI to deal with in criminal and fraud areas.

AFOSI investigates a wide variety of serious offenses - espionage, terrorism, crimes against property, violence against people, larceny, computer hacking, acquisition fraud, drug use and distribution, financial misdeeds, military desertion, corruption of the contracting process, and any other illegal activity that undermines the mission of the Air Force or the Department of Defense. Because of the importance of this mission, this is why AFOSI units are located at most Air Force bases worldwide.

Economic and environmental crimes can have an adverse impact on mission readiness, quality of life, and modernization. The emphasis of AFOSI's fraud mission is to defeat and deter acquisition and base level fraud activities. Accordingly, focus on fraud resources supports command priorities such as investigations in support of priority weapons systems; product substitution to include defective aircraft parts; public corruption; bid rigging, antitrust, false claims/statements; environmental crimes; cost mischarging; defective pricing, pay and allowance, Morale/Welfare/Recreation, and Army/Air Force Exchange Service. Continued efforts and AFOSI support to ensure these essential mission priorities are met make our criminal/fraud mission truly important to the Air Force and Department of Defense.

"To succeed, we must redefine air power for the 21st Century. This means transforming organizations; adopting new concepts of operations; exploiting breakthrough technologies; recapitalizing inventories battered by years of constant combat," said Gen. Simmons.

Gen. Simmons also reminded the group of Air Force leaders that transformation is a process...a cultural change for all Airmen. He said that he's always looking for ideas on making the organization more efficient and more effective in meeting new missions and exploiting new technology.

To celebrate the command's 60th Anniversary, headquarters also organized and hosted AFOSI's 60th Anniversary Gala Dinner at the conclusion of the conference on the evening of July 24 at the hotel.

AFOSI members, spouses, retired agents and other honored guests at the black tie event were treated to a banquet-style country buffet, a very entertaining historical AFOSI slide presentation, followed by a Celtic musical performance from the United States Air Force Regional Band ensemble known as "Celtic Aire" from Langley Air Force Base, Va. Special guests included four former AFOSI commanders: Brigadier Generals Beyea, Dillon, Taylor and Patterson. Several former command chiefs also attended the gala: Command Chief Master Sergeants McCormick, Gordon, Bivens, Priest and Carter.

During the formal portion of the evening, command leaders and fallen agent family members participated in a very, special tribute to all AFOSI fallen agents dating back to Special Agents Hitchcock and Round during a candle-lighting ceremony.

Mr. William A. Davidson, Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, and former AFOIS agent, was the guest speaker for the evening. Speaking without notes, but with his heart, Mr. Davidson was truly awed by AFOSI's 60th Anniversary celebration and the historical slide presentation.

"If our next generation of AFOSI leaders is even half as inspiring as you and your former members have been, then you will have honored their legacy as AFOSI moves into the future. I am awed and truly humbled by their selfless spirit and many accomplishments during the command's brief history," concluded Mr. Davidson.