The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have created a new “warrior class” of airmen capable of operating outside the wire alongside their counterparts in the ground services, said Lt. Gen. Frank Gorenc, the Air Force’s assistant vice chief of staff. That’s a significant cultural shift from the Cold War days when pilots, navigators, and other combat aviators were regarded by many as typifying that warrior spirit, he said addressing a Military Reporters and Editors conference in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 19. Gorenc said he doesn’t think the new skill set will fade away as the US military shifts its focus from the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific region. “It has been very good for the development of our airmen and they really like it,” he said. “Some of the training changes we’ve made have . . . elevated the pride in our force. It’s going to be advantageous anywhere we engage,” said Gorenc. “We may have shifted [our focus] to the Pacific, but there are other things that are happening in the world that require that warrior ethos,” he added.
Department of the Air Force leadership has distributed videos and instructions for how local commanders can hold their Defense Department-ordered one-day stand down to focus on extremism, with the goal of small group discussions on core values in service. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., speaking…