PACAF command chief

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Hedrick
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Command Chief Master Sgt. Brooke McLean, Command Chief Master Sergeant for the Pacific Air Forces, met with some of Columbus Air Force Base's enlisted force to share lunch and his views on matters affecting his major command.

Chief McLean ate pizza with the other Airmen and discussed some of the exotic bases in PACAF, as well his views on topics affecting the Air Force as a whole.

Air Force bases in South Korea, Japan, and Alaska were discussed. Topics about the bases ranging from living conditions to possible improvements were talked about during the lunch.

"In many places it's exotic, Guam, Japan, South Korea, places people wait their entire lives to go to," Chief McLean said.

Chief McLean then moved on to more serious topics such as suicide. Chief McLean said that there have been 32 suicides so far this year, compared to a total of 23 last year.

"It's something we have to talk about and put thought into," Chief McLean said. "We're going to continue to talk about it and let people know the resources are there."

PACAF was one of the test beds for the new fitness test, so Chief McLean is experienced with the new standards. He said the new testing standards are a good thing, but that he doesn't want people to miss the point of being a fit fighting force and get overly legalistic on pushups and sit-ups.

Chief McLean also discussed his views on social media sites. He said they are a very useful tool, but to exercise caution. Not letting them become a distraction from the mission, not compromising the platform, and using them effectively for communication were the main subjects of the topic.

Chief McLean also gave some advice to new NCOs. He said his suggestion came from something he learned as an NCO when an Airman asked him what she had to do to improve her Enlisted Performance Report to a 5. He suggested NCOs provide specific expectations of those under them, and make sure those expectations are communicated effectively to the individual.