The Air Force Materiel Command held its annual Agile Patriot conference July 9-11, at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, preparing junior uniformed and civilian Airmen to meet today’s challenges.
The event focused on reoptimization for Great Power Competition and the importance of care of mission, self and others.
Gen. Duke Z. Richardson, AFMC Commander, provided opening remarks and addressed a variety of topics including collaboration, his leadership philosophy and tips that helped him become the leader he is today.
“I greatly value the three components that make up AFMC: the uniformed Airmen, civilian Airmen and our contractor support,” Richardson said. “We’re working together in a way that I’ve never seen before to come up with something that’s going to win. We need you to continue working together and executing mission successes for that to happen.”
Richardson shared his thoughts on being a successful leader and offered tips to help Airmen navigate their Air Force journeys.
“I encourage you to start journaling if you don’t already do so,” Richardson said. “Start now, and don’t make it complicated. Write down things that stick with you: ideas, thoughts, quotes, leadership ideas or stories of something that did or didn’t work. Just start writing them down, because in 10 or 15 years, you’ll be up here briefing on how to become a successful leader.”
Day one included presentations on the National Defense Strategy, a world threat overview and challenging leadership scenarios.
“Agile Patriot is a game-changer,” remarked Capt. Sarah Collins, a program participant from the Air Force Research Laboratory. “It immerses us in leadership scenarios that feel incredibly real, allowing us to practice our skills in a way that traditional classroom settings simply can’t match.”
Day two of the event focused on resilience and talking care of oneself and the team.
Lorna Estep, AFMC executive director, offered her senior leader perspective and spoke about the importance of mentoring.
“Mentoring isn’t just about helping people go the next step or get the next opportunity,” Estep said. “It’s about talking about the realism of what’s right. It’s also important to talk about weaknesses we can all work on to become a better, more well-rounded leaders.”
The final day included leadership perspectives from various individuals across the AFMC enterprise and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Chief Master Sgt. James E. Fitch II, AFMC command chief master sergeant, described leadership as a journey between peaks, plateaus, and valleys.
“You’re going to experience highs, lows, and everything in between,” Fitch said. “When you are in the valley, don’t stay there too long. You must have something that helps you escape that valley. You are all hard-charging Airmen, and as you push along and climb whatever your Mount Everest in life is, it’s not okay to die on that hill. Sometimes, you just have to settle for Kilimanjaro instead.”
The event concluded with a keynote speech from retired Chief Master Sgt. Ramón “CZ” Colón-López, former Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where he highlighted how sustained hard work and commitment can be rewarding and open doors for future opportunities.
“Eventually, we start realizing that when you put in hard work, there’s going to be some kind of reward,” Colón-López said. “It’s not going to be immediate, but that’s really when you start believing in the things that you need to do. That’s the commitment. The lightbulb moment for me was when I saw a pair of young Airmen coming to me for advice. I realized that my commitment was to help grow the future.”
As the Air Force continues to evolve in response to emerging threats and technological advancements, Agile Patriot fortifies AFMC’s proactive approach to training and development. By investing in programs like Agile Patriot, AFMC enhances operational readiness and reinforces its focus on building the Air Force leaders of the future.
