Caring for family - A continued Air Force tradition

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  The Year of the Air Force Family continues with a series of focus groups which were held on base as part of the 2010 Caring for People Study Feb. 15 to 19.

"The 2010 Caring for People Study provides Air Force leaders with a comprehensive look at Airmen and their family's quality of life," said Capt. Kyle Moe, Headquarters Air Force Services future operations deputy chief.

The team had eight focus groups consisting of five active duty and three civilian areas of focus. The five active duty areas included: single Airmen (male and female), married enlisted (junior and senior) and officers. The three civilian areas included: spouses of Airmen, retirees and civilians.

The study will visit eight bases selected due to their size, mission, location and many other key factors. The eight bases selected are: Eielson AFB, Alaska; Hanscom AFB, Mass.; Aviano Air Base, Italy; Minot AFB; Misawa AB, Japan; Royal Air Force Alconbury, U.K.; Minneapolis Air Reserve Station, Minn.; and
Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.

"Minot is the fourth of eight bases to participate in the Caring for People focus groups," Captain Moe said. "The researchers at CFI Group [the company the Air Force contracted to complete the study] aimed to measure Airmen at a wide-variety of locations across the Air Force to capture the unique quality of life differences at different locations. Minot AFB was identified due to its remote location, relatively large base size and its mission."

Minot is the only base in Air Force Global Strike Command participating in the focus group portion of the study this year.

"This study will look at all major areas that contribute to Airmen and family quality of life to include housing, medical care, job satisfaction and other key quality of life areas," said the captain.

The importance of studies such as this one is seen by the commitment of Air Force senior leadership as they dedicated a whole year to the Airman and his/her family. The year officially began April 2, 2009.

"We will devote this year to identifying what we are doing right, and what we need to do better to support the entire Air Force family and to rekindle the sense of community that has been our tradition for so many generations," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz.

According to Captain Moe, the focus groups will provide invaluable information for senior leaders at Air Staff to determine the "perceptions and priorities" of the entire AF family and allow the CFI Group researchers to properly shape the survey scheduled for Spring 2010.

The survey, which has become an annual task for AF members, informs AF senior leadership what bases are most in need of quality-of-life amenities and facilities. For instance, last year's survey found Minot had "fallen behind the power curve" with some of the worst dormitories in the Air Force. Information attained from the survey put Minot on top of the list for construction of new dormitories.

"One of our key 'Year of the Air Force Family' points is: 'The Air Force is a great place to work, live and play. Our focus is to make it even better,'" Captain Moe said. "Completing this survey gives Minot members and AF members worldwide the chance to directly communicate the quality-of-life needs of Airmen and their families."

During the first official forum for the Year of the Air Force Family April 1, 2009, Lt. Gen. Richard Y. Newton III, Headquarters Air Force manpower, personnel and services deputy chief of staff, touched on the importance of family and quality of life for today's Air Force.

"It's vitally important to take care of our family members because they take care of us," said General Newton. "This is not a passing fancy of ours; this will be the year of the family. It's about taking care of our families because they are absolutely vital to our Air Force and our nation."