Luncheon Guest Speaker Addresses Past and Future of Air Force Wings

In August, Col. Kristen D. Thompson, USAF, commander, 55th Wing, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, spent time with the chapter discussing the 55th Wing and how they use information. Col. Thompson touched on Offutt's heritage. It was first used as an Army post called Ft. Crook in the late 1890s but was later renamed after Omaha native 1st Lt Jarvis Offutt, who died during World War I. Col. Thompson added that the 55th Wing is the largest wing in Air Combat Command and the second largest wing in the Air Force. The 55th is host to approximately 50 mission partners on Offutt. Col. Thompson elaborated it's important to talk across organizations functionally. As one of Offutt's mission partners, the 16th Air Force focused on improving lines of effort. Understanding the adversary is the foundation of information warfare and the 16th Air Force will work toward integrating all of the 55th Wing's elements as they are currently working on common problems.

Col. Thompson talked about the importance of knowing where our platforms fit with the continuum of missions/conflict. She referred to it as a great power competition that we must strive to improve upon. She also touched on the 55th Wing's STEM employment, providing several examples of how STEM is used throughout Offutt on a daily basis. Col. Thompson concluded by stating, "Contributions are valuable even if not STEM. [We] need to leverage/fill the gaps with the expertise of others."

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