An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Air National Guard Readiness Center staff visits AFNORTH staff

  • Published
  • By Mary McHale
  • AFNORTH Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  A commitment to more interagency communication and collaboration resulted from a two-day staff-to-staff working group between Air Forces Northern leadership and the leadership staff from the Air National Guard Readiness Center 2-3 September.

Lt. Gen. William Etter, Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region - 1st Air Force (Air Forces Northern) commander, gave a mission briefing and told the audience it was a great opportunity for frank discussions leading to more effective interoperability.

"To be most effective, we need to know what each other does in our respective areas of responsibility," he said. "This is especially the case when it comes to our defense support to civil authorities mission."

Brig. Gen. Michael Taheri, ANGRC commander, said the breadth of experience and diversity throughout the group also represented opportunity when it came to mission accomplishment. He brought up the example of aircrews using tablet computers in the C-130s that fight wildfires when called upon.

"From an operational standpoint, the idea to use these tablets in the cockpit is huge, giving crewmembers a much broader perspective and situational awareness, greatly enhancing mission accomplishment," Taheri told the audience. "Great ideas emerge when people come together."

The event itself offered both group meeting time and one-on-one time with respective directorates. Topics across the board included force management, interagency processes and the way ahead.

"I really enjoyed the experience," said Scott Baker, AFNORTH deputy ground safety officer. "I found our meeting time productive and know it will certainly enhance our future interactions."