Joint base CGOs visit nations capitol

Published Dec. 8, 2010
By Capt. David Gaulin
6th Airlift Squadron

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Twenty-three company grade officers from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst participated in a civil-military relations staff ride in Washington, D.C., from Dec. 1 through 4. Organized by the Company Grade Officers Council, the trip was led by Col. Stuart Archer, 305th Air Mobility Wing vice commander and CGOC advisor.

The purpose of the trip was to expose CGOs to civilian government and policy institutions that interact with the Air Force and the Department of Defense. This included the Pentagon and Capitol Hill, where participants attended briefings with two Military Legislative Assistants, a House Armed Services Committee Staff member, and Congressman Christopher Smith of New Jersey.

"This visit certainly furthered their professional development, especially in the context of informing them about our service, the government and civil-military relations," Archer said. "The opportunity to meet Congressman Smith and key staffers of the House Armed Services Committee is something very few of their counterparts will ever get to do at this stage in their professional careers. The visits to the Department of State and the (CSIS) think tank were tremendous opportunities even more senior Air Force officers aren't accustomed to."

In addition to gaining the DoD and legislative perspective, the trip also included a stop at the United States Department of State, where Brig. Gen. Thomas Masiello, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Plans, Programs and Operations in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, explained the growing relationship between military and diplomatic efforts in peacetime and contingency operations.

Representatives from the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance briefed the group on USAID's mission and provided lessons learned and best practices from recent civil-military disaster relief operations. A panel discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a policy "think tank," allowed the CGOs to share their recent deployment experience with senior scholars in the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project at CSIS.

While the staff ride focused on institutions and organizations, it was also an opportunity to show where Airmen are making a difference serving throughout Washington.

"This trip truly opened my eyes to the opportunities available to officers in the Air Force," said 1st Lt. April Widman, 305th Maintenance Group maintenance officer. "It demonstrated the many ways Air Force officers are impacting day-to-day operations in our nation's government."

The trip allowed some CGOs an opportunity to learn about the staff and available networking opportunities.

"I was excited to learn about the Air Force staff and fellowship opportunities that are available within the State Department and various "think tanks" in the D.C. area," said Capt. Domenic Cardella, Deputy Chief of the Joint Base Command Post.

The visit was concluded with a mission briefing and familiarization flight with the 1st Helicopter Squadron at Joint Base Andrews, Md. Capt. Amy Brown, 87th Dental Squadron dentist, was very impressed.

"The helicopter ride was an incredible experience and a privilege to be able to see our great nation's capitol from a vantage point that few others can boast," she said.

When the trip was completed, Archer expressed his satisfaction with the direction the JB MDL CGOs are headed.

"I've been extremely impressed with how the current group of CGOs have consistently embraced professional development initiatives within the CGOC," said Archer. "Overall, this was a great initiative by our junior officers to further their understanding of some very complex relationships between political policy makers and the military."

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