Flexibility is key to airpower, Joint Basing Published Dec. 1, 2008 By Lt. Col. Mark Pollard 305th Air Mobility Wing judge advocate McGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. -- I recently attended a judge advocate general conference with the theme "New Horizons" in recognition of the many changes the Judge Advocate General Corps has gone through in the recent past and the challenges it faces in the coming years. As I listened to the speakers, I was struck by the parallels between the issues facing the Judge Advocate General Corps and those facing us at McGuire Air Force Base as we confront the challenges of joint basing. One speaker in particular pointed out the incredibly fast rate of change we face today, particularly in the military, political and technology arenas. Of course adapting to change is nothing new for military professionals. The value of being adaptable was first recognized by Sun Tzu in "Art of War" when he argued that "flexibility is the operative principle in the art of war." Subsequent military leaders have recognized the same principle by noting, only partially tongue in cheek, that no plan survives the first contact with the enemy. In the Air Force, it is not just the fog of war that requires flexibility. We, more than any other service, have always been driven by changes in technology and tactics due to the high-tech and high-speed nature of our capabilities. This environment has made adaptability a watch word among Air Force leaders who coined the all-time favorite Air Force motto, "flexibility is the key to airpower." The Air Force's culture both values and embraces change and this progressive approach will be critical as the rate of change accelerates. Nowhere is an adaptive mindset more necessary than at McGuire AFB during our transformation to the first joint base and the only tri-service joint base in the Department of Defense. Although we are part of an organization that works hard to embrace change, significant change is never trouble-free. Any kind of change adds stress to an organization and particularly to the workforce. It forces us to work outside our comfort zones in new ways while in an unfamiliar environment. This is not necessarily a bad thing. There is a benefit to change, a silver lining behind the cloud, because transformation provides a unique opportunity to improve. For example, here at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst we are partnering with the Army and Navy. These new team members will come from a different military culture, speak a different set of acronyms and have diverse ideas about how things should be done. Our challenge is to remember that the Air Force doesn't have a corner on the market for good ideas. We need to embrace these new team members and their ideas and observations. This is a unique and fleeting opportunity to inject new ideas into our organizations and to get a unique and objective perspective on how best to do our base support mission across three previously separate installations. While the Air Force has always prided itself on the quality of its installation support, we can't let parochialism close our minds to this remarkable opportunity to take advantage of the infusion of fresh ideas. No one said joint basing would be easy. The changes and uncertainty will be a challenge for us all -- civilian and military; active duty, Reserve, and Guard; Air Force, Army, and Navy. But if we work together and adopt the best practices from each of the installations, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst will be a shining example to the rest of DoD. It just takes a little flexibility.