‘Now is the time’ Published Sept. 5, 2014 By Jenny Gordon Robins Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Ongoing budget challenges, resiliency and force management were the topics of discussion during an Aug. 27 All Call conducted by Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger, Air Force Materiel Command commander. "If you were to ask me the question as a senior leader what I think is our biggest challenge - it's our budget - the reduced resources that we're living with today and have been for several years," she said. "Our financial status in this country is a national security crisis." She shared thoughts on long-term strategic planning and discussions she took part in, and how the current environment led to tough decision-making such as with last summer's sequestration across the Department of Defense. AFMC in particular took a hard hit as the command includes a 75 percent civilian population, she said. Discussion also focused on ensuring there exists a culture of resilience and respect in the workplace. "That means we're looking after each other, that we're good wingmen and we know what's going on in each other's lives,' said Chief Master Sgt. Mike Warner, AFMC command chief. Wolfenbarger encouraged Airmen to continue to offer up good ideas as part of the Airmen Powered by Innovation, a program to encourage the submission of innovative ideas. "The aperture is wide open, more than I've seen in my 34 years of service. For people to bring their good ideas to the table, there's an appetite to bring those forward," she said. "You are responsible for our mission execution - now is the time." "I also credit this environment for allowing us to do something that after two years now in operation has proven itself," said Wolfenbarger, referring to the 2012 stand-up of the Air Force Sustainment Center. Warner touched briefly on force management actions and personnel programs, discussing VERA/VSIP, Headquarters AFMC staff reductions, military reduction in force boards and others. When joining the service during the 1980s, he said the Air Force was at 660,000 members; at the beginning of this fiscal year, it was 330,000. The goal is to reduce to about 310,000. Wolfenbarger thanked the Robins workforce for its support for the mission, saying it was important to be able to visit bases throughout the year and share information. "I'm excited about the progress we've made," she said, citing AFMC's current five-center organizational construct. "I think we're just at the forefront of realizing how much we can accomplish." The two-day visit included stops in the 402nd Aircraft Maintenance Group, 402nd Commodities Maintenance Group, 402nd Software Maintenance Group and the C2ISR Division, and a luncheon with community representatives.