JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
The principal deputy under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness visited Joint Base Langley-Eustis Airmen and Soldiers July 11 through 13 to better understand how policies and procedures affect service members.
"The purpose of the trip was to get a first-hand look instead of sitting in a room viewing PowerPoint slides, [to] get out, walk around, and get a better understanding of what's happening," Dr. Jo Ann Rooney said.
Rooney is the deputy senior policy adviser to the secretary of defense on recruitment, career development, and pay and benefits for 1.4 million active-duty military members, 1.3 million guardsmen and reservists, and 680,000 Department of Defense civilians. She also oversees military readiness. In this role, her first priority is to ensure personnel and readiness policies appropriately cover issues regarding health affairs, reserve affairs, readiness, military and civilian personnel, military community, family support and wounded warriors.
"By me listening and spending time on this base and other bases in the future, I can connect how these policies are going to impact [service members] and take that into consideration," she said. "It's something I really want to keep enforcing."
While at Langley, Rooney spoke with Airmen from a number of career fields, including pilots, crew chiefs, medical staff and intelligence personnel. Likewise, at Fort Eustis, she talked with Soldiers at the McDonald Army Health Center, Soldier and Family Assistance Center and numerous readiness facilities on the installation.
"Joint Base Langley-Eustis Airmen, Soldiers and civilians are pioneers and doing a great job," Dr. Rooney said. "They've made it work by people picking up the phone or talking to colleagues across services and asking, 'How did you do this?' I think there is a lot to do still, but there is a lot of positive energy behind it ... and great ideas on how to keep this venture moving."
After immersing herself in the daily lives of Airmen and Soldiers, Rooney left an impression not only with the youngest of the service members, but with senior leadership, as well.
"Dr. Rooney was clearly interested in our personnel and readiness challenges," Lt. Col. Peter Fesler, 27th Fighter Squadron commander said. "She understands that the starting point for all of our actions here at Langley is the mission, and I think she left today with a little better insight into what the Airmen and Soldiers do here."