Assistant Secretary of the AF for Manpower, Reserve Affairs visits Yokota

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Desiree Economides
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  Daniel Ginsberg, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, visited Yokota Dec. 1-2, during his recent trip to Japan.

During his visit, Ginsberg toured facilities to see the services being provided to Airmen and their families.

"I'm responsible for helping oversee manpower and reserve affairs for the Air Force, so that comes down to how we are taking care of our people across the Air Force," said Ginsberg. "I came to Japan because I wanted to see how our people are doing and how well we are supporting them."

Ginsberg also met with Airmen from around the 374th Airlift Wing, 5th Air Force and U.S. Forces Japan.

"My sense is that Yokota is a very busy place. There is a lot of work going on here, carrying out the missions, supporting the Airmen, it's very intense," said Ginsberg.

As part of his position, Ginsberg is responsible for manpower, which has been highlighted in the recent fiscal budget debates. Though he noted of the potential challenges ahead he emphasized the importance to maintain support for the Air Force family.

"We're going to be a busy Air Force in the future so I think that could put a lot more stressors on the force," said Ginsberg. "We will have to make sure we understand what those stressors are and how we need to provide support to our Airmen and their families to make sure we are helping them in every sense."

Though Ginsberg only visited Yokota for a short time, he wanted to ensure the Airmen knew they are a top priority.

"We are very proud of them, all of us, from the president to the secretary of defense, to the secretary of the Air Force, the chief of staff and on down. They are doing absolutely amazing work and we know this. We know how hard they are working and how many great things they are doing," said Ginsberg.

"Also as we go through these tough and tougher budgetary times, we have them in the forefront of our thoughts. We will be thinking about them and how we can make sure we are going through these budgetary straights in a very smart manor that supports them and their families."