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- Reserve Citizen Airmen and families,

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the Command Chief and I,

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Command Chief is telecommuting today,

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so I had to bring him in on FaceTime.

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But we wanted to touch base with you

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to share our plan ahead
for the Air Force Reserve

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as we help our country
respond to and mitigate

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the spread of COVID-19.

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As many of you heard,
the President announced

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a national emergency on March 13th

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due to the novel coronavirus.

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As your commander, I wanted you to know

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my intent going forward.

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First, we're gonna take
care of you, our Airmen,

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both civilian and military.

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Also your families.

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It is my number one priority.

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Second, we wanna ensure information flow

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that arms you with the
facts, the guidance,

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and the actions at hand
so you can make decisions

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for your unit and your family.

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It is critical to calming nerves

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and meeting our mission success.

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Third, we're gonna preserve decision space

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for our commanders in the field.

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It's essential that we
let them be flexible

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and dynamic in this environment we face.

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Now more than ever, I need
commanders to command.

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I ask those leaders to lean forward

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while erring on the side of caution.

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We've gotta be able to balance
our operational requirements

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with the safety of our people.

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Fourth, we're gonna continue to execute

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our mission-essential operations
and our wartime mission.

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It's vital to our national defense.

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We need to balance risk with readiness,

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and that's gonna be tough
in the dynamic environment.

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The command is gonna be here to help you.

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Fifth, we gotta preserve our force.

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We gotta take care of Americans.

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That is our ultimate mission.

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Stay the course and
watch out for each other.

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Ask for help when you need it.

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Be proud of the task put in front of us.

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And continue to serve
with professionalism,

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integrity, and service before self.

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- Good afternoon, team.

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As the boss said, taking care of Airmen

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and families is job number one.

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Part of that is preventing
further exposure to COVID-19.

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As such, the Department
of Defense just announced

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widespread travel restrictions.

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These affect the entire DoD workforce.

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If you are a reservist in status,

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your leave and travel are affected.

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If you are a DoD civilian
or family member,

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your government-funded travel is affected.

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Regardless of whether you
are a military member,

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civilian employee,
contractor, or family member,

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please do your part and
follow DoD directives

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and local protection measures.

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- For self-protection is
critical to our ability

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to accomplish the mission.

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I'm empowering local and base commanders

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to assess their community environments,

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work with local and state
agencies, and make smart decisions

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affecting their Reserve Citizen Airmen,

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their families, and their communities.

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- We wanna ensure our
Airmen and their families

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are getting the facts on COVID-19.

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We encourage all to visit the
Air Force COVID-19 webpage

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on www.af.mil for the latest on guidance,

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the virus, and how it affects the service.

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Reservists' specific questions and answers

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are on our Air Reserve Personnel Center

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and Air Force Reserve websites
and social media pages.

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Still can't find an answer?

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Check your unit's webpage
and social media sites

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and reach out to your unit leadership.

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Individual reservists
must stay in close contact

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with their chain of command
and their RIO detachment.

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Bottom line, take care of each other

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by communicating up and down the chain.

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As we keep you informed,
pass on the knowledge

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to your fellow Airmen, and
keep your families informed.

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- In closing, let me share this with you.

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What we are facing will
test our readiness.

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It will test our resiliency.

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It will test our organizational processes,

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and it will test our resources.

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And it will test our resolve.

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Help our Air Force Reserve family

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stay flexible, proactive, and healthy.

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We will come out a
stronger, more confident,

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and more successful team in the end.

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Our nation needs us.

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And I empower you to lead
your people and families

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through this evolving
environment with confidence,

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with calm, and with care.

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And on behalf of the Command
Chief, who's telecommuting,

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and myself, aim high, Airmen.