TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --
Gen. Lori J. Robinson, commander
of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, visited
Airmen from Tyndall Air Force Base at the 337th Air Control Squadron July 6.
Robinson, the first woman to lead
a combatant command was first assigned at Tyndall AFB as a student at the Basic
Air Weapons Controller School, now designated as the 337th Air Control Squadron.
During her visit, she mentored
Airmen and addressed their questions. More than 100 Airmen attended the
hour-long all-call and had the opportunity to ask Robinson about her own
experiences.
“As the sole producer for air
battle managers in the U.S. Air Force, we regularly have senior air battle
managers and leaders visit our school,” said Capt. Rudy Novak, 337th ACS
instructor air battle manager. “This is a chance for the students and cadre to
not only get an experienced leader's perspective, but also learn about how
important command and control is to the projection of airpower.”
During the all-call Robinson
spoke of her time as a young officer and the different opportunities that were
presented to her in her career. Robinson provided the Airmen in attendance with
advice on success and how to be the best at whatever job and balancing work and
their personal time.
Robinson entered the Air Force in
1982 through the ROTC program at the University of New Hampshire and has served
in a variety of positions as an air battle manager, including as an instructor
at Tyndall. She has commanded an operations group, a training wing and air
control wing. She was also the vice commander of the 405th Air Expeditionary
Wing, leading more than 2,000 Airmen flying the B-1 Lancer, KC-135 Stratotanker
and E-3 Sentry aircraft in Operation Enduring Freedom and in Operation Iraqi
Freedom.
“Not only is Gen. Robinson commander
of NORAD and USNORTHCOM, she is also the highest ranking air battle manager ever,”
said Novak. “She has consistently broken the glass ceiling for women in the
military and the air battle manager career field. She is living proof that your
career field in the Air Force doesn't matter, but your character and personal
ability do.”