State of Tyndall address Published Nov. 10, 2009 By Airman 1st Class Rachelle Elsea 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The 325th Fighter Wing Commander gave the semi-annual State of Tyndall address to members of the Military Affairs Committee and key civic leaders Nov. 9 at the Heritage Club. Brigadier General Darryl Roberson, 325th Fighter Wing Commander, spoke to more than 40 people, covering the accomplishments and operations of the base since April's State of Tyndall; and what the future holds. General Roberson began by announcing his Dec. 18 departure from Tyndall Air Force Base. He will be moving to the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force as the Deputy of Legislative Affairs at the Pentagon. The general also took time to familiarize guests with Tyndall's mission, 325th Fighter Wing key leadership and the group commanders. He covered the latest summary of activities. This included several facilities under military construction, such as the expansion at Air Force Northern Command, the 120-person dorms, a brand new fitness center, airfield repairs and the F-22 simulator building addition. According to the general during Fiscal Year 2009: - 8,176 F-15 missions were flown producing 83 new F-15pilots for the Air Force - 3,343 F-22 missions were flown producing 74 new F-22 pilots for the Air Force - 121 Air Battle Managers were trained - 148 Air Dominance and Special Operations Intelligence Specialists were trained and - 542 Airmen deployed. "This is the bread and butter," said General Roberson. "This is what we are all about. This is why we are here." Financially, Tyndall spent more than $650 million during the past fiscal year. "We were given quite a bit of money from Washington D.C., to help create jobs in the local community," General Roberson said. "It has been very successful." Also highlighted were Tyndall's environmental issues. The base recently spent more than $5 million removing lead from Tyndall Elementary School's soil giving the children a clean, safe place to play. In conjunction with Team Tyndall's safety and health, General Roberson also covered the value of purchased Medicare. More than $25 million was spent on private care costs during Fiscal Year 2009, a majority of which went to the local medical professionals. Tyndall has also been proactive in preventing the flu. More than 18,000 flu vaccines were ordered; 6,000 designated for active duty and department of defense employees and 12,000 for family members and retirees. On a lighter note, General Roberson was proud to speak of Tyndall's latest awards, which included the 2009 Secretary of the Air Force Special Achievement Unit Award won by the 325th Contracting Squadron, the 2008 Air Force Fire Prevention Program of the Year and the 2009 Department of Defense Community Drug Awareness Award. Finally, but possibly the main focus, General Roberson went into detail pertaining to Tyndall's key issues. He spoke on the plan to convert some personnel from contractors to civilian positions, which is mandated by the new administration to occur during this fiscal year. Another key point was the F-15 drawdown and production stop of the F-22. All of these actions will drive the need for the development of a new training squadron. General Roberson concluded with a close look at the possibility of oil drilling within the Gulf Range Complex. "This is a national asset, a national treasure," he said. "Both the Navy and us cannot afford to have our mission impacted by oil drilling." Following the presentation, he opened the floor for guests to ask questions. The event ended with an opportunity for those in attendance to mingle.