SecAF Wilson visits Luke Published Aug. 27, 2018 By Senior Airman Ridge Shan 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson visited Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. Aug. 24, 2018 to familiarize herself with the F-35A training mission of the 56th Fighter Wing and meet with Airmen around the base. Wilson’s visit gave Luke’s Thunderbolts both an opportunity share the work they put into their mission to train the world’s greatest fighter pilots and combat-ready Airmen, and to learn Wilson’s vision for progress and continued development in the Air Force. “We have to have readiness in our force and job number one is people,” Wilson said. Wilson met with wing leadership to learn about Luke’s functions and capabilities, before visiting key facilities including the F-35 Academic Training Center and the 63rd Fighter Squadron. Her visit also included a Town Hall during which she spoke about her priorities to enhance innovation in both technology and work processes, save money by maximizing utility and efficiency, and encourage superior leadership development at the squadron level. “Both Gen. [David] Goldfein and I believe that the most important unit in the Air Force is the squadron,” Wilson said. “The culture of the Air Force is set at the squadron, which means we have to identify and develop leaders who are effective at that level.” The end of the Town Hall saw Wilson opening the floor to questions, where she talked about specific career developments and the efforts of her leadership team to improve morale and readiness as well as total force cohesiveness. Wilson believes that innovations like those found at Luke in the Lightning Integrated Technician experiment will be the key to continue to uphold the U.S. Air Force’s tactical and strategic superiority, while adherence to the Air Force core values will uphold the superior discipline and effectiveness of its Airmen. “I want you to be driven by our values: integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do,” Wilson said. “We are mission-focused and people-oriented, but driven by our values, we will continue to be the finest Air Force in the world.”