GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- U.S. Air Force Col. Matthew Reilman, 17th Training Wing commander, hosted his first all-call as the 17th TRW commander on Aug. 20, 2021.
Reilman took command of the 17th TRW in July, 2021.
Over the course of his career he served 14 assignments. He commanded the 7th Intelligence Squadron at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, as well as numerous operational and staff assignments ranging from the squadron to the Combatant Command level.
During the all-call, Reilman addressed the 17th TRW and touched on a variety of topics from his early years at Goodfellow as a student of the 315th Training Squadron, the COVID-19 vaccine, and finally his vision for the 17th TRW.
“Looking back I would not trade where I am right now as a career intelligence officer for anything in the world,” said Col. Matthew Reilman, 17th TRW commander. “I love this career field and what I’ve been able to do, and it all started here on Goodfellow.”
Reilman also touched on the importance and relevance of Goodfellow’s mission and change of focus.
“Our new focus will be on strategic competition, our peer adversaries, and making sure Goodfellow’s training is transformed to deal with future threats,” said Reilman.
Reilman expressed that his priorities for Goodfellow would be; taking care of service members of Goodfellow and their families, transforming the mission, the base, and training, improving on Goodfellow infrastructure, and finally continuing to build on a culture of dignity, inclusion, and respect for the base.
Please find the questions that were asked during the all-call below:
What is the biggest thing that has surprised you here?
The biggest surprise was the breadth of how much experience and missions we have here and the bond with our local community.
Can you speak on anything locally regarding Afghan refugees?
The DoD queried different installations about their capacity to house refugees. Goodfellow is currently in a question-and-answer phase concerning the ability to support housing refugees, but is standing by to provide any support they might need.
What would you say to those who are upset with the vaccine being mandatory?
As per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the messenger RNA vaccine is 95% effective against the Wuhan strain and 94% effective against hospitalization from the Delta variant. I encourage everyone to engage with the 17th Medical Group as needed for educational materials and briefings on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
What is your general plan for training our Airmen?
You are the ones deploying to remote locations. You are the ones that are delivering warfighting capabilities and deterring our enemies. I’m constantly asking how we can improve our intelligence and the support we can provide. We’re focused on information operations as well as cyber operations where they are beating us.
Will there be religious accommodation for the COVID-19 vaccine?
A new Air Force Instruction 52-201, Religious Freedom in the Department of the Air Force, was released in June 2021. The instruction addresses new religious accommodation guidance and outlines the process for individuals to submit a request for religious accommodation.
Service members desiring to request a religious accommodation for immunization must submit a package through their chain of command for decision by the MAJCOM/CC.
Are there any 9/11 resources you would like us to share with those who were born after 9/11?
Share your experiences. These young folks know what they’re signing up for. They chose to fight the global war on terror.