Maj. Gen. Shanahan visits Goodfellow

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Joshua Edwards
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Maj. Gen. John Shanahan, Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency Commander, and his wife Laura Shanahan visited Goodfellow Sept. 12 and 13, to tour the 17th Training Wing, learn about the 17th's mission and present the keynote speech at the wing's Air Force Ball.

"I'm very pleased that Laura and I were able to visit Goodfellow Air Force Base," said Maj. Gen. John Shanahan, Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency Commander. "This was a welcome opportunity for me to drive a few hours west of San Antonio to see firsthand the incredibly important education and training taking place all across the 17th Training Wing. Not only for the Air Force, but for all of the joint services. We will never fight as a single service again, so I was encouraged to see the level of joint training here. Overall, Laura and I enjoyed our visit very much."

During his first day here, he spent most of his time meeting with wing leadership and expressing expectations he has for them and the future.

"We are entering a world with a lot of uncertainty in it," said Maj. Gen. Shanahan. "As I look out five to ten years, I'm trying to figure out what the environment is going to look like. For ISR we are looking at big changes. While the type of crises and conflicts we will face will change, what will not change is the need for trained, enthusiastic, capable Airmen. That's why Goodfellow is so important. That training starts right here."

Maj. Gen. Shanahan visited all the training squadrons at Goodfellow and shared his thoughts on his experience during an interview.

"I'm impressed that everyone is so focused on the training aspect," said Maj. Gen. Shanahan. "When I say focused, I mean I've heard it firsthand from military instructors who are pulling double shifts, double duty and working those extra hours. Nobody gets overtime, but because the number of people you're putting through is greater than the original production quotas, everybody has to work harder than ever before."

Maj. Gen. Shanahan went to the Goodfellow Air Force Ball as his last event of his visit. At the ball he gave a key note address, as the guest of honor, about his experiences on the base.

"I'll take away first and foremost the people we saw and met," Maj. Gen. Shanahan explained. "I observed some fantastic examples of technology in action. That's great, but what really matters to me is the people, the instructors working long hours to train the next generation of ISR professionals and firefighters. I needed to see what goes on behind the scenes. The demand for ISR is ever-increasing, and despite the heavy workload I know the instructors absorb every day, they are doing a tremendous job."