Lt. Gen. Paul Fast assumes command of AF Reserves

Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach affectionately called him “Speedy” a good number of times during his remarks Friday in the Museum of Aviation’s Century of Flight Hangar.

The label, clearly a ton of respect behind the gesture, was during an assumption of command ceremony in which “Speedy”, also known as Lt. Gen. Paul Fast, assumed leadership of the Air Force Reserve Command. As such, he is now responsible for nearly 70,000 Reserve military personnel and civilians, as well as three numbered air forces, 34 flying wings, eight independent groups, a space wing, a cyber win, an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance wing, along with other subordinate units.

As commander he will also be the principal adviser on Reserve matters to Wilsbach as well as Secretary of the Air Force, Dr. Troy E. Meink.

In perhaps the speed in which Fast needs to go to work, Wilsbach said, “Right now we have thousands of Reservists executing real-world missions. The Epic Fury (a campaign begun on Feb. 28 by the U.S. and its partner forces to dismantle the Iranian regime) surge was clearly felt in this command and it’s proof that the strategic environment is not waiting for us.

“Our adversaries are investing heavily to challenge our strength and against that backdrop we must be ready to fly and fix because that’s how we deter and when necessary fight and win our nation’s wars.

“That high state of readiness is exactly what the Air Force Reserve brings to the fight.”

Of Fast, he said, “Speedy knows what it means to lead in a crisis.” Then, after cataloguing a number of their assignments together and/or places where Fast had made a huge impact, he challenged: “Speedy, this is a capable team, and they’re now yours to lead. Air superiority isn’t a birthright, so keep our airmen ready and push the power up to deliver global effects whenever our nation calls.”

Speedy is also a really good word to describe Fast’s life and whirlwind career. He received his commission in 1991. The “education” portion of his biography goes on from there to list some dozen degrees and/or achievements. Assignment-wise the list numbers 16. He has been everywhere from Florida to Utah to California to Germany to Nevada to Japan.

His flight rating is a “master air battle manager” with more than a 1,000 flight hours in the E-3A and E-3B/C. Along the way he has earned a host of awards including the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster (it means he’s earned it more than once), the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters and many more.

Fast, after assuming the guidon, outlined five tasks in his remarks.

Number one: “Prepare for war. Ready always, accessible when called and lethal in execution and unmatched and experience expertise and proficiency.”

The second was to “develop our airmen,” he said. “Invest now in the growth of our future enlisted and officer leaders of tomorrow, today.

Task area number three, he said, was to preserve and protect Reservists’ ability to serve in the Reserve, “a Reserve that allows a continuum of service options while continuing to serve our nation. You signed up for the Reserve for a whole bunch of reasons,” he continued. “And it’ll be your families that keep you in the Reserve. That’s not lost on us for a second.”

Number four, he said: “Fiercely manage and execute our precious resources given to us by our appropriators, always striving to be a ready, relevant, modern and capable force.”

Number five: “We will curate a true objective Reserve force of the future. A force that is needed and is valued by the nation.

“It will be the Reserve that the nation needs and leverages the unique set of attributes and capabilities that can only be found in the Air Force Reserve.”

As challenging as those tasks are, he said, “There’s never been a better time to get after them.”

It goes without saying. Speed(y) is a must.