Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall visited RAF Lakenheath July 13, to meet with 48th Fighter Wing Airmen and get a better look at the mission.

While at RAF Lakenheath, Kendall visited various units where he held discussions on vital matters, highlighted the strategic goals, acknowledged the contributions of Airmen and shared his vision for the future during a base-wide all-call.

“We’re gonna be focused on improving our posture, reoptimizing for great power competition, a long-term strategic competition, that you all are going to be part of for your entire Air Force careers,” Kendall said.

Kendall used these directives to highlight the importance of the 48th Fighter Wing’s role as the premier fighter wing in Europe and emphasized the need to continue improving our fleet.

“The thing I have been most focused on is modernization,” he said. “We can’t sit still; we have to move to the next generation of capabilities, and we have to do it as fast as we can.”

Working alongside NATO allies and partners as the only fourth and fifth generation fighter wing in U.S. Air Forces in Europe enables the 48th FW to continue delivering airpower worldwide at a moment’s notice to keep pace with U.S. adversaries.

“The importance of the Space and Air Force to our success in the future is paramount; the rest of the joint force cannot succeed if we do not succeed,” Kendall said. “Thank you for what you all do, I’m very proud to be part of the Department of the Air Force and the reason I am so proud is because of what you guys do every day.”