FORT SMITH (KFSM) -- The Secretary of the Air Force, Doctor Heather Wilson, was in Fort Smith Monday (March 26) touring the 188th Wing with Senator John Boozman and Representative Steve Womack.
"When you think about what the future of the air force is, it looks a whole lot like Fort Smith," Wilson said.
That's something both Womack and Boozman wanted Wilson to see firsthand.
"We can talk about the great things we have in Fort Smith and the great job that they`re doing, but they`re no substitute of being physically present," Boozman said.
Wilson toured the 188th Wing and learned how it has adapted to a new mission set of remotely piloted air crafts.
"There are some guard units that did not embrace that change and they have no mission now," Wilson said.
Wilson said the 188th is "embracing the future" and has made a flawless transition into that mission.
"We shouldn`t undermine or downgrade or downplay the importance of that mission because you don`t see something flying off of this runway. That`s not what it`s about. The airfare more and more is going to distributed network operations, remotely piloted aircraft. This guard unit is leading the way," Wilson said.
She spoke with the airmen who are directly impacted by the mission change. Wilson said one airmen completely changed fields in the middle of his career.
"I asked him how he felt about it making the change and he said, "Oh, I love this". I`ve always kind of being a computer geek and I`ve always liked my old job, but I really love this one. It`s that kind of positive attitude that takes a unit from excellence to excellence," Wilson said.
Wilson also spoke highly of the attitudes of those on the base. She said there was an, "I can do this" feel on the base.
Wilson's next stop is Little Rock and she will be there through Tuesday (March 27).