MACDILL
AFB, Fla., June 1, 2015 – Some of the newest players from
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visited U.S. Central Command headquarters May 29 as
part of their visit to the 6th Air Mobility Wing here.
The rookies spent time learning what CENTCOM’s soldiers,
sailors, airmen, Marines and civilians do as part of their daily routine. The
players also received a brief on the CENTCOM area of responsibility (AOR) and
some of the challenges the U.S. military faces in the Middle East.
Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander, CENTCOM,
welcomed the visitors and thanked them for spending time with the service members
here. He also spoke about the Tampa community and the role troops play.
“We want to thank you all for being a positive influence
in this community, a community that supports its military as well as any place I’ve been to,” said Austin. “We want you to know that as you suit up on
Sundays, there’s an American service member overseas fighting to keep you safe.”
Director
of CENTCOM’s intelligence directorate, Army Maj. Gen. Steven Grove, spent time explaining how CENTCOM
accomplishes its mission
“We
are the headquarters, but our job is in the Middle East,” said Grove. “That
means we have to work with our folks overseas, including coalition partners, to
make sure we’re doing our best to keep the fight over there, and maintain
stability in the region.”
Bill
Scullion, the CENTCOM Joint
Operations Center (JOC) chief, showed the players how CENTCOM uses the JOC to monitor
its area of responsibility, which consists of 20 countries throughout the region,
including Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
Scullion said
meeting the new Bucs was a great opportunity, and was excited to let them know how
important the personnel here are.
“We
have millions and millions of dollars’ worth of equipment,” stressed Scullion.
“But none of it matters without the service members standing in this room
today. They are the driving force behind CENTCOM’s success.”