MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, ND ( KXNET ) — The new 5th Bomb Wing command team hosted their first all-calls.

Col. Jesse Lamarand, commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Wayne Sharp, command chief, wants to introduce themselves and their leadership philosophies to the Warbirds of the 5th Bomb Wing.

Lamarand said they didn’t want to be strangers. Lamarand and Sharp are going to be out and about, and want people to talk to them and hear their stories.

Before assuming this command, Lamarand was a commander of the 2nd Operations Group at Barksdale AFB, and his 24 years in the military shaped his leadership philosophy — which is the importance of connection and teamwork.

“How do we overcome the challenges that will come our way? Teamwork, challenging realistic training, and disciplined execution leads to lethal combat mission readiness,” Lamarand explained. “Fortitudine vincimus. ‘By endurance, we conquer.’ The first line of defense are those disciplined and dedicated teams you form in the workstation and the friends and families supporting each other at home. Take care of each other so we can all get after the mission.”

Before assuming his new command, Sharp was the command chief of the 325th Fighter Wing at Tyndall AFB and had served previously in Minot

“J-BAG-P,” Sharp said. “It stands for ‘just be a good person.’ I came back here because I care about the Airmen at Minot AFB. I know this can be a tough base to work at, but y’all kill it every day and I wanted to be a part of that again.”

A strong foundation is one of operational discipline, respect, and dignity — all of which are necessary for a successful mission.

“Our purpose here is to build combat mission-ready Airmen — not just aircrew — Airmen across the board,” Lamarand continued. “We do that by establishing a family of teammates succeeding at work and at home. Make sure you’re listening, you’re talking to the person to the left and the right of you, and you’re taking care of each other.”

Sharp and Lamarand acknowledged the gravity of the mission and encouraged Airmen to take care of each other so they could be equipped to handle the stressors associated with a Miont AFB assignment.

“Our job here,” Lamarand concluded, “is to win without fighting, and we do that by establishing a credible, capable deterrent. We are the most strategic and important DoD base; mission success at Minot affects the world. That’s the stress and the pressure that’s on you, and it’s your teammates who are going to help you achieve it.”

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