U.S. Air Force photo by Donna Parry Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne (left) swears in Craig Duehring as the Air Force's new assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs in a ceremony at the Pentagon Jan. 24.

Craig Duehring, a 28-year Air Force veteran, is a political appointee, heading a four-division department that deals at the policy level with Air Force MR issues. He is responsible for providing overall supervision of manpower, military and civilian personnel, reserve component affairs and readiness support for the Department of the Air Force.

“I know Mr. Duehring will do good things for (manpower and reserve affairs) and for the Air Force,“ said Secretary Wynne. “We will rely on his professionalism and leadership as the Air Force moves forward.“

In a statement during his Armed Services committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, Duehring spoke of the challenges he faces.

“There is the continuing challenge of providing qualified personnel to continue to fight in the global war on terrorism,“ he said. “We must reduce the stress on Airmen and their families who are shouldering the burden of repeated operational rotations.“

Duehring also said he looks forward to working with Airmen and trying to meet their needs.

“Our Air Force family is the most important asset we have,“ he said. “I will devote all of my energies to improving processes, programs and procedures used by our people to carry out their mission of protecting the citizens of the United States. I pride myself as being a good listener, and I tend to travel extensively. I will keep in touch with our Airmen and their families by seeking them out on their turf.“