SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- If it hadn’t been for a high school football player’s bad knee, Gen. Norton Schwartz might never have become U.S. TRANSCOM’s new commander.
“I came from a very common background,” Gen. Schwartz said, “dad sold typewriters for a living. My brother was in school in the late 60s, and we couldn’t quite square having both of us in school at the same time.”
According to Gen. Schwartz, a high school counselor who knew of his budding interest in aviation suggested he apply for Annapolis. Fortunately, he also applied to the Air Force Academy.
“I was a respectable student, but didn’t knock anybody’s socks off,” Gen. Schwartz said. “I didn’t get into Annapolis, but I did get the first alternate selection to the Air Force Academy, and the young man who was first choice was a football player who had a trick knee and did not pass the physical.”
Gen. Schwartz graduated from the Academy in 1973 with a degree in political science and international affairs. His early Air Force days were typical of the era. “I essentially cut my teeth as a young crew member in a C-130,” he said. “No, it’s not the kind of airplane that people look (at) up in the sky in awe, but it’s a noble machine, it’s a wonderful mission and it was a crew mission that was tactical.
“There was so much to learn about handling people and getting a job done,” he continued. “So, as a youngster, that was how it unfolded for me, and opportunities presented themselves in the late 70s and early 80s. I tried to be good at what I did, know my stuff. No magic, just tried to be a respectable aviator and a good officer.”
Among those opportunities was meeting his wife of 24 years, Suzie, in Little Rock, Ark.
What was once the Navy’s loss evolved into a gain for all services when Gen. Schwartz took command Sept. 7. He sees a challenge for U.S. TRANSCOM in finding the perfect balance between government-owned (organic) and commercial assets.
“In this business, there’s tension between organic solutions and solutions that rely on others,” Gen. Schwartz said. “In the airplane business, it’s how many T-tails you have on the ramp versus how much you rely on commercial providers. In the maritime business, its how many grey bottoms you’ve got and the way you rely on the industry.
“I think the challenge for us will be to find what I call the sweet spot,” Gen. Schwartz continued, “the right balance between organic and commercial, enough organic so that we can rock and roll on a moment’s notice. On the other hand, the country can not afford to have all the organic it needs, so you have to have a capability to rely on what’s provided by industry.”
Gen. Schwartz’ perceives a future U.S. TRANSCOM as a highly automated command, with fewer people in the headquarters.
“It will have very strong operating components in the air, the sea and on land,” he said, “tightly coupled with their forward geographic commander and their service components. Something that with complete visibility on everything that’s moving, from the widget in the factory, to the time it gets delivered to the point of effect. In other words, maybe we’ll look more like Wal-Mart than we do U.S. TRANSCOM at the moment.”
Gen. Schwartz is straight-forward in what he expects of those he commands. “I expect honesty, candor, a day’s work for a day’s pay and good ideas,” he said. “We’ll do our best to lead, to encourage, to make the best choices we know how and, importantly, make this a rewarding place to work for everybody.”
Gen. Schwartz says he and his wife are thrilled to be here at U.S. TRANSCOM. “We bring with us 30-plus years of experience, initially in special ops,” he said. “We have an abiding respect for out teammates. I believe in the notion of promise given, promise kept, and that’s exactly what we will do. And as a result, we’ll get it done.”