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L OGISTICS O FFICER A SSOCIATION Enhancing the military logistics profession since 1982

The Exceptional Release

Executive Board President Col Doug Cato president@loanational.org Vice President Lt Col Kevin Sampels vicepres@loanational.org Treasurer Lt Col Terry Dyess treasurer@loanational.org Information Officer Lt Col JD DuVall InfoOfficer@loanational.org Membership Development Ms. Wendy Yonce membership@loanational.org Chapter Support Lt Col Jeff King chaptersupport@loanational.org Executive Senior Advisors Lt Gen Loren M. Reno Mr. Garry Richey Webmaster/Website Lt Col JD DuVall webmaster@loanational.org www.loanational.org The Exceptional Release Editor Col Dennis Daley editor@loanational.org Assistant Editor Col (ret) Mary H. Parker assteditor@loanational.org LOA Executive Director ER Managing Editor/Publisher Marta Hannon marta@loanational.org

Summer 2011 - Contents FROM THE FLIGHTLINE

Logistics Partnership

By Major Frank J. Copous and Chief Master Sergeant Randy Sadler .............................12

This is Not An Exercise

By Second Lieutenant Casey D. Coleman, Mr. Jeff Ransom, and Lieutenant Colonel Roel Zamora ...................................................................................16

A Better Way than “Just Making it Happen”

By Chief Master Sergeant Mark Kovalcik and Ms. Fred McGregor ...............................20

86th Materiel Maintenance Squadron Takes Mission to the Arctic Circle

By Major Ryan M. Coyne and Master Sergeant Stephen C. Martin ...............................24

A Tip to Tail Review of Aircraft Inspections

By Major Shane A. Wehunt, Mr. Gary W. Littlefield and SMSgt Joseph Mulcahy .........26 EXPEDITIONARY LOGISTICS

Kandahar Deployed MX Culture – Going Beyond Supporting the ATO

By Lieutenant Colonel John V. Ramos ...........................................................................30

Ellsworth B-1s Get the Nation’s Call — Operation ODYSSEY

By Lieutenant Colonel Brian C. Sitler ............................................................................32

Contractor Maintenance

By Lieutenant Colonel Robert K. Clement, Major Andrew B. Huntoon, Captain Camrin M. Lenard and Captain Brian Scozzaro ...............................................34

Security Forces in the MOC: Synergy for Airfield Defense

By Lieutenant Colonel Scott A. DeLorenzi ....................................................................38 MAJCOM

Enabling Logistics: Our Industry Partners

By Major Michelle C. Estes ............................................................................................42

20,000 Years of Progress in the Next 100 years

By Major John F. Adams, Jr.............................................................................................44

Thoughts on Logistics, Leadership and Life from a Career Civilian Logistician

By Colonel (ret) Robert Hamm ......................................................................................48 INDUSTRY PARTNER

ER Worldwide Staff 1Lt Benjamin J. Derry, 373 TRS/DET 3 Maj James Dorn, 380 EMXS/CC Lt Col Richard Fletcher, USNORTHCOM Lt Col Michelle Hall, SAF/PAX Ms. Donna Parry, AF/A4/7PE Lt Col Paul Pethel, 19 AMXS/CC Graphic Design MMagination LLC – Atlanta, GA www.mmagination.com LOA National PO Box 2264 – Arlington, VA 22202 Issue No. 120 - Summer 2011

LOA Corporate Partners ..............................................................................................50 The Oldest Profession…

By Mr. David Rega .........................................................................................................52

Mobile Applications as a Logistics Enabler

By Mr. Joe Diana ............................................................................................................56 LEADERSHIP

445th MXG: Contributing to the Lean Enterprise

By Major Paul J Centinaro ..............................................................................................58

Efficiencies: What’s all the talk about?

By Lieutenant Colonel Ray Briggs ..................................................................................60 Continued on Page 2...

VOICES | PRESIDENT

President’s LOG(istics) Fellow Loggies, LOA is intentionally transforming into the premier forum to discuss the most pressing issues facing logisticians.

The 2011 LOA Conference is an opportunity for defense leaders and our membership to collaborate meaningfully with industry in an open environment, where we can speak honestly about logistics issues. Let me be clear, LOA is not moving away from the fundamental organizational foundation of providing professional development to our members. As LOA continues to grow, the focus is providing enhanced professional development through our chapters, provide interactive conferences and scholarly articles in our logistics journal, the Exceptional Release (ER). I want to provide an update, along with preparing you for some upcoming change as LOA transforms and offers new Col Doug Cato value to its members, our industry partners, the Air Force, and Table of Contents (Continued from Page 1) the logistics community.

Deliberate Planning Model for Logistics Officer Leadership ...

By Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Harris ............................................. 64

The Compelling Need for a Professional Development Association ...

By Lieutenant General Kathleen M. Gainey .................................. 66

Growing a Lean Workforce:

By Lieutenant Colonel Steven J. Minkin ....................................... 68

Focus on a LOA Chapter Leader .................................................. 71 EDUCATION

A Maintenance Course For Ops Commanders?

By Lieutenant Col Rudy W. Cardona ............................................ 74

TODAY’S SOS: Unleashing Leadership Potential

By Dr. Matthew Stafford ............................................................... 76 SUSTAINMENT

Not Your Ordinary Container…

By Mr. Matt Phillips ....................................................................................80

Key to a Better Relationship: Communication

By Mr. David Morrow ................................................................... 82

Improved Sustainment of U.S. Air Force Aircraft Engines:

By Colonel Joe Wilson and Colonel (ret) Jim Diehl ...................... 84 VOICES | In Every Issue

President’s LOG(istics), Colonel Doug Cato, President LOA National ................................ 2

Editor’s Debrief, Col Dennis Daley & Lt Col Richard Fletcher ....... 4 From the E-Ring, Lieutenant General Loren Reno ......................... 5 SES Speaks, Mr. Garry B. Richey..................................................... 6 Focus on a LOA Industry Partner ................................................... 7 The Best of the Best: 2010 Air Force Awards .................................. 8 Perspectives: Brigadier General (ret) Peter J. Hennessey .................. 10

AFSO21 CrossTalk ..................................................................... 40 Chapter CrossTalk ........................................................................ 89 Milestones ................................................................................... 95

2 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

In the Spring ER, I talked about the five action items out of LOA National Board strategic off-site held this past January.

Just to recap those items are:  Become a logistics problem solving organization that adds value to the logistics community.  Redesign the conference to be interactive.  Hire a professional staff, starting with a Chief Operating Officer.  Implement technology through social networking to synchronize the membership.  Create regional chapter directors.

This year’s conference will be different as the LOA National Board takes a non-traditional approach with the 2011 LOA Conference. The LOA National Board’s vision is to provide a logistician professional development network across the Department of Defense, which enables meaningfully interaction with industry and to solve problems identified by senior leaders. By using the LOA “brain trust” we can tackle these problems and provided recommended courses of action (COA) to our senior leaders. We are working with several senior leaders to identify a problem with wide application that needs solving. With a properly scoped problem, we will host a webinar with the senior leaders and problem solvers. We will form three groups each with a team lead and each will build one possible COA. At a 2011 conference breakout session, the senior leaders will hear the proposed COAs and the audience will have the opportunity to “Red Team” the three COA’s. The senior leaders will then decide which COA they would like to pursue and execute.

It will be crucial our industry partners are in lock step with us as we move forward. For the first time, we will be offering opportunities to hear directly from our industry partners on both the main stage and in breakout sessions. Also, instead of the exclusive use of traditional agenda of panels and speeches, we are designing an interactive conference to enable dialogues across various levels of government and industry. This honest conversation we believe will enable us to better solve logistics problems.

Senior logistics leaders that attend the conference will have an opportunity to solicit ideas and solutions from the membership.

I hope this gives you a taste of what is to come at the October conference.

VOICES | PRESIDENT As many of you know, the LOA National Board staff is an all-volunteer force. Over the years, their dedication has been tremendous, but ultimately to continue to grow and keep LOA viable, not only the LOA National Board, but also our senior leader board of advisors believes we should start hiring a professional staff. The board developed some criteria for a Chief Operating Officer that will run and grow LOA. Two months ago we advertised the COO position. So far, 25 candidates have applied for the position and the LOA board will make a final selection in the next couple of months. In order to ensure a long-term paid professional staff, LOA will be depending on the generosity of our industry partners to sponsor key pieces of our conference and other events throughout the year. The goal is to ensure our industry partners are working hand-in-hand to help us solve the challenging logistical problems and at the same time, we are increasing the industry partner value proposition.

A large number of LOA members have joined our social media effort and I would encourage each of you to join in before the conference. We will be offering a host of interactive events, the ability to do real-time polling from social media sites to the conference main stage, and the ability to ask questions during main stage events. Look for the social media links on our website at www.loanational.org.

Finally, Maj Camille LaDrew, our new Chapter Support lead will be working to divide up our 77 world-wide chapters into regions and then we will be looking for Regional Director volunteers. The purpose is to better support the local chapters, tie the chapters together with in a geographic region, all in an effort to help LOA National provide better chapter support.

This is an exciting time in LOA as we add value to the organization, our members, industry partners, the Air Force, the DoD, and the logistics community as a whole. This does not come without considerable effort on the part of our LOA National team and I’d like to say thank you to them. They work tirelessly to support you and the organization at large. The next time you see them, please thank them for their dedication and support of LOA. In closing – I’d like to take a minute to say thank you to Colonel Dennis Daley our ER editor for the last four years. Col Daley has taken the ER to new heights. Thank you so much for stepping up to the plate and leading the ER Staff. The entire association owes you a debt of gratitude. We know how busy you are, and for you to take this on speaks to your character and dedication. You will be missed. Thank you!

V/R Col Doug Cato, President LOA National and your LOA National Board

LOA’s NEW Scholarship Program!

Call for Nominations The Logistics Officer Association has a new and improved scholarship program. There are now three categories: Master’s, Bachelor’s, and High School! Top award in the first two categories is $5000 and $1500 for the High School category!

If you are a LOA member, a High-school aged child (10th-12th grade) of a LOA member, or an enlisted member you are eligible to compete. But this is only if you are pursuing a higher degree than you already possess.

What do you need to do? The nomination package information is available on the LOA website’s scholarship link http://www.loanational.org/_files/LOA%20G-3%20_Scholarship_%201%20Feb%202011.pdf More specifically: 1) For those seeking the scholarship to pursue their Masters degree, write a 15-17 paged double-spaced paper on a current DoD logistics issue.

2) For those seeking the scholarship to pursue their Bachelor’s degree, write a 10-12 paged double-spaced paper on a current DoD logistics issue.

3) High School students (grades 10-12 including those graduating in 2011) need to write a paged double-spaced paper on a historical military event.

Each chapter may nominate one person for each category. The top two nominees in the Masters and Bachelors categories will present their papers to a field of judges during the 2011 LOA National Conference.

In these economically challenging times what are you waiting for?

3 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

VOICES | EDITOR

Editor’s Debrief The Changing of the Guard It was fun! Yes indeed, it sure was fun but it’s time, time to pass that ER editor’s guidon to Lieutenant Colonel Richard “Fletch” Fletcher. Four years ago I agreed to assume the ER Editor’s role from one great ER editor, Colonel Deb Shattuck…but only for two years. Amazing how that happens, isn’t it? The fact is--the past four years literally flew by as I had the great privilege to work with our extended Air Force family in putting together 16 different ERs. It really was fun working with so many dedicated people who were so enthusiastic about writing a story to highlight something they or their unit accomplished. Often it was the first time a young officer or civilian wrote an article for an external publication. This offered an additional benefit in observing someone gain confidence in their communication skills as they worked their way through the editing process. The excitement and energy so many authors Col Dennis Daley, Editor brought to each edition was very gratifying to me. Thanks to all of you authors who made this position so rewarding.

In addition to the many authors who supported the ER, I must thank the ER staff who worked so hard to prepare each ER for publication. The field editing team led by Ms. Mary Parker and her staff: Lt Col Rich Fletcher, Lt Col Paul Pethel, Lt Col Michelle Hall, Maj Jim Dorn, Ms. Donna Perry and 1Lt Big Ben Derry. Of course, I must thank the reigning queen of anything LOA, Ms. Marta Hannon as well. Finally, both Maj Gen Bob McMahon and Lt Gen Loren Reno were absolutely crucial in their roles as LOA and ER advisors. Their active and engaging support greatly assisted our ability to develop each ER issue.

In closing, I want to share a casual observation. LOA, and hence the ER, is so different from other professional military associations because of its emphasis to engage our young developing officers and civilian leaders (read Mr. Garry Richey’s piece in this edition to highlight this point). Attend one LOA Conference and it’s so apparent that a key objective is to connect our most senior officers with our young military and civilian leaders of tomorrow. I think this emphasis on engaging with our young officers and civilians goes back to the very early days when LOA was a MOA and the ER was a newsletter on blue carbon mimeographed paper. With that long heritage, the ER has always actively solicited articles and inputs from our developing leaders. And that’s the challenge of future LOA leaders--and to you Fletch as the ER editor--those CGOs and GS-09s are the backbone and future of both the ER and LOA in general. For that matter they’re the backbone and future of our great Air Force. We need their energy.

Thanks everyone for such great support over the past four years. Good luck Fletch…I know you will take the ER to the next level!

DD Col Dennis Daley, Editor

Fellow Loggies, By now you’ve read Colonel Daley’s final address to the organization. I think it goes without saying (but I will do it anyway), Colonel Daley contributed immeasurably to the success of the Exceptional Release. He brought remarkable leadership and experience to a journal that should be considered the gold standard for all others. Awesome job, sir! I look forward to your continued mentoring and guidance as the Field Editors and I carry the torch for this first-class journal.

As you all know, this is our journal. What makes this journal unique? The journal opens a world of perspectives and experiences about logistics in a variety of environments…depot, flightline, back shop, warehouses, headquarters, deployed and at home station. It is these perspectives and experiences that we all relate to and find valuable for our own organizations and professional growth. It is common to find our journal in the offices and halls of the Pentagon, on the desks of our professional members, and even in the joint community like the NORAD and USNORTHCOM Logistics and Engineering Directorate. I am truly honored to be the next Editor of a journal I’ve seen grow and develop into the valuable product it is today. My challenge to each of you is to share your experiences, critical Lt Col Richard Fletcher thoughts, and perspectives with your fellow loggies. We gain through knowledge…

If you want to contribute to the journal on a regular basis, we could use 1-2 more field editors. Contact me at editor@ loanational.org or Col (ret) Mary Parker at mary.parker@jsf.mil. Thank you in advance for your support…bring it!

Fletch Lt Col Richard Fletcher And your ER Worldwide Staff

4 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

VOICES | RENO

From the E-Ring Logistics: More Than Just a Tail Let me share with you what I told a group of our industry partners at a recent NDIA [National Defense Industrial Association] conference about my role in DOD logistics.

Our first AF priority is to continue to strengthen the nuclear enterprise. We have taken good strides in enforcing the standards of precision and reliability. We have improved our culture of critical self-assessment. We are in the process of securing positive inventory control of all our nuclear weapon related material.

Lt Gen Loren Reno

I chose the foregoing verbs carefully—then and now. These actions aren’t completed though we have made good progress. The Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force recently co-signed a memorandum recognizing our significant progress in this area and praising those who have brought us so far forward. I add my thanks. And, I add my observation that we need to continue to strengthen…

I talked secondly about supporting the joint and coalition team to win today’s fight. As logisticians, we have to provide resilient, refreshed, and ready forces to our Combatant Commanders. We have an obligation to capture efficiencies to strengthen our support. We also have an overarching duty to prepare materiel when, where and how it is needed.

Many of our number are supporting not only combat operations but also humanitarian operations. Logistics is what gives our Combatant and Joint Task Force Commanders all they need. What a great opportunity and responsibility.

The third point I made was that we have to sustain transformation. This list is long, and industry is involved in most on the list. The three biggies for me are ECSS, RNI, and AFSO21.

ECSS [Expeditionary Combat Support System] will provide for us an integrated, auditable enterprise resource planning tool with which we can transform our logistics processes. I’m talking about eliminating 240+ systems and the tail of expense that clings to them and affect more than 250,000 users. We need what ECSS can deliver…we have to get it right.

RNI [Repair Network Integration] offers opportunity to integrate the repair network like we have done for the supply network. Some of the MAJCOMs, with AFMC’s lead, have started us down this very promising road. As a retired logistics GO pointed out at LOA…we do need to quicken the pace.

And, you’re all very familiar with AFSO21 [Air Force Smart Ops for the 21st Century]. We need to use the Lean and Six Sigma tools to reduce our wait and waste. Look for us to move toward more standards—standard work and standards for efficiency.

At the conclusion of the time I had to make remarks, I added the following thoughts about logistics, tooth, and tail. Logistics is more than “tail.”

It’s the feet that take us to war, and the hands that carry the load. It’s the head that figures what to bite and what to chew. It’s the backbone that gives us staying power and the muscle that gives us strength. And it’s the skin that holds us together and the heart that converts a will to win to a way to win. Yes, logistics is more than “tail.” That’s my view.

Lt Gen Loren Reno Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Installations and Mission Support; Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.

COL DALEY, We are so grateful to you for the leadership and sacrifice you have provided through the years.

We know it wasn’t easy – juggling great big jobs – group commander et al. Still you found time to put together a WORLD CLASS publication (and put up with Marta) thank you, thank you! You are indeed a class act. Fletch- you have some mighty tall boots to fill.

In your debt, The Men and Women of LOA 5 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

VOICES | RICHEY

SES Speaks To quote that great American poet, Willie Nelson, “Ain’t it funny, how time slips away.”

I can still remember the day in 1977 that I reported to Tinker AFB to start my new job as a ‘logistics management specialist’…whatever that might be! I’m not sure I’ve figured it out yet, but I’ve spent the last 34 years working closely with some of the Air Force’s best. As I approach the end of my career in Federal Service, the LOA asked me

Mr. Garry B. Richey

to provide some thoughts and perspective after a long career as a logistician.

What’s changed:  Technology—The equipment, tools, and software we are using to repair, track and transport our weapon systems has transformed radically in the last few decades. In addition, our communication tools have made enterprise management a possibility, and ECSS will give us capability we couldn’t imagine when I started my career.  Teammates—Early in my career I rarely interacted with anyone in the Reserve Component. Over the last decade we’ve relied on them as never before. Maybe a bigger change has been the extent to which we’ve partnered with industry. When I led the government’s bid team for the engine workload resulting from the closure of Kelly AFB, we faced quite a challenge to get permission to use a strategy that consisted of a true partnership with industry. But it just made sense. And after we won the competition (and saved over $1B!), we’ve had over a decade of timely, quality and cost effective propulsion production.  Top Jobs—Although civilians have always held key leadership positions, especially in AFMC, over the past decade the door has opened much wider for great leadership opportunities. I served with Mr. Bob Conner when he became the first civilian to be the Director of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. Early in my career I couldn’t have dreamed of having the chance to be a MAJCOM A4/7—there never had been a civilian to hold that position. Now there are three of us. These are exciting times for all loggies, but especially for civilians.

What hasn’t changed:  Purpose—Despite the significant changes noted above, some things are constant. Our logisticians still are committed to provide world-class support to our Warfighters. Throughout my career I’ve been blessed to work with people who are truly dedicated in their service to our country.  Pride—I’ve always been proud to serve alongside logistics heroes who exemplify the AF core values of integrity, service and excellence….that hasn’t changed.  Perspective—Theodore Roosevelt said, “The greatest prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard, at work worth doing.” I’ve always known that the work we do as AF logisticians is worthy work. But now we have so many people who daily go into harm’s way, it makes our work especially vital. To think that I’ve had a small role to play in the defense of our nation’s freedom has added value and meaning to my career.

Will Rogers (‘another’ famous Okie) said, “We can’t all be heroes. Some of us have to sit on the curb and applaud while they march by.” I’m thankful for the many heroes I’ve had the chance to team with, and rest assured, I’ll be applauding as you continue to march!

Mr Garry B. Richey Before his retirement, Mr Garry B. Richey, a member of the Senior Executive Service, was the Director of Logistics, Installations and Mission Support, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.

6 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

VOICES | ATTI

Focus on a LOA Industry Partner Industry Spotlight on ATTI Partnering - The Last Fifteen Years ATTI has been a corporate member of LOA since 1995 and we would like to say thank you. ATTI is a proud partner of LOA, where it has advertised its Benchtop Reconfigurable Automatic Testers (BRAT) in the Exceptional Release since the winter 1995 issue. ATTI has provided BRAT testers and Test Program Sets (TPS) to the Air Force since 1992, and to date has delivered over 100 BRAT testers and in excess of 400 TPS. Ten years ago, in the spring 2001 edition of the Exceptional Release, then-Major Algene Fryer wrote an article about improving readiness by partnering. In the article he described the benefits Tinker AFB received through their partnership with ATTI. Additionally, ATTI partnered with the WR-ALC Depot, and the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System ( JTIDS) Program Office has established a depot repair capability for JTIDS for all DoD and foreign military installs. This partnership provides the necessary stations and TPS resources to allow WR-ALC to in-source worldwide JTIDS avionics repair. The in-sourcing of this workload ensures long term support and continued good use of the JTIDS avionics fielded.

Partnering - The Next Fifteen Years - TPS Obsolescence Mitigation Since the inception of Automated Test Systems (ATS), engineers have struggled with the dilemma of delivering cost effective solutions that provide optimum testing. Each of the test systems produced have one important common element: the Test Program Set (TPS). Each TPS is developed for and on a respective test system and follows the target system’s specified development guidelines. The TPS executes on the test system most commonly referred to as the ATS, or sometimes as Automatic Test Equipment (ATE). ATTI’s test system is referred to as the BRAT. During the last 15-20 years the US Air Force has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in TPSs to be hosted and supported by its BRAT testers.

It has been 20 years since the BRAT entered service, and some of the original test instruments are obsolete and unsupportable. Historically, ATS replacement and modernization has been an extremely costly effort. This is because when the ATS is replaced or modernized, millions of dollars in TPS software becomes invalid or requires extensive overhaul. ATTI designed the BRAT ATS architecture with a patented technology that protects the US Air Force’s investment in TPSs. Today, TPS Obsolescence Mitigation Technology allows the US Air Force to look to their contractor partner and achieve hundreds of millions of dollars in cost savings by avoiding TPS rehost and migration.

ATTI has applied its patent pending Obsolescence Mitigation Technology and developed Obsolescence Mitigation Replacements (OMR) specifically designed to support the requirements of the entire BRAT family of testers, Interface Test Adapters (ITAs), TPSs and logistic utilization support. OMR kits are commercially available for every obsolete instrument in a BRAT. Incorporating the OMRs into existing BRATs can perpetually extend the life of the BRATs and allow the use of existing programs at a fraction of their replacement cost. K ATTI President Hector Gavilla visits with General Douglas Fraser, USSOUTHCOM at the 2010 LOA National Conference in Orlando. (LOA Photo)

7 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

VOICES | AF AWARDS

The Best of the Best: 2010 Air Force Awards Lieutenant Colonel Joel Gartner Lt Col Gartner was awarded the 2010 Col Cynthia L. Benulis AF Logistics Readiness FGO of the Year in recognition of his outstanding contributions to logistics readiness. During the award period he was assigned as the Commander for the 86 LRS, Ramstein AB, Germany. He commanded the AF’s largest ELRS and earned the Bronze Star for exemplary leadership, along with his LRS earning “excellent” ORI ratings.

Captain Anthony Myers Capt Myers was awarded the AF Logistics Readiness CGO of the Year in recognition of his superb contributions to deployment and distribution operations. During the award period he was assigned as the Deployment and Distribution Flight Commander for the 23 LRS, Moody AFB, GA. He deployed the AF’s only CSAR wing to support combat ops for OIF and OEF, and earned Joint Com Medal for outstanding performance during his AOR deployment.

20th Logistics Readiness Squadron 20 LRS was awarded the Daedalian Maj Gen Warren R. Carter Logistics Effectiveness Gold Award in recognition of their outstanding support to the ACC mission at Shaw AFB, SC. They led AF’s largest combat F-16CJ wing, ranking #1 in the AF in both F-16 TNSMCS and MC rates.

375 Logistics Readiness Squadron The 375 LRS was awarded the AF Logistics Readiness Squadron, Non-Flying Unit, of the Year award in recognition of their outstanding support to the AMC mission at Scott AFB, IL. They provided flawless DV support to USTRANSCOM/AMC events along with earning and “excellent” ORI rating and an “outstanding” LCAP rating.

8 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

VOICES | AF AWARDS

The 1st Special Operations Logistics Readiness Squadron 1st SOLRS was awarded the Daedalian Maj Gen Warren R. Carter Logistics Effectiveness Bronze Award in recognition of their outstanding support to the AFSOC mission at Hurlburt Field, FL. Their stellar Haiti relief efforts led to 1 SOW “excellent” ORI rating while their AFSO21 parachute repair event saved $316K in replacements and their CV-22 AFSO21 project increased MSRP storage capacity 300%.

509th Logistics Readiness Squadron 509 LRS was awarded the Daedalian Maj Gen Warren R. Carter Logistics Effectiveness Silver Award in recognition of their outstanding support to the AFGSC mission at Whiteman AFB, MO. They earned “Best Fuels Mgt Flight” in AFGSC, were lauded by USSTRATCOM for partnering with Rotary Int’l/USAID to lead Honduras humanitarian aid, and their innovative Cargo Deployment Function ops proved crucial to their wing’s “excellent” NORI rating. K

9 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

VOICES | PERSPECTIVES

Perspectives Our Industry Partners – The Key to Our Success In Step with Brigadier General (Ret) Peter J. Hennessey, Vice President, Business Development for Battelle - National Security Global Business.

ER: This Summer Edition focuses on the special relationship between our active duty Air Force units and our industry partners. Having experienced both perspectives as a senior leader in the Air Force and with Battelle, what are key factors that produce a productive and enduring relationship between contractor and Air Force units?

Brig Gen Hennessey: There’s only one key factor. In a word, “Trust”. Both sides must respect each other and enter the relationship with a genuine sense of trust—and then continue earning that trust through consistent daily behavior. Each must know what success looks like for the other—and it’s not just about checking all the boxes on the contract or paying all the invoices. Too often it’s merely the contract document that defines the relationship, and that’s a recipe for underachieving. In those instances, parties quietly question each other’s motives (e.g., “excessive profit” versus “getting something for nothing”, etc.), and are spring loaded to find failure and fault. There’s little tolerance for error, and let’s face it, there are precious few efforts conceived and executed perfectly, because we operate in a complex environment with imperfect knowledge. The best trust-based relationships I’ve seen are where both parties are consciously working toward each other’s success.

Could you review Battelle’s business partnerships with the Air Force?

Brig Gen Hennessey: I want to avoid coming across like a sales pitch. So, let me just say we have Battelle avionics flying in F-16s and rotary wing aircraft, Battelle advanced optical mesh technology in sensor windows on multiple platforms including F-35, and much of the deployed bio-sensing technology is ours.

I think our long-term analytic support of the AFTOC program is fairly well known, and you’re beginning to see us bring more than four decades of experience managing labs for the Department of Energy to help solve the energy security and sustainability challenges facing our Air Force. If the AF is looking for a relationship involving autonomous undersea vehicles, we have some awesome ones already operating…out there somewhere (smile).

10 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

We thank Battelle as a long standing supporter of LOA. Can you describe the Battelle-LOA relationship and what that relationship means to Battelle?

Brig Gen Hennessey: As you know, I consider LOA an important catalyst and vital professional development component for this community of practice—so important, that in my tour as AMC/LG, we started seven new chapters and tripled membership within the command—in a year. My Battelle colleagues and I believe LOA is still that important, and that’s why we fund chapter-level scholarships and events in addition to what we do at the national level. LOA is headed in the right direction, and we want to do what we can to encourage and support.

What do you think we can do to make LOA and the ER even more appealing to industry leaders?

Brig Gen Hennessey: That’s a great question because I’ve seen so much improvement in how LOA and the ER are addressing the community at large—and individual membership segments—and the industry piece has great potential. I think LOA conferences and ER would benefit from including industry more

substantively. Put industry on the stage and in breakout sessions at the national conference, and include more industry content in the ER— but, prohibit “sales pitches”. I know it would enrich current conversations on topical issues, and a more informed client is always a good thing for industry. I also think making industry more integral to LOA would definitely help with engendering trust as we discussed earlier.

What are the most prominent advantages and disadvantages of replacing organic military services with contracting industry partners?

Brig Gen Hennessey: I would hesitate to suggest there are any absolute truths in contrasting organic and contract support. One clear disadvantage of a contractor as the only source is the risk of the company going out of business. It happened to me when I led the C-5 program, and it took almost a year of litigation to recover assets and essential tooling. The disruption to program sustainment was significant. Interestingly enough, I also had an ALC as a single source for multiple components— and its poor performance impacted depot and weapon system performance even more than that company in default. Performance risk

VOICES | BATTELLE is the issue whether organic or contract, and thorough government due diligence is the real key. A clear advantage of contract support is in temporarily augmenting organic capability for transitory requirements—which could range from months to years. It’s smart for the government to augment in lieu of excessive overtime or hiring full-time workforce. In the long run, excessive overtime is an insidious drain on productivity and impacts safety. It only makes sense to add full-time staff when there’s an enduring requirement for those skills. Otherwise, you’re economically and operationally challenged to overcome the initial training and learning curve burden—and you suffer a large fixed-cost penalty over the long-term if those skills aren’t productive. With uncertainties abounding about force structure, contract augmentation mitigates a lot of risk. Further, contract sources offer fully qualified and proficient labor while the Air Force is rebuilding its civilian workforce. It’s not just about mechanics; it’s also an available advantage in engineering and other skills.

To address shrinking operational budgets some defense analysts argue for a shift from contracted to organic services. Others contend that over the long term, increased performance results offset higher contractor costs compared to like organic services.

How do we find the right mix when to contract and when to remain organic?

Brig Gen Hennessey: Your question gets to the heart of the apparent conundrum—which is how to effectively optimize economics, performance and risk. There’s no easy answer. The Air Force deliberately chose to put things on contract for really good reasons—many times centered on saving money. I think it’s important to understand what has changed in each particular circumstance such that additional savings are now achievable by reversing those decisions. We’re back to that issue about “due diligence”, and I think a real complication involves the government’s ability to perform credible “should cost” analyses. The government gets market pricing for the private sector through competition. Estimating organic cost is more difficult because there’s a lot of variability on the organic side when considering basic FPRA [Forward Pricing Rate Agreement] elements for out-year performance and cost. Also, we’re having this discussion without the context of a clear strategy for the nation’s industrial base. America needs a strategy.

Let’s shift gears. Looking back on your outstanding Air Force career, what leadership lessons learned could you share with our CGO readers?

Brig Gen Hennessey: The biggest lesson is simply remembering leadership is all about people. Not rank or position. Not airplanes.

Not PME. People! What immediately comes to mind are a couple quotes that still ring loud and clear. Early in my career I was told, “People want to know how much you care, before they care how much you know.” Bull’s-eye—it’s the essential first building block of any relationship.

I’ll not recite the other quote, my favorite definition of leadership; though I’d hope some of my students recall it. The key for me is how it eschews focusing on “tricks or skills” in favor of centering on “the person who is the leader”… and his or her personal “quality, character, courage…and ethics and moral compass”. It suggests the basis for the conduct of leadership is something embodied in the person, not in rank or position. That construct removed a lot of false boundaries for me. No longer did I need to consider seniority or having formal authority conveyed to me before I could “lead”—I only needed to remain alert for opportunities where leadership was needed, and I could make a difference. Pairing that approach with core values of integrity, service, and excellence is quite empowering—and effective. Whether situations called for action or just personal example, I had plenty of opportunity to act, grow and make a difference as a leader every day of my career— regardless of rank or position.

How difficult was it to transition from an Air Force senior leader to business executive? Any recommendations for our readers who will transition to the private sector after their Air Force careers?

Brig Gen Hennessey: I’ve found the transition quite seamless. My current employment situation is one of mutual respect and great cultural alignment. The things that really mattered to my Air Force also matter to my company.

That’s a great thing. Sure, the business world is different, but I haven’t had to change who I am to succeed here. My experience in managing cost-based financials and system performance outcomes in depot maintenance and acquisition programs provided a solid foundation for the business world. As important, my experience with the intensity and unstructured complexity of real-world operations has me fearing no crisis I may face in the business environment. Transition advice?

(1) Talk to a lot of people with the intent of better understanding for yourself what you want to do. Fortunately, loggies have quite a few options in the private sector—program/site management, business development, technical operations—but, it’s critical to understand

what you want to do out of all those things you are qualified to do.

(2) Work hard on “civilianizing” your resume as the exercise that can most help you make the mental transition to the private sector—so you get away from thinking about how good an Airman you were, to specifically, how can I add value to a company—so much so that they’ll hire me to do it! When I see a resume that reads like a military bio, invariably discussion confirms the mental transition hasn’t yet occurred.

(3) Do something you feel is important—do it somewhere where you can see how you will add value and have an impact—and do it with people you respect and who respect you.

(4) Finally, put your rank somewhere safe, and leave it there.

What military leadership attributes are valuable to ensuring a successful career in private industry?

Brig Gen Hennessey: The private sector is also about people, so the basics are the same—and my earlier comments cover a lot of it. Caring, character, values. Taking care of people who then, in turn, take care of the institution. We look at company success as simply individual successes occurring on a large scale, aggregated for business impact. I think that’s a useful perspective.

As a senior business executive in industry, what issues appear on the horizon that could affect logistic support to the Warfighters?

Brig Gen Hennessey: On this point, I think I worry about the same things our current Air Force senior leaders worry about today. Aging force structure, declining sustainment funding—sophisticated, elusive, evolving threats.

Our nation’s financial issues are undeniable, and the pace at which we need to address the challenges will offer plenty of opportunity for significant unintended consequences that exacerbate the areas of significant risk we’ll already know about from the programmatic decisions.

I will say there’s one thing I’m certain won’t surface as a logistics support issue, no matter how tough things get—and that’s the persistent level of dedication and innovation loggies will bring to the fight each and every day ... overcoming problems dollars once fixed … doing whatever it takes to make sure adversaries fear us, and when they don’t, we have the ability to keep our nation safe. K

11 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

FROM THE FLIGHTLINE

Logistics Partnership United States Air Force Europe’s Key to Operational Success

By Major Frank J. Copous and Chief Master Sergeant Randy Sadler How can a major command like the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) move thousands of personnel, tons of equipment and supplies to support military operations within their area of responsibility or around the globe in just a few weeks? The answer is short, but complex. Alone, USAFE cannot accomplish this task; however, through partnership with commercial transportation partners, this goal has been achieved with great success. This partnership, both on the national and international front, is a key factor in assuring our national interests and security objectives are met.

The United States Congress has recognized the importance of such a vital partnership during times of war and contingencies. US policy has been established to utilize industry transportation capabilities to make their personnel and equipment available to the DoD should the need arise. USAFE doesn’t just depend on the transportation industry during contingencies; it also requires their support to ensure daily operations can be accomplished. This includes supporting the American Airmen and their families who call Europe home for a short period of time. This partnership transcends every transportation arena from sea, land and air to ensure continual mission success for USAFE operations.

Movement Control Throughout the last two decades, the Air Force has continually refined their expertise in moving equipment, supplies and personnel to support units assigned overseas, the war on terrorism and natural disasters around the globe.

However, no script can determine the number of obstacles logisticians face during any given movement. During these moves, we are ex12 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

pected to set-up, maintain and ensure movement is sustained 24/7 until goods or personnel are received regardless of the obstacles. Sun Tzu said it best, “The line between disorder and order lies in logistics.” The key to this order is “Movement Control” and it is the foundation of USAFE’s partnership with the commercial transportation industry.

The United States Army defines movement control as the planning, routing, scheduling, controlling, coordination and in-transit visibility of personnel, units, equipment and supplies over Line(s) of Communication (LOC) and the commitment of allocated transportation assets according to command planning directives. It is a continuum that involves synchronizing and integrating logistics efforts with other programs that span the spectrum of military operations at the strategic, operational and tactical levels. Movement control is a tool used to help allocate resources based on the combatant commander’s priorities and to balance requirements against capabilities (Source: www.rdl. train.army.mil, Movement Control Overview,

USAFE doesn’t just depend on the transportation industry during contingencies; it also requires their support to ensure daily operations can be accomplished.

Chapter 1). This definition outlines what to expect in a movement control operation, but in order to protect national security during peacetime and wartime, we need to continue to build partnerships in the transportation arena by focusing on movement control at every level. First, let’s look at how this partnership has benefitted USAFE and the commercial transportation industry through ocean transport.

The Partnership with Commercial Carriers Both USAFE and the commercial transportation industry benefit from transporting a large portion of the Air Force’s annual equipment and supplies over the ocean. USAFE has a total of five Water Port Liaison Offices (WPLO) that provide representation for Air Force assets arriving at these ports by validating ownership and coordinating onward movement of goods to their final destination. The WPLO, Surface Deployment and Distribution

COPOUS & SADLER Mr. Lucchesi Giovanni, USAFE Water Port Liaison Officer, inspects cargo that has arrived at the Livorno Water Port in Italy.

(Photo by TSgt Deron Walker)

Command (SDDC) and commercial shipping carriers work closely together to ensure movement control and delivery of equipment and supplies at waterports. The commercial transportation industry moves thousands of short tons of equipment and supplies annually by ocean liner in support of USAFE operations. These items range from staircase trucks to essential maintenance parts needed to keep equipment running. Additionally, over 5,600 personally owned vehicles (POV ) were moved in 2010 through Kaiserslautern, Germany in support of DoD members assigned in Europe.

Each POV moved through waterports on commercial carriers. This partnership continues to support economic growth of the transportation industry and ensures USAFE can successfully accomplish their mission.

An example of this partnership has been the constant need to retrograde cargo between OCONUS and CONUS munitions depots

called TURBO CADS. TURBO CADS is a joint exercise movement of munitions used to test the containerized ammunition distribution system. For this program to work, it is not unusual for various experts to plan and execute movement in upwards of 1,500 ISO containers in multiple countries. Likewise, waterport operations range from 60 to 200 personnel working in unison to ensure each Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, container, convoy, proper Arms, Ammunition and Explosives (AA&E) classification is 100 percent accurate for proper sequencing of convoy, loading and stowage on commercial vessels supporting USAFE operations.

According to Mr. Kurt Lengert, the National Defense Transportation Association’s European Regional President, DoDIndustry partnerships like those mentioned are a “Win-Win situation when moving consumables/material which are no different from material available on the market. However, movement of controlled materials is challenging with an increasing trend in Europe after 9/11 and after increasing European OSHA standards.” Challenges like this will always abound in global transportation. The same applies in partnership, but when we are working toward a common goal, keeping the lines of communication open and compromising when the need arises, it will always be a win/win for both parties.

An example that illustrates this partnership is the incorporation of the RFID initiative; the DOD has placed significant training and infrastructure investment while ensuring consistent transportation policy across all links in the chain of logistics to include commercial operations. Today, with just a few keystrokes, a combatant commander’s staff can acquire status, present location and description of each article of war being shipped through the Defense Transportation System under any USTRANSCOM umbrella. However, with-

out a strong partnership with the commercial transportation industry to incorporate these advancements in communication and technology, the RFID initiative would not be possible.

The overarching fact is commercial transportation has been able to accomplish a mission using the oceans which would strain the US military’s ability to move equipment throughout Europe and the world if accomplished independently. Movement of this equipment and supplies doesn’t stop at the water ports.

An additional phase in the partnership must be explored because assets must continue their journey toward their final destination by land using either rail or tractor trailer.

It’s like orchestrating a complex concert of moving parts. The new wave is intermodal logistics: linking sea, air and land transportation to enhance cost and mission effectiveness.

Intermodal Logistics It’s like orchestrating a complex concert of moving parts. The new wave is intermodal logistics: linking sea, air and land transportation to enhance cost and mission effectiveness.

However, for every piece of equipment off loaded at a waterport, it must have forward movement by either rail or tractor trailer. Each of the containers, vehicles, and equipment items must be validated and scheduled for movement. This overall process is performed by USTRANSCOM, but as previously mentioned, USAFE WPLO are responsible for clearing USAFE cargo, performing traffic management “dominant user” responsibilities such as arranging onward surface movement and customs clearance of cargo. This ground movement is just one aspect of how the commercial transportation industry supports USAFE by ensuring the mission is completed. The largest portion of this land support is the use of commonly associated organizations like UPS and DHL throughout Europe. These types of organizations are able to deliver thousands of packages across the continent throughout the year. They provide a vital base-to-base support system that enhances the command’s ability to efficiently and effectively accomplish their daily missions. Without this partnership, the response time and effectiveness of the USAFE operational mission could be stressed immensely.

 13 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

FROM THE FLIGHTLINE | LOGISTICS PARTNERSHIP

Members of the 721st Aerial Port Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany download an Atlas Air 747 using 60K-loaders. The 60K-loader is capable of holding up to six pallet positions ensuring the quickest possible turn time for aircraft loading and downloading operations. (Photo by MSgt Kevin Brown)

However, we can’t forget about the phase of ground transportation that affects every service member in USAFE. This is the most important phase to the member when they have a permanent change of station. Of course, we are talking about household goods (HHG) moves. In 2011, the Consolidated Personal Property Shipment Office (CPPSO) located in Einsiedlerhof, Germany processed over 14,000 inbound and outbound shipments in support of the Kaiserslautern Military Community in Germany. Ms. Grazia Pasvogel, the Director of the CPPSO, states it best when she said, “A good rapport between USAFE and our Industry partners is the foundation which determines the efficiency of moving personal property for our AF members. We will continue to build upon this strong relationship, which is the core of the mission’s success.” This strong partnership is vital for all HHG shipments in the USAFE command to ensure member’s quality of life standard stays constant, which directly affect the overall readiness of a unit.

The importance of ground transportation cannot be overstated; however, if USAFE needs to move a piece of equipment across the globe by the fastest mode possible, air transportation is the best option.

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When USAFE requires the movement of more cargo and passengers than organic capabilities can provide, commercial capability is leveraged to support these movements around the world. This is done when USTRANSCOM negotiates contracts with multiple carriers to provide planeload capability to the DoD during peacetime and other contingency operations. For example, commercial carriers moved over 160,000 passengers and 55,000 short tons on 2,800 missions through Ramstein AB in Germany last year. Again, this partnership provides USAFE with the ability to move personnel and equipment. It has also provided an economic pull for the commercial transportation industry. The added benefit for USAFE is the reduced time required to get Mission Critical Parts and personnel to their required location. Moreover, in an effort to better utilize military and commercially chartered aircraft, USTRANSCOM has negotiated the Worldwide Express contract with carriers such as UPS, FedEx and DHL to expedite the movement of cargo over routes where utilizing an entire aircraft strictly for DoD use would not be cost effective. These capabilities provide the US armed forces the integral support necessary to achieve key strategic objectives for the defense of the nation and our allies.

The Bottom Line The bottom line is the commercial transportation industry is integral to the success of the DoD mission. Our industry partners have answered the nation’s call during peacetime and contingencies. Whether we utilize industry capabilities to move DoD cargo or passengers via sea, land or air, this enduring partnership will continue to flourish to ensure peace and stability worldwide.

About the Authors: Maj Frank Copous is an Air Force Logistics Readiness Officer assigned to HQ USAFE at Ramstein AB, Germany. He is currently the A4RT Chief of Transportation Policy and has been in the Air Force over 22 years with 11 year of logistics experience.

CMSgt Randy Sadler is the MAJCOM Functional Manager for Air Transportation in USAFE and is currently stationed at Ramstein AB, Germany. He has served in the Air Force for over 19 years with tours at Diego Garcia, Yokota AB, Kadena AB and the CENTCOM AOR. K

FROM THE FLIGHTLINE

This is Not An Exercise:

Lessons Learned from the Aircraft Mishaps at Joint Base ElmendorfRichardson

By Second Lieutenant Casey D. Coleman, Mr. Jeff Ransom, and Lieutenant Colonel Roel Zamora “Best Seen To Date.” That’s how the 2008 PACAF Unit Compliance Inspection (UCI) report described the 3rd Maintenance Group’s (MXG) Crash/Recovery program in 2008. In 2010, UCI inspectors named the Crash/Recovery section as an “Outstanding Team.” Earning such high accolades under exercise or inspection conditions is one thing. Being able to execute the mission in a real-world hazardous environment is quite another. After two recent aircraft mishaps, members of the 3 MXG’s Crash/Recovery team were called upon to do just that. The two mishap scenarios could not have been more different, but the 3 MXG’s Crash/Recovery team was able to succeed in each case by relying on sound training, solid leadership, and tremendous support from their fellow Arctic Warriors.

Sitka 43. It is fair to say that no one on the Crash/Recovery team ever imagined the possibility of dealing with a C-17 mishap. Crash related Emergency Management Exercises (EMEs) traditionally revolved around fighter scenarios such as clearing a disabled jet from the runway or doing a bladder lift. But on 28 July 2011, JBER found itself dealing with the recovery of a 200,000 pound C-17, rather than the anticipated 43,000 pound F-22. In addition to adjusting to the scope of the crash site, there were numerous other factors to address. These factors included supporting a major air show just two days after the mishap, dealing with one of the wettest Alaska summers on record, and frequent site visits from predatory animals such as wolves and bears. Since this was the first-ever total loss of a C-17, there was no technical data available to guide the team through

the recovery effort. As Mr. Jeff Ransom, Maintenance Operations Officer in the 3rd Equipment Maintenance Squadron (EMS), explained, “We’re writing the book on C-17 recovery.” Even though preparation ranged from training scenarios to the crash response trailer in response to an F-22 crash, the basic principles of operating in a mishap environment were the same.

Recovery Operations After an initial site assessment, Maintenance Group and Crash/Recovery Team leadership met to determine requirements for the recovery operation. The first requirement was to identify and train a workforce large enough to sustain 24/7 operations at the crash site for an estimated 30 days. As with a F-22, the biggest concern for the C-17 site was potential exposure to composite fibers used extensively in the aircraft’s vertical stabilizer and fuselage. In true Arctic Warrior fashion, maintainers from across the 3 MXG answered the call for Crash/Recovery augmentees.

Within a day, a team of 120 personnel from across the group was trained on how to work safely in a hazardous environment while wearing Tyvek suits and respirators.

Although 3rd Wing personnel provided most of the manpower for the recovery operation, our fellow Airmen from the host 673rd Air Base Wing also made significant contributions. The 673rd Contracting Squadron helped establish adequate sources of supply and inventory levels of consumables like Tyvek suits and respirator filters, as well as wax and C-pack material used to collect composite fibers. The 673rd Logistics Readiness Squadron built crates and supplied pallets, dunnage and flatbed trailers to transport aircraft wreckage to the Safety Investigation Board’s operating location. The 773rd Civil Engineering Squadron built a dirt road to provide easier access to the wooded crash site. They also provided heavy equipment and operators including an excavator with shears used to cut aircraft wreckage into smaller pieces to facilitate easier transport. Members of the 673rd Security Forces Squadron controlled access to the crash site and provided “Predator Patrols” to keep the bears and wolves from getting too close to the operation. Finally, Base Environmental Engineers closely monitored air quality on the site and provided guidance on where to set up boundaries and decon areas.

One critically important requirement for the recovery effort was to identify a cadre of trusted leaders to keep the overall operation on track.

Historically, the base Fire Chief was responsible for serving as the Incident Commander A Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson C-17 Globemaster III prepares to take to the skies (USAF photo)

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COLEMAN, RANSOM & ZAMORA during the emergency phase of an aircraft mishap, while Emergency Management experts managed the site during the recovery phase.

However, the 2009 edition of Air Force Manual 10-2504, Air Force Incident Management Guidance For Major Accidents And Natural Disasters, states for the recovery phase of an incident to be managed by a “subject matter expert,” rather than by Emergency Management personnel. In the case of Sitka 43, the subject matter expert was an aircraft maintainer.

CMSgt Randy Wood, who served as Recovery Operations Chief, coordinated the efforts of more than a dozen base agencies involved in the Sitka 43 recovery.

Recovery Operations C/W Once all personnel and plans were in place, the actual movement of aircraft wreckage went remarkably well. Initial objectives included recovering the remains of the four Airmen who went down with the aircraft, preserving evidence for the Safety Investigation Board, and clearing a stretch of railroad tracks in the debris area to facilitate repair by the Alaska Railroad Company. After those objectives were accomplished, the Crash/Recovery team, led

by MSgt Monty Wood, MSgt Matthew Flowers, TSgt Marshall Barker and TSgt Nathaniel Matthews, was given the green light to expedite the recovery. When all was said and done, the team collected 168 crates and 139 pallets of wreckage in just 23 days. Despite operating in extremely hazardous conditions, the team experienced only one minor injury.

wreckage was strewn over a 7 million square foot area and many identifiable pieces of the aircraft were still intact, including the flight data recorders and tail section.

In stark contrast, the F-22 crash, call sign Rocky 03, may well have been a worst case scenario. In this case, the pilot lost contact In an Alaskan winter, there is only a few hours of daylight so recovery personwith his wingman nel had to use Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE) to illuminate the site. Adwhile performing a ditionally, sustained below zero temperatures and drifting snow is the norm!) training mission on a (Photo taken by SSgt Megan Darelius) cold November night, Although exposure to composite materials was so there were no witnesses to the crash. The an important consideration, the main concern jet went down in the frozen tundra of central was the threat posed to the recovery team by Alaska, about 150 miles from base and 27 miles extreme weather conditions and being able to from the nearest road. Rescue helicopters did sustain operations for an extended period of not find the site until over 12 hours after contime. After all known facts were considered, tact was lost with the pilot. The F-22 crashed the decision was made to establish a forward at a very high angle of attack, then exploded, operating base (FOB) at the abandoned Susitcreating a 15 foot deep crater and blowing na Lodge, which would provide the lifeline to hundreds of small, mostly unidentifiable parts, Site Raptor. About 120 members from support across a 1 million square foot debris field. Due agencies across JBER, led by Lt Col Tim Gilto the surrounding mountainous terrain, there laspie of the 773rd Logistics Readiness Squadwas no direct sunlight at Site Raptor, and there ron, headed out via ground convoy to establish was an average of only 8 hours of daylight. the FOB. At the same time, members of the During the teams thirteen days on site, temRecovery Operations team were airlifted to the peratures ranged from a high of +5 degrees to crash site to begin the recovery effort. a low of –34 degrees. By the time the recovery team was pulled from the site, there was over Led by Mr. Jeff Ransom, the recovery team 20 inches of snow on the ground. consisted of 10 Crash/Recovery technicians,

Rocky 03. As aircraft mishaps go, Sitka 43 was about as close to a best case scenario as one could hope for, including several eye witnesses and video of the incident, close proximity and ease of access to the site, and relatively favorable weather conditions. Also, the C-17 crashed at a low angle of attack. The

With the desolate and dangerous crash site, careful planning was accomplished before beginning the Rocky 03 recovery effort. An initial site survey team consisting of Search and Rescue and Crash/Recovery personnel was taken to the site via an Alaska Air National Guard (ANG) helicopter.

The survey team’s debrief Here 3rd Wing Crash Damaged Disabled Aircraft Recovery (CDDAR) was grim--a deep crater, no personnel and US Army personnel are en-route to Site Raptor via the sign of the pilot, small piecSUSVs. Due to the austere location of the incident, the Army was eses of debris, and the site was sential in enabling safe, yet expedient passage to and from the site. {Photo taken by SSgt Megan Darelius) accessible only by helicopter or snow machine.

Contending with the Dynamic Environment in ALASKA Rather than having 24/7 sustained operations, as with Sitka 43, Wing leadership decided to only send enough people to conduct a one-shift operation.

one AGE technician, two Security Forces members, one independent duty medical technician, and one Bio-environmental technician. The team was augmented by two Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape (SERE) instructors who gave a “crash course” on arctic survival and provided important safety tips on a daily basis. To a person, members of the recovery team gave full credit to the SERE instructors with bringing everyone home safely.

Additionally, the team was fortunate to have the support of three Army Northern Warfare Training Center instructors who established a functional base camp, and two USAF Tactical Air Control Party (TAC-P) members who set up a landing zone and established radio contact with, re-supply helicopters.

The story of Site Raptor is a classic case study on the importance of logistics. Since there were no usable roads, the primary methods of transporting personnel and supplies from the FOB to the site were the Security Forces’ snow

 17 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

FROM THE FLIGHTLINE | THIS IS NOT AN EXERCISE machines and the Army’s tracked, Small Unit Support Vehicles (SUSVs). Helicopter support from the Alaska Guard and the Army provided a third mode of transportation, primarily used to move time critical items for the SIB. Although Rocky 03 went down on relatively flat ground, the surrounding mountainous terrain did not allow for a large base camp to be established. Low cloud ceilings and mechanical problems with the SUSVs meant the possibility of being cut off due to severe weather was very real. For this reason, the philosophy was to only have the minimum number of personnel needed on-site to complete the job. According to Mr. Ransom, keeping an adequate supply of fuel, food and water on-hand was his top concern during the 13 days at Site Raptor.

As long as the team maintained a minimum stock of supplies, they would be able to hunker down and survive for up to three days if necessary. Eventually, the Army found a good battle rhythm and the SUSVs became the primary mode of re-supply for the recovery team.

Among the favorite deliveries made from the FOB were a deep fryer, a turkey, potatoes, stuffing, and French fries for Thanksgiving Dinner.

After eating MREs for over a week, a hearty Thanksgiving Dinner provided quite a morale boost for the team.

Extremely limited communication with both the FOB and JBER proved to be one of the biggest challenges for Site Raptor. Satellite phones were unreliable, and setting up repeaters or running wire for land lines was not feasible due to terrain and isolated location. After a few days, a push to talk satellite radio proved to be the most reliable form of communication.

Once comm was established, a daily teleconference was set up to facilitate unity of effort between the site, the FOB and the Loggies from the 3 WG and 673 ABW. Representatives from US Army Alaska (USARAK) also attended the daily meeting, which was very

helpful in expediting airlift support for transportation of human remains and other time critical items.

Despite the best efforts of the Crash/Recovery team, the weather eventually became too severe to safely continue the operation. On 30 November, the SIB President, 3 WG and 673 ABW leadership decided to cease recovery efforts and pull all personnel from the site. In thirteen days on the site, 4 crates and 98 3ft x 2ft bags of wreckage were recovered. Plans are currently being made at JBER to resume the recovery effort in the Spring of 2011.

It is impossible to prepare for every contingency in the Crash/Recovery world. However, as the Arctic Warriors have shown, by following the tried and true principles of sound training, strong leadership, and outstanding teamwork, any challenge can be overcome.

Lessons Learned.

The 3 MXG’s Crash/Recovery Team, along with all the base agencies who supported them, certainly lived up to their reputation during the two crash recovery efforts of 2010. Still, there were numerous lessons learned from the Sitka 43 and Rocky 03 recovery efforts that other units can benefit from considering.

Among them: 1.

2.

About the Authors: 2LT Casey D. Coleman is an Aircraft Maintenance Officer assigned to the 3 MXG, JBER. He is currently serving as the Maintenance Flight Commander which includes the CDDAR section.

The CDDAR section is responsible for the recovery of all 3rd Wing and Air National Guard assets (F-22, C-17, C-130, E-3 and HH-60).

Mr. Jeff Ransom is the Maintenance Operations Officer, 3 EMS, at JBER. He served over 22 years on active duty in the AGE career field and retired as a Chief Master Sergeant. He personally led Crash Recovery efforts at Site Raptor after the Rocky 03 F-22 mishap.

Lt Col Roel Zamora is the Commander, 3 EMS, at JBER. He has served in various Wing-level maintenance positions in AFSOC, PACAF, ACC, and AETC during his 17-year career. Prior to his current assignment, he was an instructor at AFROTC Detachment 088, CSU Sacramento. K

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

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9.

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MXGs should identify a cadre of personnel to serve as Recovery Operations Chiefs (ROCs). ROCs direct actions of a wide variety of agencies, including MXG, LRS, CE, SFS, and FSS support personnel. SMEs with leadership and management skills are a must Communication is key! Aside from the obvious need for reliable methods of communication, it is important to establish regular telecoms between the crash site and key support providers. Prescheduled telecoms minimize the need for multiple agencies to call with questions specific to their functional areas and allows the site to focus on the task at hand. Avoid pushing unrequested items to the site, as cargo space is at a premium. If the team needs your help, they’ll call. If they want something specific, they’ll ask for it.

If the recovery team will be working in extreme climates, consider: a. Sending SERE experts and medical technicians as part of the team b. Specialized survival skills training, such as “Cool School,” for team members Be familiar with capabilities that units outside your organization can bring to the fight, i.e. Army SUSVs, Guard helicopters, CE’s shear-equipped excavator Identify potential locations for storage of composite wreckage after recovery; cannot just place in a hangar as the facility will require extensive clean up after the SIB is completed. Our solution was to build a temporary wooden/plastic structure outside a hangar where composites could be sprayed with wax, then transferred inside Ensure availability of “cleared” personnel to transport classified materials between the site and the SIB’s location During Emergency Management Exercises, practice transitioning from the Emergency Response phase to the Recovery Operations phase Establish consumption rates for critical consumables, such as Tyvek suits, respirators, and filters, as early as possible Identify sources of supply for critical consumables. Before an emergency happens, establish contacts with Contracting experts to walk through procurement processes

FROM THE FLIGHTLINE

A Better Way than “Just Making it Happen”

By Chief Master Sergeant Mark Kovalcik and Ms. Fred McGregor There you are sitting in your truck waiting for the first crew show of the day. You’ve been looking forward to this TDY, the troops are trained, and the 12 jets you brought are ready. The Chief said there are some new requirements, but it shouldn’t be a problem meeting the increased flying hour demand. Besides, Maintenance will always “get ‘er” done. You are scheduled to support a 10-turn-0. The flying window is spread across 20 hours, but you’ve planned for this and knocked out all the scheduled maintenance to ensure no major requirements would come up during the deployment. To keep your phase flow on track, one aircraft went into your abbreviated wartime 3-day phase as soon as you hit the ground. The first 2-ship launch is out of the way, and it will be a while before the next 2-ship crew shows.

All in the Day of a Maintainer The scheduler tracks you down and informs you that due to the increased number of flying hours you have been tasked to fly, you will have four landing gear time changes while you are deployed. You begin to think about this hard and fast. You didn’t anticipate this, and don’t have the people, tools, or equipment to take care of landing gear time changes

down range. You stick to the launch, and mentally file the landing gear issue away for consideration later…that’s down the road anyway.

Right after the scheduler leaves, you get a call from Ops. One of the aircraft in the first go has a throttle malfunction and will be landing with his wingman at a divert location. To make matters worse, the divert location is over 600 miles away. Now, you have two jets at a divert location and one in phase.

The next series of launches go well, and it should be time for the second 2-ship to come back. The expediter approaches you and says that pieces of a flame holder are missing from one of the jets in the fifth go. You will have to cann the parts from the spare motor you brought. He also tells you that another aircraft is grounded because the in-flight receptacle seals are bad. He says he can have it fixed within 2 hours, but tells you that you should anticipate additional failures based on the frequent use of the in-flight refueling system.

Sometime later, the maintenance recovery team arrives at the divert location and discovers the throttle cable is bad. Supply tells you there are no cables in the system. You think to yourself: “just another day on the flightline.” How can we better capture and plan for these chal-

LtCol Clay Hall pulls to a stop with the direction of his maintainers at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea. (USAF photo by SrA Steven Doty)

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KOVALCIK & MCGREGOR lenges faced every day on the flightline?

How do we ensure our flying commitment does not exceed our maintenance capability?

Today’s Challenge As Air Force manpower shrinks and maintenance experience declines, it is vitally important that maintainers have adequate time to perform their jobs.

Recent events and inspection results indicated a negative trend in technical data and policy compliance on the part of aircraft maintainers. To address these issues, the Headquarters U.S. Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Installations and Mission Support (AF/A4/7) commissioned a team of seasoned maintainers to conduct a comprehensive assessment of today’s operational aircraft maintenance environment. The team found that “imbalances between operational requirements and maintenance capability create an envi- Airmen take part in a quarterly weapons load crew competition at Osan Air Base, South Korea. (DoD photo by SSgt ronment where maintainers feel pres- Chad Thompson) sure to deviate from technical data and Not only are personnel required in sufficient numbers to accomplish the policy to accomplish the mission.” Among the root causes was the lack mission, they must also have the right skill sets and appropriate level of of a universally accepted tool to effectively balance operational require- experience to be effective maintainers and troubleshooters. A common ments and maintenance capability at the wing level. thread in much of the literature focused on personnel availability and The assessment team discovered not all wings are accomplishing maintenance capability assessments required by Air Force Instruction (AFI) 21-101. Furthermore, for the wings that do accomplish maintenance capability assessments, the tools they use are not universally accepted or effective because they do not accurately account for the availability, experience, skill-level and productivity of maintainers. The lack of a credible, defendable and unbiased tool for determining maintenance capability makes it difficult for maintainers to articulate what is attainable when collaborating with Operations to develop the annual flying schedule.

Another root cause identified in the report was lack of a standardized and approved definition of “maintenance capability” to address the imbalance between operational requirements and maintenance capability.

The assessment team pointed out that maintenance capability is referenced twenty-one times in AFI 21-101 but the publication never defines it. For the purposes of their report, the team defined maintenance capability as “the availability of resources required to simultaneously train personnel while servicing, inspecting, and repairing aircraft and equipment.”

how skill-level impacts productivity in the maintenance organization.

To address how manpower shortages and experience fluctuations could be captured to perform maintenance capability assessments, the Air Force Director of Logistics, Integrated Life Cycle Management Policy Division (AF/A4LM), in conjunction with Booz Allen Hamilton as the strategic partner, chaired a workshop in December 2009 at Langley AFB to validate the problem and identify potential solutions. Representatives from HAF, MAJCOMs, Air National Guard and other organizations attended. The workshop applied the 8-Step Problem Solving Process to identify the underlying causes contributing to the Air Force’s inability to balance operational requirements and maintenance capability at the wing level. The workshop members formulated a problem statement by listing effects people were seeing in the maintenance organization as a result of imbalances between maintenance capability and operational requireAmong the root causes was the ments. This resulted in the following lack of a universally accepted tool problem statement:

to effectively balance operational requirements and maintenance capability at the wing level.

Laying the Ground Work A literature review identified thirty reports, briefings or papers on various efforts to define maintenance and/or sortie generation capability and capacity as well as analyses or modeling efforts to identify resources necessary to meet operational requirements. The literature review identified personnel as the most critical factor influencing maintenance capability.

“Maintenance does not have a credible, defendable Air Force standard for quantifying aircraft maintenance capability which leads to an unrealistic or inaccurate flying commitment.”

Using the 8-Step Problem Solving Process, the workshop was able to validate the need for a standard definition and credible model to quantify maintenance capability in response to ever-changing conditions at unit level that captures the dynamic relationships between the variables

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FROM THE FLIGHTLINE | A BETTER WAY... and policies affecting maintenance and sortie generation. As an initial step toward model development, the workshop drafted a working definition for maintenance capability: “Maintenance capability is a unit’s ability to generate and sustain weapons systems to support the mission.

It is composed of personnel, capacity (facilities, support equipment, and parts), and weapons systems and is affected by policies and business practices.”

In February 2010, the Air Force Director of Logistics (AF/A4L) approved the development of a proofof-concept model to demonstrate the feasibility of developing a standard tool for determining maintenance capability at the wing-level based on available maintenance capability and capacity. AF/A4L selected the A-10C aircraft in the 355th Fighter Wing at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ on which to focus the prototype effort.

Figure 1. Mx CAP2 Input and Output Examples (By Booz Allen Hamilton, 2010)

Capturing the Sortie Generation Process To embark upon capturing the dynamic environment of flightline maintenance, the Davis-Monthan maintenance and operations personnel worked in close collaboration with the Booz Allen Hamilton model development team. At the start of the project in January of 2010, the Booz Allen Hamilton model developers knew very little about sortie generation and aircraft maintenance. At the end of the process, the modeler’s knowledge and understanding had grown tremendously. Their introduction began with a tour of the flightline where they saw the actual process of launching Davis-Monthan’s A-10Cs. This provided an outstanding background for understanding the processes later in the workshops.

Through a series of additional workshops, Air Force personnel, in conjunction with Booz Allen Hamilton, developed a prototype Maintenance Capability and Capacity (Mx CAP2) discrete event simulation model to provide the rigorous analytical capabilities necessary to perform the maintenance capability assessments mandated by AFI 21-101, Aircraft and Equipment Maintenance Management. The prototype model provided the first of its kind analytical capability to assess maintenance capability by leveraging the advances in ExtendSim simulation software.

Technical Approach The team utilized a wide array of sources as input data for the model.

These sources included the A-10 Logistics Composite Model database, the Air Force Integrated Maintenance Data, the System Global Combat Support System - Air Force, the Logistics, Information Management System – Enterprise View, Training Business Area, Maintenance Operations Center logs, maintenance work center personnel availability rosters, and operational wing records such as flying schedules and historical flying hour/sortie documentation.

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The mission of aircraft maintenance is to provide safe, serviceable and properly configured aircraft to meet mission requirements. Aircraft maintenance is essential to combat capability as it enables aircrew readiness through effective sortie generation for training and wartime purposes. Maintenance organizations must strictly enforce fundamental maintenance practices and discipline to achieve aircraft readiness levels necessary to meet flying hour requirements. This includes maintaining a delicate balance between operational requirements and fleet health.

The operational planning cycle begins with development of an annual flying and maintenance plan that balances both operational requirements and maintenance capabilities. The annual flying hour program results from collaboration between the Maintenance and Operations communities in support of operational requirements. A key component of this evaluation is the First Look. The First Look Report is intended to highlight potential disconnects between operational requirements and maintenance capabilities for the upcoming year. Every year, maintenance group analysts are required to prepare a maintenance capability assessment that takes into account the availability of airframes, personnel and facilities. Airframe capability is the number of available aircraft to support the annual flying hour requirement. Personnel capability is the number of personnel available to support the operational requirement. Facility capability is available facility capacity (e.g. phase docks, fuel barns, etc.) to support critical maintenance requirements.

The model uses a broad range of inputs to calculate outputs, including hours flown, sorties flown, and utilization of personnel. Mx CAP2 also provides extensive diagnostic capabilities to identify and quantify constraints and their causes. The following figure shows some of the inputs and the outputs of the simulation model.

See Figure 1

KOVALCIK & MCGREGOR

The Way Forward A4L and Booz Allen Hamilton successfully demonstrated the feasibility of providing operational wings with a powerful decision support tool. The model uses a fact-based assured information environment to overcome limitations with existing models and to help optimize use of resources in support of the wing’s mission. The potential payoff from using the Mx CAP2 model is improved collaboration between Operations and Maintenance, more meaningful First Looks (annual flying hour projections), realistic flying schedules, improved scheduling effectiveness, identification and quantification of constraints, and the ability to perform “what-if ” assessments that will lead to better use and distribution of resources in support of the wing’s mission. This model further assures consistent application of multiple maintenance data sources in a complex multidimensional model.

CMSgt Jeffrey Brown, 355th Maintenance Group Superintendent, said of the model, “We expect the Mx CAP 2 model our maintainers and operators developed in conjunction with the BAH team to provide a standard tool for development and tweaking of our annual flying hour program. The effort we put into this program proved valuable in initial testing. It is technically far ahead of our current two-dimensional spreadsheet. The fact we can modify various parameters within the tool provides our leadership team the opportunity to focus on the “what ifs” that constantly affect maintenance operations. We fully expect a finalized model to provide further management fidelity and allow us to focus

our efforts on identifying limitations and opportunities in supporting the annual flying hour program.”

Next Step AF/A4L, in partnership with Booz Allen Hamilton, has successfully developed a prototype model that demonstrates the feasibility of modeling flightline maintenance. Although the core of the model is generic, the data that goes into the model is unique to each Mission Design Series (MDS) aircraft. Work unit codes, inspection requirements, break rates, repair times, etc. vary between aircraft. As funding becomes available, A4L will work with the MAJCOMs to implement this model by MDS.

About the Authors: CMSgt Mark Kovalcik entered the Air Force in November 1984. He is currently assigned to AF/A4LF, Force Development and Organizations and serves as the 2A3X3, 2A5X1/2, 2R0X1 and 2R1X1 career field manager. .

Ms. Fred McGregor is employed by Booz Allen Hamilton and is part of the AF/A4LX, Logistics Plans and Integration Division, team. She is a member of the Washington DC-Capital Chapter and volunteers her time to help with registration at LOA National Conventions. K

Airmen with 146th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, California Air National Guard wash corrosive fire retardant off of a C-130J Hercules aircraft during firefighting operations at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas. (USAF photo by SSgt Eric Harris)

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FROM THE FLIGHTLINE

86th Materiel Maintenance Squadron Takes Mission to the Arctic Circle

By Major Ryan M. Coyne and Master Sergeant Stephen C. Martin Tasked with maintaining, preserving, and inventorying approximately 85 percent of US Air Forces in Europe’s (USAFE’s) War Reserve Material (WRM), the 86th Materiel Maintenance Squadron (MMS) has a very unique logistics mission. Although administratively located at Ramstein AB, the bulk of operations take place at sites in Luxembourg and Norway.

To ensure the WRM is fully mission capable, 86 MMS professionals complete cyclical Quality Assurance Evaluation (QAE) inspections at the WRM storage and maintenance sites. According to Major Ryan Coyne (86 MMS/CC), “Our goal is seamless asset condition transparency. The inspection visits allow us to ensure stored

WRM assets are maintained to the same AF standards as equipment and vehicles used on daily basis throughout USAFE.” Recently, a team of five MMS inspectors returned from their visit to two operations in Norway. The sites inspected during this trip, operated by Norwegian NATO partners, keep a contingent of general and specialized Air Force vehicles, Material Handling Equipment (MHE), and Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE) mission ready in support of exercises, humanitarian relief operations, contingencies and war. The 20-day mission focused on verifying the condition of the WRM assets while conducting a 100 percent inventory at both collocated bases. The QAE team was excited about moving forward after an 18-month long delay due to the Icelandic volcano eruption and limited funding. The long wait didn’t disappoint. The team found the vehicle and AGE assets stored in an immaculate condition at both locations because of the on-site professional work force.

Their first stop was Sola Air Station near Stavanger, Norway, where most of the WRM vehicles are stored in a heavily fortified, fully hardened operational aircraft shelters. The team was able to conduct their quality assurance evaluation while simultaneously providing hands-on maintenance instruction to our Norwegian partners. Throughout the visit the 86 MMS was continually impressed with the great strides the Norwegian Site Manager, Harald Haukali, took to maintain and store the equipment to near flawless condition, despite some of the equipment being over 25 years old. The team was also able to engage in some NATO partner immersion/cultural engagement, to include sampling some arctic food specialties: whale steaks and reindeer jerky … both unique Norwegian specialties.

The MMS team’s next stop was to Bodo Air Station situated just above the Arctic Circle.

Not only does Bodo maintain Air Force WRM equipment, but it is home to the 132nd Norwegian Air Wing, a robust F-16 fighter unit. The team was graciously welcomed by the Wing Commander Brigadier General Per Egil Rygg and then turned over to his Norwegian maintenance officers to assist the team throughout the visit. At Bodo, SMSgt Derrick White (86 MMS/SUPT), Mr. Harald Haukali (Sola Site Manager), and Major Ryan M. Coyne the team was once again impressed with the complete a survey of 86 MMS WRM vehicle assets at Sola Norwegian Air Station. (Photo by 2Lt Dawn Pieper) condition of the vehicles, equipment and AGE as all were in pristine working order.

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COYNE & MARTIN

“Rarely do you get to see a fleet of vintage 1984 VW military vans in near-new condition ready to roll out if tasked,� said Maj. Ryan Coyne, 86th MMS commander.

The Norwegian team strives to maintain the same skill level and training as Air Force craftsman while also following strict aircraft maintenance standards parallel to the US Air Force.

Mr. Vidar Nilsen, the Bodo site manager, was always present to answer questions while providing insight about maintenance and storage operations in harsh arctic weather conditions.

In addition to our standard quality assurance deliverables, the team completed a robust IT structural survey required for AF portal access, accounted for all US property, and performed inspections on ten R-11 refueling vehicles.

Although the work was tedious, the team left both locations confident the 86 MMS WRM sites at Sola and Bodo, Norway are prepped to deploy fully mission capable WRM assets without hesitation. Members of the QAE team included: MSgt Stephen Martin, MSgt Romeo Delos Santos, MSgt Michael Gonzalez, TSgt Ronald LaMar and SSgt Cecil Jones.

While transitioning between Sola and Bodo, Norway the team was also joined by Lt Col

1984 USAF VW Vans & Trucks ready for deployment (Photo taken by Major Ryan Coyne)

Kennerly (86 LRG/CD), Major Ryan Coyne (86 MMS/CC), 2Lt Dawn Pieper (86 MMS/ DO), Mr. Jim Sherlock (USAFE/A4RR), and SMSgt Derrick White (86 MMS/SUPT) for in/out briefs with Norwegian base leadership.

About the Authors: Major Ryan M. Coyne is a

Logistics Readiness Officer and the Commander of the 86th Materiel Maintenance Squadron (MMS), Ramstein AB, Germany. He is a member of the Barbarossa LOA Chapter.

MSgt Stephen Martin is the AGE Flight Chief, 86 MMS, Ramstein AB, Germany. K

Photos & Poster taken & created by Mr. Per Morten Hellesvik

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FROM THE FLIGHTLINE

A Tip to Tail Review of Aircraft Inspections

By Maj Shane A. Wehunt, Mr. Gary W. Littlefield and SMSgt Joseph Mulcahy

Personnel from the 305 MXS Maintenance Flight performing an A-Check on a KC-10 Extender (Photo Maj Shane A. Wehunt)

No problem is too big to overcome in today’s Air Force.

For instance, maintainers assigned to the mighty 305th Maintenance Group at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey faced what seemed an insurmountable problem: Combined inspection criteria for KC-10 ACheck and C-17 HSC cycles had migrated inspection times beyond the 5-day work week and the combined HSC/A-Check schedule was no longer being met. The 305th Maintenance Squadron (MXS) responded with a Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) and instituted a LEAN program to fix its aircraft inspection process.

The RIE took place in May 2010 and fixed the chronic missed inspection deadlines caused by a combination of reduced Inspection Flight manning (70%), revised inspection cycle requirements, and an aging C-17 and KC-10 fleet. These efforts stabilized and streamlined C-17 and KC-10 Home Station Check/A-Check inspections. Moreover, overdue inspections and missed deadlines are no longer the norm.

This RIE evolved from a previous LEAN event. The LEAN event merged KC-10 and C-17 maintainers and Personnel from the 305 MXS Maintenance Flight performing a Drogue inspection on a KC-10 Extender (Photo Maj Shane A. Wehunt) processes. Separate MXS workcenters performed KC10 and C-17 inspection processes prior to April 2007, tions, each requiring management overhead and office space. It elimiwhere each workcenter contained single aircraft qualified personnel. Maintenance Group leadership combined the workcen- nated the need for two hangars requiring dedicated Aerospace Ground ters to consolidate and maximize efficiencies. Maintainers pursued dual Equipment (AGE) and three fully stocked tool rooms. aircraft qualification in order to support the 305th Air Mobility Wing’s It also overcame dual qualified technician shortfalls. Process flow was inspection program for 32 KC-10s and 13 C-17s. The training curve leaned and value stream maps identified and eliminated bottlenecks in was minimal and did not negatively impact the flying mission. LEAN concurrent inspection/repair. Re-prioritization of inspection work cards event/merger goals were straightforward: 1.) provide a fully-inspected eliminated non-value added work. Members established a Gant-style aircraft to the Aircraft Maintenance Squadrons (AMXS); 2.) optimize chart to visually display critical and non critical paths outlining specific HCS/A-CK resource scheduling processes; and 3.) complete required inspection timelines. annual inspections and maintain a 40-hour work week for personnel.

The merger overcame significant inefficiencies such as large manpower, financial and facilities footprints. It eliminated five separate work sec26 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

The initial LEAN event was highly successful. C-17 inspection time was streamlined from 96 to 46 hours while KC-10 inspection time was

WEHUNT, LITTLEFIELD & MULCAHY reduced from 120 to 74 hours. Inspections were conducted in a single, 6S’ed hangar, instead of two separate hangars.

as well. We needed to adjust the inspection process. We conducted another Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) in May 2010.

Tool rooms were consolidated and both airframes “zoned” on the hangar floor. Scissor lift work platforms were purchased to eliminate stationary stands cutting another 15% off the inspection completion times. This event also had great returns in aircraft availability, manpower, hangar availability and support equipment availability.

The RIE team discovered that the new C-17 inspection requirements required 77 hours to complete. They also determined discrepancy totals increased from three hundred to over five hundred for each inspection.

Additionally, a new requirement to inspect fuel boost pumps on KC-10s required an additional 36 hours to complete.

KC-10 and C-17 combined aircraft availability increased 243 days annually. Manpower improvements returned 20 crew chiefs back to AMXS while out-of-hide manning requirements were slashed 67%. Hangar availability increased 20% and ground support equipment requirements were reduced 60%.

The original LEAN event could not sustain the on-time delivery of the inspection schedule. Force manning reductions extended work weeks.

We now had a new business case:

All AFSO-21 successes evolve. The constant quest for continual process improvement drives evolution. MXS faced major challenges to the merged inspection in early 2010. Force reductions cut Maintenance Flight’s manning to 70%. JB-MDL’s C-17 and KC-10 fleet aged which generated more maintenance actions at each inspection. Additionally, C-17 scheduled maintenance requirements changed from 120-days to 180-days. Inspection technical guidance and work-cards were changed

6S of KC-10 inspection hanger (Photo Mr. Gary Littlefield)

Combined inspection criteria for the C-17, 180-day Home Station Checks and KC-10 A-Checks shifted inspection time beyond the 5-day work week. We were not meeting Combined Home Station/A-Check schedules.

The RIE team identified performance gap root causes. A primary question arose: Could MXS complete C-17 and KC-10 inspections with existing manning and equipment? It could not perform dual inspections in one hangar. Therefore, the team identified a second hangar, beside the current one, and started the 6S process. We scrutinized our manning

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FROM THE FLIGHTLINE | A TIP TO TAIL REVIEW revealing that adequate manpower existed to conduct the inspections, as long as we maximized our manpower. Once again, due to the force reductions, the Maintenance Flight was manned at 70%. To complicate matters, many of those positions were filled by 3-levels. The solution: a three-shift operation switched to a rolling 12-hour shift 4 days per week with 3 days off. Around the clock operations enabled greater manpower concentration and reduced shift turnover time. Dual qualified personnel could also simultaneously manage maintenance flow on each aircraft.

Event results were very positive. Our aircraft began rolling on schedule. We increased workforce efficiency. On-the-Job-Training on each aircraft increased. Ancillary and mobility training completion rates soared. Maintainer quality of life improved and work schedules stabilized. We had once again adapted as a result of AFSO-21 initiatives. The takeaway: we must adapt and improve or the mission will fail. AFSO-21 gives us tools and solutions to manage change. We must be forward looking before failure occurs. We will review this RIE in the upcoming months for further process improvements. AFSO-21 initiatives are onPersonnel from the 305 MXS Maintenance Flight inventorying Pre-Positioned Bench going events fueled with human ingenuity and creativity.

Stock for the KC-10 Extender (Photo Major Shane A. Wehunt)

About the authors: Major Shane A. Wehunt is the 305th Maintenance Squadron, Maintenance Operations Officer at Joint Base McGuire/Dix/Lakehurst New Jersey. He served as a Logistics Readiness Officer and executive officer for 6 years prior to attending AMMOC in 2001.

Mr. Gary W. Littlefield is the Maintenance Flight Superintendent with the 305th Maintenance Squadron, Joint Base McGuire/Dix/Lakehurst New

Jersey. He has served in a variety of active duty and civil service maintenance positions for 28 years.

SMSgt Joseph Mulcahy is the Lead Production Superintendent at the 305th Maintenance Squadron. He has worked on 7 aircraft types during 23 years of active duty service. He is a recent graduate of the USAF Advanced Maintenance Supervision Course (AMSC). K

Personnel from the 305 MXS RIE Team briefing new Duel Aircraft concept to Reserve Component Senior NCOs (Photo Mr. Gary Littlefield)

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The Exceptional Release A Professional Military Journal written by logisticians for logisticians

The purpose of the Logistics Officer Association (LOA) is to enhance the military logistics profession. LOA provides an open forum to promote quality logistics support and logistic officer professional development.

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EXPEDITIONARY LOGISTICS

Kandahar Deployed MX Culture – Going Beyond Supporting the ATO

By Lieutenant Colonel John V. Ramos When most of us think about a long deployment, our first thought is-what is the ATO we will be flying. The main mission of every deployed unit is to support the ATO providing airpower for those in need outside the wire. This does not mean that improving processes is impossible in the AOR. In fact, it is exactly that concept which allows us to continue to meet mission requirements despite the limitations of deployment manning.

The warrior maintainers of the 451st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (EAMXS) never ceased to amaze me with their mission first and “will do, can do, proud to” attitude. They found ways to make things better in their minimal spare time and it’s been an amazing tour for me to observe them as their commander. For the past 6 months, they’ve consistently provided safe and reliable aircraft, performed nearly a dozen unit swap-outs, passed a major inspection, and produced record numbers of sorties, flying hours and expenditures. They did so with few if any performance shortfalls or safety issues. The following paragraphs will provide an insight on the accomplishments of this dynamic team and covers a short 30-day period from 15 Nov through 14 Dec 2010. It highlights how this outstanding group of maintainers met the ATO and improved their work environment making things better for those that follow them.

Despite undermanned Unit Type Codes (UTCs) [some tailored as low as 70% of authorized levels] and boots on the ground constraints, the Wing’s expeditionary aircraft and helicopter units found ways to increase capabilities, enhance work areas, and boost morale through self-help, creativity and resourcefulness. They did this while supporting an ATO that produced a staggering 2,800+ sorties and 21,800+ flying hours during that period-- both 451st Air Expeditionary Wing records. Below are a few examples of the ingenuity and innovation shown by the EAMXS troops.

1000 sq/ft office space. Through a self-help project using pre-engineered composite airfield matting (AM-2) and scrap wood, they built a meeting area for roll calls, AMU mission and morale functions. Moreover, they reorganized the power and generator area for three assigned Ground Control Stations (GCS) by relocating one GCS to line-up with the others. This brought the idle GCS back to mission capable status and facilitated a systematic clean-up of the unsafe power cables and fiber optics lines. Yet another Reaper enhancement included converting a tent into a gym complete with flooring, gym equipment and a heating/ air conditioning unit.

The C-130 AMU maintainers led by 2Lt Kris Yarlett and CMSgt Loma Westmoreland, engage in an ambitious self-help project while launching 370 sorties, repairing 18 transient aircraft, and supporting other joint and coalition C-130 units. Airmen demonstrated their multiple talents while assembling and installing a mezzanine and modular office that improved storage and workspace by 25% and expanded their morale area.

The results of this improvement meant that the Mobility Readiness Spare Packages (MRSP) connexes, spare engines and props are now stored in a covered location. Additionally, the C-130 team worked closely with the other C-130 owners (US Marine Corps, Air Force Special Operations Command, Canada, Great Britain and United Arab Emirates) to coordinate a synchronized parking arrangement which maximizes each parking space and minimizes turn times for all units. This effort has paid dividends immediately as units now can park and turn their aircraft much closer to the Air Terminal Operations Center (ATOC) and air drop bundle construction facility. This speeds up turn times and places less stress on ATOC loading equipment.

Perhaps the most impressive project still underway is being accomplished by our HH-60G Expeditionary Helicopter Maintenance Unit (EHMU) at Camp Bastion.

While generating 298 Combat Search and Rescue The MQ-9 Reaper Aircraft Mainte(CSAR) sorties, enabling nance Unit (AMU), led by Captain 83 saves and 100 assists in Matthew Lyon and CMSgt Alfredo November, they embarked Flores, reorganized their entire parkon an expansion of their ing area and its associated storage loparking ramp which procations. Maintainers moved over 20 vides an essential increase aircraft storage containers and consolidated them with all other equip- Members of the HH-60G EHMU at Camp Bastion in the Helmand Province of Afghani- in aircraft capacity. Utilizment stored in the ramp area. This stan lay AM-2 matting to create an additional helicopter parking space. (Photo by ing spare AM-2 matting, the rescue maintainers enabled the re-capitalization of nearly 1Lt Michael Bosack).

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RAMOS along with assistance from the 451 AEW/ OL-B, planned, coordinated and constructed an additional aircraft parking spot and tow lane. This increased airfield capacity for up to six aircraft during times of increased operations, which provides multiple benefits. First, the aircraft employed in monthly crew swaps no longer have to park in the river rocks and otherwise rough terrain alongside the airfield.

Second, visiting aircraft, which include Army Aero Medevac UH-60s, no longer have to land and park in unfavorable conditions. In the long-term, the additional spot enables enough room to provide for immediate response in case the mission in the International Security Assistance Forces’ (ISAF) Regional Command Southwest demands an increase in our ATO production, a prospect that has been prevalent since the Air Force first bedded down at Camp Bastion. Moreover, this project resulted in no mission degradation or interference during the time of construction, and little realized cost by using resources already on-hand.

The maintainers also crafted a much needed weapons armory. 1Lt Mike Bosack, EHMU Officer-in-Charge (OIC), identified an abandoned storage unit (ISU-90) in the corner of the airfield and urged his airmen to employ it in a mission-related function. The armament shop filled an immediate need by working with fabrication technicians. They sealed the edges of the container and constructed a secure locking system enabling them to use it as an armory for storage of the HH-60G GAU-18 and GAU-2 weapons. The ISU-90 was also

fitted with lighting, climate control and gun racks built by the maintainers from scrap materials. In all, it saved the Air Force at least $75,000 in purchasing cost and far more in terms of the airlift, man-hours and coordination.

The A-10 EAMU from Moody AFB, led by Capt Jordan Smyth and CMSgt Jeffrey Leonard, initiated actions to facilitate their projected move to the temporary expeditionary facilities on the newly A-10 AMU members at Kandahar Airfield utilized scrap wood to create office space and a debrief area within a California Tent on the new CAS constructed Close Air Sup- ramp. The unit moved the entire operation from one ramp to another on port (CAS) Ramp. Work- the opposite side of the runway without impacting the daily Air Tasking ing as a closely-knit team, Order. (Photo by CMSgt Brett Burroughs) they coordinated with the the unit. They built the support section with Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron, Communication Squadron two customer service counters and shelving to and Maintenance Squadron to compile a ro- hold high-use equipment items, and created a bust list of materials needed to turn these tents Combat Oriented Supply Operations (COSO) into professional office areas. Over 500 pieces section with customer service counters, shelvof lumber, nails, screws and the tools were ac- ing for due-in-from-maintenance (DIFM) asquired to execute their developed plan into sets and tail number bin/facilitate other mainseveral offices for four different work centers. tenance (TNB/FOM) parts. Separate crew In the AMU supervision tent, they built walls chiefs, specialists and weapons work areas were and divided this small tent into five separate also crafted with computer desks for Core Auoffices and a debrief area for pilots and pro- tomated Maintenance System (CAMS) termiduction personnel. They also constructed six nals and seating for personnel. Lastly, an area desks, four storage shelves, a conference room for mail, and centralized laundry collection and and table to better organize administration of distribution was created to enhance the quality of life and, more importantly, to keep maintainers on the line to support the mission.

Accomplishing the mission, increasing capabilities, fostering morale, and making things better for succeeding units are lofty but achievable goals set for each EAMU or EHMU. Convincingly and overwhelmingly, these goals were shattered by the highly-dedicated, motivated, and creative maintainers of the 451 EAMXS at Kandahar Airfield. Pull the chocks‌Maintenance Rocks!

About the Author: Lt Col John V. Ramos served as the 451 EAMXS/CC from Jun-Dec 10. He is the Deputy Maintenance Group Commander of the 163d Reconnaissance Wing at March Air Reserve Base in California. Lt Col Ramos, an LOA member, was the first Air National Guard Commander of the 451st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron which had 105 assigned aircraft and 565 airmen and civilian contractor maintainers assigned. K

Members of the 451st Expeditionary Maintenance Group led by Col Richard S. Nelson take a moment off their busy schedule to take a group photo at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. (Photo by TSgt Chad Chisholm)

31 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

EXPEDITIONARY LOGISTICS

Ellsworth B-1s Get the Nation’s Call: Operation ODYSSEY DAWN

By Lieutenant Colonel Brian C. Sitler Friday, 25 March was a day like many others for the Airmen of the 28th Maintenance Group (MXG). A rough week of tough breaks, fixin’ and flying local combat training sorties, and battling through unpredictable South Dakota weather left us walking in the door at the end of the week with few flyable aircraft.

The morning was spent collecting our plan to get more jets to support front lines and Ops standing by at the ready to flex with whatever plan we could piece together to find the sorties.

Our Knucklebusters found a way…we managed to get the sorties we needed in the air and the morning was calm.

Next, we set our sights on building a plan for the inevitable weekend duty we faced. Our production team lined up the weekend main-

tenance and cleaned up the pen and inks. Our maintenance team focused on getting the jets down early so we could capitalize on the increased touch time before swings went home.

All in all, a pretty routine Friday at Ellsworth… then the phone rang.

Our Nation Calls At 1235 hrs, Col Jim Katrenak and his squadron commanders of the 28 MXG were summoned to the 28th Bomb Wing (BW ) Battle Staff. At 1245 hrs, the team was asked one question by the 28 BW Vice Wing Commander…“Four fully loaded B-1s airborne as soon as possible…can you do it?” We balanced the estimated times in commission provided by our production team and the capability we knew we had in our world-class Airmen…the unanimous answer was “Yes, we can!”

Airmen from the 28th Maintenance Group proudly salute returning aircrews after nearly 45 hours of combat flight hours completing an Operation ODYSSEY DAWN mission.

From that point forward, the 28th Bomb Wing came together like it hasn’t since the events of Sept 11, 2001. Sure, we deploy combat airpower supporting our Warfighters in Afghanistan as an omnipotent presence to our enemies. In fact, at the time of this “Nation’s Call,” we had over 300 maintainers and 7 aircraft already deployed. The fact is, we know that business and know it well…our very own 37th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit (37 EAMU) had just won AMU of the Month for the third consecutive month at their deployed location.

However, this new calling would end up being the first time the B-1 had ever been employed in combat from the continental United States.

Team Ellsworth Mission Prep: Getting It Done The Airmen of the 28 MXG went to task--the

28th MUNS Airmen and 28th AMXS Weapons Load Crews build and load GBU-31 JDAMs during Operation ODYSSEY DAWN combat sortie generation operations at Ellsworth AFB.

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SITLER 28th Munitions Squadron (MUNS) built over 100 GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions ( JDAMS), nearly 3,000 chaff sticks and almost 300 flares stuffed in their magazines, all being delivered to the waiting jammers of AMXS weapons load teams.

Our crew chiefs and specialists, both from AMXS and Maintenance Squadron (MXS), professionally handled some of the most complex repairs, with Engineering Technical Assistance Request assists from our Air Force Engineering and Technical Services technicians on station and engineering support from Tinker AFB. Our Dedicated Crew Chiefs were chomping at the bit to get their jets in the fight, persistently inspecting and correcting. Our Logistics Readiness Squadron fuel truck drivers expeditiously delivered and our crew chiefs refueled over 1 million pounds of JP-8. In addition to the maintenance and munitions loading challenges of the weekend, Mother Nature threw us a curve ball with a late spring storm, dumping over seven inches of snow and slowing down our combat sortie generation operations with freezing temperatures, icing up our flightline for the duration.

Our team pulled together with Airmen from the Civil Engineering Squadron, Maintenance Operations Squadron, and MUNS leading the snow removal charge on our ramps, taxiways and munitions storage area.

As Team Ellsworth moved methodically toward the goal, the green started to come up on the status board. In time for a 0300 hrs Sunday morning crew show for a 0500 hrs launch, we generated 7 aircraft, and 5 crews headed to the first “Bones” fully fueled and loaded with 24 JDAMS each. Our operators stepped and cranked engines almost in unison, all of them wanting to be among the chosen few flying halfway around the globe to conduct the deepest strikes into Libya since the beginning of Operation ODYSSEY DAWN.

Mission Launch…

Mission Accomplished As launch time approached Sunday morning, the weather held the crews hostage in chocks… the fog set in and visibility was less than a quarter mile…I honestly couldn’t see the runway from the taxiway. As the clock ticked past 0500 hrs, then 0530 hrs, then 0600 hrs, and the de-icing crews kept their vigilance, we began to wonder if we would get the jets airborne. Just then, opportunity struck as a small window opened with visibility above launch minimums.

Our Operations Group Commander, Col William “Rudy” Eldridge, gave the “all clear” to taxi

and the first two jets roared to life out of the chocks and headed to the hammerhead.

As they waited for final instructions at the End of Runway, the second two jets taxied.

We all raced down the taxiway to try and catch a glimpse of the takeoff. As we waited, listening patiently, we heard the soundof-freedom thunder of the four each F101GE-102s heading south down the runway out of Ellsworth. As soon as the first jet was airborne, the next aircraft followed shortly behind, then the third, then the Snow removal and deicing crews had their hands full clearing the 28th Bomb Wing fourth and the air flightline and runway during Operation ODYSSEY DAWN combat sortie generation was calm again. operations at Ellsworth AFB. Unfortunately, as their aircraft, the B-1 crews logged more time quickly as the fog had lifted, it reappeared, prein the air than on the ground over the previventing the fifth jet from launching. ous 72-hours. Our warriors were home; safe Our aircrews flew to the east coast of the United and out of harm’s way. Exactly the expected States and hit their first tanker. All jets took on result as the promise of the maintainer’s creed gas and did their station checks to pick the best requires…to provide safe, reliable and lethal two to go forward to the target. The final two aircraft to do our Nation’s business…anytime, aircraft continued on with the remainder of the anywhere. mission, flying another 12 hours and conducting strikes deep into Libya, helping secure the safety of civilians and opposition forces. Our warriors dropped their weapons on their targets, all with awesome precision. The aircraft landed at a Forward Operating Location and the crews went into crew rest while maintainers readied the aircraft for another salvo on the return leg home. Our deployed B-1 maintenance team turned those two aircraft and loaded another full load of weapons on each. The crews took-off , made multiple passes on another set of targets, successfully releasing munitions and finding their targets with deadly accuracy once again. Nearly 16 hours later, at approximately 1200 hrs on Wednesday 30 March, our crews landed safely back at Ellsworth and taxied into the row with over 400 maintainers lined up to greet them. When they climbed down from

The Airmen of the 28th Bomb Wing were proud to have contributed to the rich history of the B-1 Lancer during Operation ODYSSEY DAWN. The tenacity of our team to accomplish its tasking in the face of such adversity is enduring for all. The lesson is simple, but very powerful…there will come a time when your Nation calls. Will you and your team be ready to deliver?

About the Author: Lt Col Brian C. Sitler is currently assigned as Commander, 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth AFB, SD. He leads 710 Airmen supporting two combat-coded aircraft bomber squadrons and executes an annual $560K operations and maintenance budget supporting a $6M annual flying hour program. K 33 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

EXPEDITIONARY LOGISTICS

Contractor Maintenance A Mirror Image of OEF Combat Sortie Support

Mechanic (Mech) Tabitha Pollock rebuilds a Rotax 914i engine as part of the 360 hour engine inspection on the MQ-1 (photo Capt Camrin Lenard).

By Lieutenant Colonel Robert K. Clement, Major Andrew B. Huntoon, Captain Camrin M. Lenard and Captain Brian Scozzaro

Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan Welcome to Kandahar, home to the busiest single runway airfield in the World and the most heavily attacked base in Afghanistan.

Canada, France, Belgium, Netherlands, United States and United Kingdom are but a few of the NATO nations represented at Kandahar Airfield (KAF) in support of Regional Command (RC) South. KAF is not only home to numerous nations; it also hosts a myriad of different aircraft that fly just as many different missions.

What one does not immediately see behind the curtain is the vast array of organizations maintaining our fleet.

Among these, the USAF provides Tactical Airlift (C-130Js), Close Air Support (A-10s), Combat Search and Rescue (HH-60s), Medical Evacuation (HC-130s), and Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) (MQ1, MQ-9, MC-12W, RC-700, U-21) through the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW ). The 451 AEW generates ISR sorties on five different collection and dissemination platforms to include the RC-700 that supports the Battlefield Airborne Communicate Node program; the MC-12W in support of Project Liberty; the U-21 Blue Devil; and, the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA).

All these high demand, low density aircraft work in concert to provide 24/7 ISR “eyes and ears” to the Warfighter both outside and inside the wire. Unbeknownst to many in our service, the linchpin of this awesome combat enabler is that four of these five ISR platforms are entirely maintained by civilian contractors.

Much of the Battle Space Flight Services workforce, the Mech- and Tech-1s are either prior service or retired military from the equivalent of our 5- and 7-level maintainers, to their Maintenance Superintendents and Site Leads, formerly our senior maintenance managers. Employment by Battle Space Flight Services gives these experienced maintainers the opportunity to continue their service beyond the wear of the uniform, and to support the war effort that helps to defend our freedom.

Back at Creech AFB, which is home to many of these maintainers, their mission is to generate sorties to train RPA aircrews. Deploying forward into the combat environment allows them to identify with and enable this vital ISR capability for the Air Force, as well as for the Department of Defense. To the Airman, Sailor, Soldier or Marine on the ground, the ever vigilant eye in the sky is a welcome friend and true force multiplier.

Battle Space Flight Services: Answering the Call for more In-Theatre ISR Support Project Liberty: Operating under an Air Combat Command (ACC) Acquisition Man- Fighter agement and Integration Center (AMIC) governed contract, Battle Space Flight Services generates all MQ-1 Predator sorties supporting Operation ENDURING FREEDOM at three different operating locations in Afghanistan. These contract maintainers operate under the same strict guidelines as their USAF Active Duty, Guard and Reserve counterparts do. As far as the day-to-day “nuts and bolts” maintenance goes, there is little difference between Battle Space maintainers and the Airmen they serve alongside. Part of the Performance Work Statement with AMIC is to follow the same Air Force maintenance practices as the active duty workforce, i.e. technical order usage and compliance.

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Cutting Edge ISR to the War

Project Liberty was introduced to the war effort in RC South in March 2010. Project Liberty provides ISR support in a fighter-like ATO. Unlike their civilian maintenance counterparts on the MQ-1, these maintainers are strictly civilian aviation technicians and maintainers from small business aviation to commercial flight enterprises; few, if any, have prior military experience. Project Liberty gives these maintainers a chance to serve and protect their country even without being in the military. It is a point of pride for these maintainers to work and serve in support of our nation’s defense—much like the men and women in uniform.

CLEMENT, HUNTOON, LENARD & SCOZZARO Big Safari contracted L3 Communications/Vertex through Mission In- of the airflow throughput to Afghanistan? This herculean task is the tegration Division (MID) to maintain and generate a fleet of twelve charter for Bagram AF’s (BAF) Transient Alert (TA) section. This team MC-12Ws at KAF. These maintainers meticulously manage a 200-hour of contract maintenance personnel is on duty 24/7/365, and on any given phase flow that is completed in less than 48 hours—and sometimes they day could be servicing anything from a Beechcraft C-12 to an Antonov flawlessly manage the fleet down to a single flight hour before going into 124, or even Air Force One. phase. L3 manages their maintenance pracThe team consists of 20 technicians following tices via Federal Aviation Administration These maintainers meticulously the same instructions, publications and stan(FAA) guidelines, and general operating manage a 200-hour phase flow dards that traditional Air Force maintenance procedures to include Occupational Safety personnel are required to follow. The BAF that is completed in less than and Health Administration (OSHA) and flightline is a substantially dynamic environother Federal standards for flight and safety.

48 hours—and sometimes they ment. To execute BAF’s mission, TA must flawlessly manage the fleet To date in 2011, the 451 AEW has flown coordinate with 10 base agencies, to include down to a single flight hour beover 42,000 flight hours and over 3,700 bridging language barriers while providing sorties on ISR platforms alone, largely due services to aircrews from around the world, in fore going into phase. to the dedicated service of the contract order to mitigate any conflicts or unforeseen maintainers who serve next to the men and problems. women of the USAF at KAF. Were it not for the difference in daily attire, there would be no noticeable difference between the sortie genera- International American Product World Services’ (IAPWS) Site Manager Mr. Roy Vazquez describes the start to a typical Transient Alert tion and maintenance support provided by civilians and military. day, “In the pre-dawn hours, we get a list of what is scheduled in. Unfortunately, it’s only a hint of what the day holds. Diverts, add-ons and Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan cancellations are normal ops. The traffic flow at the end of the day never What organization--in a moment’s notice--can service, launch and re- looks like what was planned.” cover over 40 different types of aircraft and enable a significant amount



Battle Space Flight Services maintainers conduct preflight checks prior to launch at Kandahar Airfield (photo Capt Camrin Lenard).

35 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

EXPEDITIONARY LOGISTICS | CONTRACTOR MAINTAINANCE Midwest Site Lead Mr. Todd Mighell further explains, “The key to our success is flexibility. We never know what’s coming next, so we are prepared for anything.

The only way to accommodate the volume of aircraft we see with the number of our available parking spots is to turn the aircraft as efficiently and effectively as possible. Our launch process starts as soon as we learn that a jet is inbound. Some of our planes sit for as little as five minutes before they’re on their way again.”

Despite their relatively small workforce, they are responsible for an incredibly large workload. Transient Alert averages about 1,400 missions a month which translates to as many as 60 aircraft a day. Given this volume, coordinating parking is often like playing a chess game. As TA technician John Lauer explains, “the key to assigning all that parking boils down to experience.

It takes time to learn how to combine inputs from GDSS, Command Post, Air Traffic Control, AMC Headquarters, the published schedule, ATOC and occasion- Mechanic John Michael Harris works a #3 Phase on an MC-12. The phase requires inspection of the landing ally even the Protocol Office. Many of our gear, servicing of the engine, and flight controls in less than 48hrs (photo Capt Camrin Lenard). aircraft must be parked in specific areas, mission success at Bagram. MSgt Emmerling, the TA Quality Assurand incorrect parking could mean having to reposition them, and we ance Evaluator (QAE), provides some insight into why this operation is don’t have time for that.” so successful. “The contractors provide a critical service to the GovernTotal Force is much more than the sum total of what Active Duty, Guard and Reserve personnel bring to the fight. Contractors, like the ones who execute the Transient Alert operation, play a significant role ensuring

ment, and the relationship between them and the military is great. They share their experience and knowledge, and are always focused on what is best for the entire mission at Bagram.” Given what this small team brings to the fight, this integral part of the Total Force team is crucial to Bagram AF’s effort to sustain International Security Assistance Force operations in Afghanistan.

About the Authors: Lt Col Kyle Clement is currently assigned as Commander, 451st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, KAF. Capt Camrin Lenard is currently assigned to the 451st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron as the OIC of MQ-9 Reaper maintenance, KAF. She has served as the Assistant Operations Officer at Creech AFB, and assisted in the stand-up of the first and only Mission Communications Squadron for Remotely Piloted Aircraft.

Maj Andrew Huntoon is currently assigned as Commander, 455th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron, BAF. K

MC-12 technician on a refuel job prior to launch (photo Capt Camrin Lenard).

36 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

EXPEDITIONARY LOGISTICS

Security Forces in the MOC: Synergy for Airfield Defense

455 ESFS Echo Sector “Defenders” (SSgt Nicholson and SrA Kombol) monitor security information inside Bagram’s Maintenance Operations Center. (Photo: Lt Col Scott DeLorenzi)

By Lieutenant Colonel Scott A. DeLorenzi After spending a large portion of my career on the flightline, I used to think that one of my goals while in the Air Force should be to never get “jacked up” by a member of the local Security Forces (SF) because I might have inadvertently crossed a red line, or accidentally forgot to properly display my line badge. We’ve all seen SF patrols around our equipment on the flightline, and many times probably even considered them a nuisance. However, I’ve recently changed my perspective and acquired a whole new level of appreciation for our SF team members after spending the last few months with them side-by-side in our new Maintenance Operations Center (MOC).

The mission of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing is to Defend the Base, Supply the Fight and Win! The 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron (455 ESFS) divides Bagram into sectors to efficiently execute air base defense. Most of the focus for their personnel is on perimeter defense. However, one sector (Echo) is focused on defense of the interior of the base, specifically the Senior Airfield Authority (SAA) area, the portion of Bagram Airfield immediately surrounding the runway and ramps.

A New Approach The new MOC was opened in the fall of 2010 after it was relocated from its previously limited and cramped facility. The old building could be described as “less than palatial”, as it was a weather-worn double-wide trailer with holes in the floor that allowed easy access for the local fauna.

At the same time, the 455 ESFS was in search of a location to place their Echo Sector Command and Control (C2) node, and knew the Bagram ops tempo and mission set required an extremely tight-knit flying, maintenance and base defense link. Senior wing leadership realized the new 38 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

MOC could provide sufficient space to co-locate Echo Sector’s C2 node with the 455 EMXG controllers overseeing flightline operations, and decided to combine forces.

I’d be kidding you if I told you there wasn’t some initial skepticism about this plan succeeding. After several months of experimentation, we’ve now seen firsthand how effective this combination of maintainers and SF personnel can be in creating a unique capability as a result of teamwork and camaraderie.

MOC controllers and SF personnel sitting side-by-side allowed both organizations to vastly improve their ability to collect and disseminate information quickly and accurately. Security Forces Airmen obtained a better understanding of the nuances of the flightline and solved security issues with knowledge of flightline perspectives. Meanwhile the maintenance controllers now have a better appreciation for how aircraft movements directly impact security operations.

The MOC collects inputs from the Expeditionary Aircraft/Helicopter Maintenance Unit Production Supervisors and Expediters, while the SFs gather information on status of the SAA from their Entry Control Points (ECP) and roving patrols. Individually, the data each organization collects is vital to the safety and execution of combat operations.

The 455 AEW discovered that fusing these forces and their data produces a synergistic effect that enables unequaled situational awareness by increasing the overall number of sensors on Bagram’s flightline.

Demonstrated Benefits The base has sustained several Indirect Fire (IDF) attacks during my deployment, not an uncommon event in the Area of Operations. Bagram is the busiest military airfield in the world, so it’s absolutely critical for

DELORENZI the wing to meet its goal of minimizing any impact of an attack and returning the airfield to maximum capability as quickly as possible by evaluating post-attack reconnaissance results. The combination of maintenance and SF personnel in the MOC provided the ability to quickly and efficiently relay information enabling senior wing leaders to make smart, informed decisions to guarantee airfield operations are returned to normal as soon as possible.

The combination of maintenance and SF personnel in the MOC provided the ability to quickly and efficiently relay information enabling senior wing leaders to make smart, informed decisions...

An additional area where this combination paid huge dividends was during Distinguished Visitor (DV ) visits. Bagram has recently seen its share of visits by the most senior of military leaders. Many of you who have dealt with these visits appreciate the fast-paced nature of shortnotice changes to the perimeter, timelines or myriad of other details required to ensure the visit does not encounter any delays. Several recent events highlighted the ability of the MOC and Echo Sector working together to quickly resolve ECP and timing issues which had the potential to cause significant headaches. Swiftly resolving problems is especially important when you’re dealing with the AOR’s inherent heightened security requirements, and it was refreshing to witness the interaction and cooperation between the MOC controllers and Echo Sector C2 node in quickly solving issues as they popped up during these visits.

The C2 for both the IDF attacks and DV visits at Bagram would have been much more difficult had the maintenance controllers and SFs not been sitting together, gathering important information from the radio nets, military internet relay chat, and secure telephones, and then forwarding that data and recommendations to key wing decision makers.

Future Focus The way-ahead for our “Super MOC” includes a transition to add control of a string of cameras around the airfield to monitor each sector further strengthening our collective ability to oversee the entire flightline operation.

I can understand the skepticism of many reading this article who might say, “Sure, that setup works great at Bagram, but what about here at Base X?” I don’t claim this arrangement to

be universally successful, but stress the proven value of co-locating SF personnel in the MOC (when space allows) in a combat environment should at least be factored in as a possibility for any future facility design. It may become the new standard/baseline for MOC construction. It is obvious to those involved in this effort at Bagram that this combination proved to be effective for base defense, which in the end, allows for sortie generation of disciplined airpower in support of the ground force commander.

About the authors: Lt Col Scott DeLorenzi is the Deputy Commander for the 455th Expeditionary Maintenance Group and the former Misawa LOA Chapter Vice-President. As the 455 EMXG/CD, he is responsible for over 900 personnel and all aspects of aircraft maintenance and munitions on multiple aircraft including F-15E, F-16, EC/C130, HH-60, MC-12W and transient aircraft.

Thank you to Maj Archibald Alexander and 2Lt Kimberly Guest for their assistance: Maj Archibald Alexander is the Operations Officer and 2Lt Kimberly Guest is Echo Sector/Flight Leader for the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. All three are deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. K

455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Production Supervisors (MSgt Bennett and MSgt Dunston) discuss ramp security issues at Bagram Airfield with 455th Expeditionary Security Forces “Defenders” (SSgt Steward II and A1C Bradfield). (Photo: Lt Col Scott DeLorenzi)

39 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

VOICES | AFSO21 CROSSTALK

AFSO21 CrossTalk 10 miles gone!

In August 2010, the 20th Component Maintenance Squadron’s Propulsion Flight participated in an AFSO21 event. The event reorganized the F110 Jet Engine maintenance section by improving the repair process flow. The AFSO21 team identified an abundance of wasted time and energy due to the layout of the maintenance area. One of the solutions identified was to put pieces of support equipment into kits for task completion and place these kits at the point of use. This small change eliminated several trips to the support section allowing more time for hands-on maintenance. The results were outstanding: over 10 miles of travel per engine rebuild was eliminated!

For more information, contact SRA Bobbie Clark at bobbie.clark@shaw. af.mil.

Benefits of Continuous Process Improvement In September of 2010 the 20th Maintenance Group conducted a “re-look” Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) on the aircraft phase process. The intent of the RIE was to focus on synchronizing scheduled maintenance actions, reducing aircraft downtime and improving quality of life for Airmen by eliminating weekend duty for phase maintenance. The RIE team mapped the existing process and identified the most common drivers which impact aircraft downtime. Through this process, the team identified a relatively simple change in the standard flow of the phase which, when made, would allow personnel to identify migrating bushings on landing gear earlier in the process, ensure any condition requiring engineering assistance is documented, and ensure a disposition request is put into the system immediately. This simple change, along with a few other minor tweaks to the process, resulted in a 28 percent increase in the on-time return of aircraft to the flight line and a reduction in weekend duty for phase personnel.

For more information, contact Lt Conrad at Bernard.conrad@shaw.af.mil.

Minimizing Downtime: Concurrent Maintenance Actions Recently, the 20th Maintenance Group conducted a Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) for bundling the F-16 landing gear removal and replacement with the 18 month 20MM gun system inspection.

The purpose of the RIE was to identify the inefficiencies of scheduling landing gear maintenance with gun maintenance during the same timeframe. Through concurrent maintenance actions, increased supply point initiatives and the development of the process’ critical path, the resulting downtime to aircraft for both actions has been trimmed to two days. This combination potentially results in over 20 days of aircraft availability returned to the flightline over the course of CY 2011.

For more information, contact Lt Conrad at Bernard.conrad@shaw.af.mil.

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VOICES | AFSO21 CROSSTALK

Best EWAP Scores Ever…

Born of an AFSO21 event, the 366th Maintenance Group created the Strike-21element charged with improving F-15E Electronic Warfare (EW ) system reliability. This element consists of eight highly proficient avionics personnel and four tactical aircraft maintenance specialists who conduct end-to-end testing of aging EW radio frequency cabling, and perform full spectrum threat analysis while concurrently working scheduled maintenance actions and delayed discrepancies to maximize aircraft availability. The Strike concept has netted unbelievable results in the EW arena. Since its inception in 2009, annual EW Assessment Program (EWAP) scores improved from below 45percentto greater than 80 percent, garnering the Best EWAP scores ever for the group.

For more information, please contact MSgt Mathew Robinson at mathew.robinson@mountainhome.af.mil

Engine Facility Relocation The 3 CMS Propulsion Flight used AFSO21 techniques to design the layout of their new engine maintenance facility in January 2010. They established a shop layout that maximized mechanic “hands-on-engine” time by reducing both personnel and material movement. They synchronized USAF and Pratt & Whitney standards for marking and labeling in addition to identifying office and shop area resources. Non-value processes were eliminated by pre-designing the shop floor layout, tooling/equipment and office setup. A five-step implementation strategy focused on scope, 2D mock-ups, flow, workability, and

approval/execution. Overall, the effort required 23 individuals and just 40 duty-hours to accomplish with no mission impact. Potential safety mishaps were emphasized in all phases of preparation and were eliminated by careful planning and execution. Since relocation, the Propulsion Flight implemented 18 additional AFSO21 events which increased productivity 35% and added 650 square feet of usable workspace.

For more information, please contact Lt Col Rene Leon at rene.leon@elmendorf.af.mil K

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MAJCOM

Enabling Logistics: Our Industry Partners

By Major Michelle C. Estes As I heard the news of the U.S. Air Force accepting its last MQ-1 Predator at a ceremony on March 3, 2011 at General Atomics’ Gray Butte Aeronautical Systems’ Flight Ops Facility, I thought of all of the individuals involved in the overall delivery and implementation of the Weapons System platform. Some individuals outside of the military services may think that only uniformed personnel provide the majority of our weapons systems support in the USAF. However, as with most weapons systems, the Air Force uses contractors to support the Predator to make our mission successful. The MQ-1 remotely piloted aircraft’s partnerships with various companies are critical to supporting the warfighter’s needs and the continued protection of the United States’ interests. “This event marks a milestone in Air Force history given the path this Aircraft took from conception to operational excellence,” said Col. Christopher Coombs, Aeronautical Systems Center’s Chief of Medium Altitude UAS Division. “The Predator is a great example of the Air Force’s response to an immediate Warfighter need.”

is the development of transformational systems which deliver paradigm changing results,” said J. Neal Blue, Chairman and CEO, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. “The achievement of this historic milestone is a testament to the success enjoyed by Predator-series unmanned aircraft systems – clearly one of the game changers and life savers of the day.”

The MQ-1B Predator is a Medium-Altitude, When the Air Force first incorporated the MQ-1 The MQ-1 remotely piloted Long-Endurance, Remotely Piloted Aircraft. into service, it needed the contractor’s mainteIts primary missions are close Air Support, aircraft’s partnerships with nance expertise while the Air Force developed Air Interdiction and Intelligence, Surveillance and trained MQ-1 qualified maintainers and acvarious companies are and Reconnaissance (ISR). It acts as a Joint quired the required technical orders. Over time, critical to supporting the Forces Air Component Commander-owned as the demand for MQ-1 and MQ-9 aircraft inwarfighter’s needs and the theater asset for Reconnaissance, Surveillance creased, the need for the partnerships between and target acquisition in support of the Joint continued protection of the contractors and the Air Force continued. With Forces Commander. Along with the delivery rapidly changing mission requirements, instances United States’ interests. of the last MQ-1, the Air Force also reached exist when the Air Force sets up deployed sites, another milestone for the platform since its then transitions to long-term contractor support. first flight in July of 1994: it surpassed 900,000 flight hours, making it Currently, the majority of deployed sites are contractor supported for one of the Warfighters’ most valuable assets, according to Col Coombs. organization level and all are contractor supported for depot level. Battlespace Flight Services’ organizational level support includes aircraft General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) manufactures maintenance management, Aerospace Ground Equipment and Ground the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper. Collectively, there are currently Support Equipment maintenance, supply support, Command, Control, over 400 contractors from General Atomics, Battlespace Flight Services, Communications, Computer, Intelligence Surveillance and ReconnaisRaytheon and other various companies imbedded in units both statesance Systems (C4ISR), Quality Assurance, and Environment, Safety side and at deployed locations in support of Operations ENDURING and Health Program. In FY11 alone, they supported over 165,000 flying FREEDOM and NEW DAWN and other operations. The Air Force’s hours and 9,400 sorties on MQ-1 aircraft. accomplishments throughout Air Combat Command, Air Force Special Operations Command and the Air National Guard would not be pos- Lt Col Scott West, Air Combat Command’s Chief, MQ-1 Branch in the sible without the help of our contractors. “The business of GA-ASI Irregular Warfare Division, stated it best when he said, “Organizational 42 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

ESTES and depot level support is vital to the MQ-1 because we are such a high demand asset with numerous quick reaction and rapid fielded capabilities. We work as a team refining the system to meet and sustain warfighter needs. One would be hard pressed to find an example of a program this large having the success we have had in the MQ-1 program.”

As Col James Beissner, Air Combat Command’s Chief, Irregular Warfare Division, accepted the MQ-1 aircraft #268 on behalf of the Air Force in front of the crowd of more than 800 personnel, it provided a sense of great pride to be associated with such a great team comprised of such a variety of outstanding professionals.

About the author: Major Michelle Estes is assigned to HQ ACC as Chief, Logistics Branch for the Irregular Warfare Division for MQ-1, MQ-9 and MC-12 aircraft. Her previous assignment was Commander, 27th Special Operations Equipment Maintenance Squadron at Cannon AFB, New Mexico. She led 250 personnel in backshop support that included Armament, Aerospace Ground Equipment, Munitions, Fabrication and Maintenance Flights. K

A MQ-1B Predator aircraft from the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron takes off in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom June 12, 2008. Since January 2008, more than 1,000 Predator sorties were flown out of Balad, lasting more than 20,000 hours. (US Air Force photo by SrA Julianne Showalter/Released)

IS OUR MIDDLE NAME. Terrence Warner | TSgt, USAF (Ret.) | Graduate, School of Security & Global Studies Our military roots run deep. From Langley AFB to Baghdad, AMU is dedicated to educating those who serve. With access to quality courses, unrivaled support, and a book grant for undergraduates, we stand behind our community— 55,000 military members strong.

Learn More at www.amuonline.com/ER-mag

Some me photo me hooto toss co cour u teesyy ooff th the he Do DoD. D D.

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Art & Humanities | Business | Education | Management | Public Safety & Health | Science & Technology | Security & Global Studies 43 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

MAJCOM

20,000 Years of Progress in the Next 100 years PACAF’s Industrial Partnerships LJB Out-Brief to PACAFA4 (Photo by Maj John Adams)

By Major John F. Adams, Jr. The Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) MAJCOM of today finds itself operating in an environment of unprecedented change that shows no signs of slowing. To help answer the challenge of this environment, PACAF turned to its industrial partners for innovative solutions. Raymond Kurzweil, a popular futurist author, begins his essay on the law of accelerating returns with the following: “An analysis of the history of technology shows that technological change is exponential, contrary to the common-sense ‘intuitive linear’ view. So we won’t experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century—it will be more like 20,000 years of progress (at today’s rate).

The ‘returns,’ such as chip speed and cost-effectiveness, also increase exponentially. There’s even exponential growth in the rate of exponential growth. Within a few decades, machine intelligence will surpass human intelligence, leading to the singularity - technological change so rapid and profound it represents a rupture in the fabric of human history. The implications include the merger of biological and non-biological intelligence, immortal software-based humans, and ultra-high levels of intelligence that expand outward in the universe at the speed of light.”

To embrace this futuristic concept, PACAF has not only looked within itself for innovation, but also externally to its industrial neighbors for solutions to some of its biggest challenges. With new technology often comes new guidance in the form of Air Force Instructions (AFI), Technical Orders (TO), and Air Force Occupational Safety and Health (AFOSH) standards, and with that new guidance comes a 44 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

challenge to the perceptions and old ways of doing business.

Heading for a Fall In response to a new AFOSH 91-100, Aircraft Flightline – Ground Operations and Activities, that lowered the fall protection threshold from 10 feet to 4 feet, PACAF grappled with the best way to achieve compliance. The command’s first attempt allowed each unit to assess their requirements, develop an action plan, and then submit their requirements to PACAF for approval. The command in-turn initially and partially funded the requirement and the units implemented their action plan. It quickly became evident that even though PACAF units had the best of intentions, they were not properly trained to identify and mitigate the fall hazards present within their areas of responsibility (AOR). Shortly after implementing their plans, PACAF units started having issues bubble to the surface with some of the funded abatement measures. Some equipment items were too cumbersome to use, while others just didn’t meet the intended goal.

... lowered the fall protection threshold from 10 feet to 4 feet, PACAF grappled with the best way to achieve compliance.

As an example, the articulating maintenance platform in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam’s new paint/corrosion hangar features an inadequate fall protection system, both in mounting location of the system and the type of fall

restraint installed. The fall restraint reels are mounted to the boom at a fixed point. This configuration works only as long as all maintenance is being performed within a few feet of the fixed point. The reels are designed for a vertical inline fall; once an individual works their way from this point, and along the boom, the reels become ineffective. This leaves the airmen vulnerable to falling to the ground before the system engages or, if the platform is high enough, the reel does engage but acts as a pendulum point causing the Airmen to slam into the aircraft.

PACAF needed the right tool for the job and found that tool in the consolidated tool kit of LJB Innovative Facility and Infrastructure Design Inc., an independent engineering firm that specializes in fall protection hazard abatement.

To showcase what they could bring to the table, LJB volunteered to perform a mini-assessment of Hickam AFB’s maintenance areas at no cost.

In May 2010, LJB executed this assessment and PACAF quickly learned just how ill-equipped the command was to identify and properly mitigate its fall hazards. During the evaluation, PACAF learned of several major concerns with its approved/certified fall protection measures.

The command decided the best way forward was to have an AOR-wide assessment accomplished to encompass aircraft maintenance, vehicle maintenance, and POL operations.

PACAF put LJB on contract to evaluate the related work areas, identify all fall hazards, determine the amount of risk posed by each hazard, and provide potential solutions to help mitigate each hazard. They completed this process by analyzing data to determine probability and severity presented by each hazard. In terms of probability, a variety of factors were considered: frequency of task, exposure time, number of

ADAMS workers exposed, and likelihood of falls based on external influences. Severity was measured by determining fall distance and likely obstructions impacted during a fall.

that they have the right tools in place to make hazard abatement decisions while complying with the new AFOSHSTD 91-100 fall protection standards.

LJB’s assessment of PACAF wrapped up in February of 2011 and command leadership was out-briefed at the end of March. PACAF learned there were more than 1300 tasks that required abatement measures in the command with an estimated cost of $62M. The good news, however, was that 32% of PACAF’s greatest risks could be mitigated in abating the top 14 hazards and almost 80% of our risks could be abated by mitigating 134 hazards. The lessons learned were clear: by using a fall protection expert with the right skill-set to properly analyze the battlespace, PACAF is poised to take the right actions—abating the highest risk hazards with compliant, cost-effective, and functional solutions. In 2010 PACAF experienced 4 of the 19 mishaps Air Force-wide related to falls on duty. With LJB’s assistance, the command can now press with confidence

Keeping our Airmen safe from a fall is just one of the ways PACAF utilizes its partners in industry. While LJB helps keep our Airmen safely perched, still others help us fly.

32% of PACAF’s greatest risks could be mitigated in abating the top 14 hazards and almost 80% of our risks could be abated by mitigating 134 hazards.

Providing the Thrust to be Vectored PACAF started replacing its aging F-15 aircraft in August 2007 with the arrival of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson ( JBER), Alaska. In all, 36 F-22A Raptors were assigned to JBER to stand ready and defend one of the most strategic locations in the world. Fitted with twin F119-PW-100 turbofan engines, the F-22A fighter aircraft is a premier fifth-generation fighter in the world today. In order to ensure continuous maintenance support, PACAF joined forces with Pratt & Whitney (PW ), a United Technologies Company, to provided JBER support with 20 contracted propulsion technicians to perform major engine overhaul and repair actions.

The contract technicians, assigned to the 3rd Component Maintenance Squadron (CMS) Propulsion Flight, perform a wide range of duties and utilize their expertise in the mainte-

Robert Hegner from the Elmendorf PMEL certifying an Air Data Test Set used for pitot and static aircraft pressure verifications. (Photo Christopher Johnston)

nance areas they’re assigned. PW technicians are integrated in all aspects of the propulsioneffort: base engine management, supply, support equipment, and major maintenance. Additionally, as PACAF’s industry partner, PW also added a Field Service Representative to the JBER team who provides added expertise and help in resolving maintenance anomalies. PW technicians are essential to the entire maintenance effort and are vital to the success of the 3 CMS Propulsion Flight. In 2010, the combined efforts of military and PW technicians enabled the repair and production of 64 F119-PW-100 engines and 25 engines to date in 2011 maintaining 100% of war ready engine spares. Together in arms, PW and PACAF provide the thrust that gives our Airmen the power to fly and are critical to the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor maintaining Pacific region security.

At JBER, PACAF joins forces with PW to provide the thrust needed to make its Raptors soar, but with new technologies and concepts of management such as Repair Network Integration (RNI), PACAF explores more efficient and innovative ways to provide thrust to the rest of the command as well.

CRFing for Efficiency In 2008, RNI was picking up steam and the PACAF Director of Logistics realized there may be opportunities to reshape repair operations in the Pacific. Staff at PACAF Headquarters (HQ) had just been cut in half as the command transitioned to the new Component Major Command organization structure and personnel availability was a tight resource. In the changing field of battle, the Director of Logistics wanted to explore and exploit opportunities to improve but lacked the resources to properly conduct the Business Case Analysis (BCA) needed. The solution arrived by way of an industry partnership with the consulting firm, Deloitte. This opened the door to explore F110 engine repair and corrosion control operations across the PACAF AOR. The initial effort to examine the F110 engine repair operations started summer of 2008 and concluded with an out-brief to the Director of Logistics in January 2010. The contractor team provided expertise in project management, supply chain management, business process redesign, out-sourcing, strategic sourcing, process improvement, and change management. Deloitte teamed with PACAF HQ and field unit personnel who provided functional expertise and operational insight. Along the way, they

 45 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

EXPEDITIONARY LOGISTICS | 20,000 YEARS... examined F110 engine repair and supply operations at four bases in Japan and the Republic of Korea. Taking into account multiple Consolidated Repair Facilities (CRFs), full intermediate (I)-level maintenance, and retained tasks, the team explored 12 options to reengineer the western part of PACAFs repair network. These options considered factors such as floor space, housing, parking lots, transportation of spare and reparable engines, movement and set-up of equipment, personnel Permanent Changes of Station, operational risk, and more. In the end, the recommendation to CRF at Kadena AB, Japan has the potential to save PACAF and the Air Force $2.5M annually. Furthermore, the recommendation has garnered broad support by not only PACAF leadership but the leadership of Air Force Material Command as well.

Through partnerships with industry partners like Deloitte, PACAF has explored innovative ways to produce the raw power of its jet engines, but raw power alone isn’t enough. The command also needs precision and accuracy of measurement to effectively execute its mission.

Precision Engagement In the year 2700 BC, the cubit was the standard unit of length used by the Egyptians to construct the ancient pyramids. Egyptian workers who possessed a cubit rule were required to have it checked each full moon to ensure the length matched a master cubit. Over 4,700 years later, measurement standardization is even more critical as technological advancements have created

far more accurate and precise capabilities across the globe. PACAF, for instance, operates a vast inventory of aircraft, weapons, communication devices, medical equipment, and other support equipment which must be maintained and periodically checked to ensure it meets performance specifications. Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratories (PMELs) perform this critical function for PACAF by calibrating and repairing Test, Measurement and Diagnostic Equipment (TMDE) across its AOR. The command operates five military PMELs in Japan and Korea, and four contracted labs in Guam, Hawaii and Alaska. Calibration services at these four locations have been contracted to Yulista Management Services, Inc. for the past 9 years. They support over 26,000 TMDE items at Andersen AFB, Eielson AFB, JBER, and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The industrial partnership of PACAF with Yulista Management Services, Inc. has been absolutely critical for the command’s mission success.

PACAF’s Yulista-managed PMELs support almost every respective base unit and mission.

From the scales used for fitness testing, to micrometers, torque wrenches and pressure gauges utilized by maintainers on the flightline, to spectrum analyzers and RF generators used by communication personnel, these labs provide traceable measurements for 697 Air Force, DoD and other government or contract customers. One of the most important functions of the Alaska, Hawaii and Guam PMELs is to ensure the weapons system accuracy of 96 PA-

CAF aircraft to include the E-3, F-16, F-22, C-17 and KC-135. Along with these aircraft, the Andersen PMEL supports deployed B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers, RQ-4 Global Hawks, and any other aircraft transiting Guam. In addition to the standard base and aircraft support, PACAF’s Yulista PMELs provide calibration assistance to some unique work centers.

The Eielson lab calibrates test equipment for the Department of Homeland Security, AF Space Command, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In Anchorage, the JBER Yulista PMEL supports 15 remote Alaska Radar System sites supporting the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Directly south and across the Pacific, the Yulista Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam PMEL calibrates scales for the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command ( JPAC) and finally, the Yulista PMEL at Andersen AFB certifies TMDE for the FBI, NASA and the Naval Satellite Operations Center (NAVSOC).

Producing precise and reliable equipment at the an unprecedented turnaround average of 2.4-days, the Yulista PMELs far exceed the Air Force standard of 7-days while at the same time meeting a 96.6% availability rate which again bests the Air Force standard of 93%.

These PMEL labs support over 50% of the PACAF’s TMDE workload making our industry partners at Yulista true assets to PACAF! PACAF exists in a world today of unprecedented progress and innovation. Progress measured, not linearly, but exponentially. To keep pace with the rapid changes of this bold new environment, whether working through the broad concepts of RNI or keeping our Airman safe at dizzying heights, PACAF along with its industrial partners will continue to forge ahead into a future none of us will recognize or will have even dreamed of.

About the Author: Maj John F. Adams, Jr. is the PACAF HQ, Weapons System Support Branch Chief, Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Hawaii.

He is the current Kanaloa LOA Chapter President. He has served in numerous maintenance officer positions to include Munitions Flight Commander at Ellsworth AFB, SD, 13th AF Chief of Weapons, Andersen AFB Guam, 94th AMU OIC, Langley AFB, VA. Maj Adams has deployed four times in four different positions and locations to include Diego Garcia and Baghdad Iraq. K

Eric Breen calibrates a TACAN Ramp Test Set at the Yulista run PMEL on Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam (Photo Maj John Adams)

46 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

MAJCOM

Thoughts on Logistics, Leadership and Life from a Career Civilian Logistician

Garry Richey stands on the steps of his office building at Randolph AFB, TX. (Picture from my camera).

By Colonel (ret) Robert Hamm In April 2011, Mr. Garry Richey, Air Education and Training Command’s (AETC) Director of Logistics, Installations and Mission Support retired from government service. In a career that has spanned more than 35 years, Mr. Richey served the Air Force and the nation as an outstanding logistician and leader. Before he headed out the door, we asked Mr. Richey to share his experiences with the logisticians he leaves behind as he and his lovely wife Donna begin a new chapter in their lives. What follows are Mr. Richey’s thoughts on everything from the challenges he faced as a career logistician to thoughts on leadership.

Mr. Richey points out that becoming a logistician in the Air Force was not part of some grand plan. He admits that timing played a large part in the success of a career that spanned over three and a half decades of federal service. As a matter of fact he points out,”…I probably wouldn’t have ever chosen this career except for getting drafted into the Army toward the end of the Vietnam era. So what I thought at the time to be a ‘closed door,’ actually opened up a great career opportunity.”

After his tour in the Army, Mr. Richey went to college on the GI Bill…and anyone who knows Mr. Richey knows that he is a proud graduate of Oklahoma University (OU). Shortly after leaving OU, Mr. Richey entered into a management training program at Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center (OC-ALC) and so the journey began.

When Garry Richey wants to make a point it will almost always come in the form of a sports analogy. And so, when asked about his career, this avid sports fan explains,”…in life you get a few chances at bat and if you strike out, you strike out…but you should swing for the

fences. I got a few hits and did OK early and got a chance to move on up.” Mr. Richey points out however, that even though he has served at three major command headquarters, AFMC, AMC and AETC, early in his career he did not move geographically, although he was very mobile within OC-ALC. “I’m a dinosaur…” says the senior logistician. “We don’t look at people the same way now…about giving them leadership responsibility without mobility. Geographic mobility wasn’t expected or required at that time. Now there are amazing benefits to mobility, but we can give people some of those benefits by moving them to different functions and positions within installations. We ought to look for those development opportunities.”

Although he cut his teeth in the engine business, he also had leadership roles at OC-ALC in item management, as well as aircraft management.

Mr. Richey explains that big jobs, leading and managing up to 2,500 employees, exposed him to,”… different experiences and perspectives” and he believes those opportunities better prepared him for future positions of increased responsibility.

Mr. Garry Richey speaks to media and Tinker AFB employees on 12 Feb, 1999 with announcement that the government led team won the competition for the Kelly AFB engine workload. (It’s been 12 years, but I’m sure the picture was taken by Margo Wright, from the Tinker Take-Off).

48 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

Such experience was helpful in Mr. Richey’s next job at AFMC headquarters as he and others began to shape a more cohesive and standard approach to AF Supply Chain Management, laying the groundwork for creation of the Global Logistics Support Center (GLSC). Like any other transition, the start was a bit difficult. “We had a mindset that if you didn’t ‘own’ the process, it couldn’t be trusted. So we had too many ‘owners’ and too many ways of operating. We lacked standardization, integration and efficiency. The tremendous weapon system support we’ve enjoyed the last decade is proof we’re moving in the right direction.”

Lessons he learned in his early years as a logistician at OC-ALC were put to good use as AMC’s Deputy A4, a new civilian position created to provide operational commands with

HAMM wholesale logistics expertise from senior logisticians who understood how AFMC works and supports the fight.

Then Mr. Richey returned to OC-ALC as the Executive Director. “It was a dream come true to get to go back to where I started as GS-5 and be the senior civilian on the installation,” explains Richey.

But when Mr. Richey was approached about a move to AETC, he saw it as a chance to show that senior civilian logisticians possess the skills to lead and manage logistics in commands other than AFMC. Richey explains that General Bill Looney, then commander of AETC,”… hired me…he took a chance and I tried not to double bogie it.”

Mr. Richey visits with Gen Perez at OC-ALC circa 1997.

When asked if there was a job that he enjoyed the most or found particularly challenging, Richey responds with a chuckle,”Well… they were all hard! I was always learning. I grew up in the engine business but working CLS aircraft was neat. I had some great challenging jobs which provided a rich learning environment, not to mention some expert mentorship. But the greatest leadership opportunity I ever had was running the Propulsion Business Area (PBA) competition at OC-ALC from 1997-1999.” The PBA, worth almost $10B, was the largest public/private competition the Air Force had ever attempted. It included workload from San Antonio ALC that was closing, including TF39, T56 and F100 engines plus support equipment. “We had a tremendous team that came together to pull that off. We certainly weren’t ‘trained’ to submit such a bid, but we soon began to realize that we had some quick learners, and through teamwork and integrating our skills we could produce a great product.

It was crucial, because we felt our performance would reflect good or bad, on all of the work done by Tinker. In the end, Richey and his team helped win the competition.

Richey espouses three key traits for leaders.

Communication is crucial. “Leaders must be articulate.” Mr Richey emphasized the need for logisticians to learn to concisely communicate up and down the command chain. But it’s especially important to provide supervisors the key points they need to make decisions.

Cooperation is a hallmark of superior logistics

performance, “You’ve got to learn how to work as a team…great logisticians know that,” says Richey. This senior leader is big on developing relationships, explaining, ”I’ve worked hard at building, nurturing and maintaining good working relationships so I can call folks up and cut through the tension and red tape…we can have a conversation and solve issues quickly.”

Logistics leaders, according to Richey, must be able to “Collate”, that is, multi-task, or take information from different functional areas and pull it together to see how it all fits together.

A leader’s success comes in part from the way one treats subordinates. Again, Mr. Richey makes the point with a story. “Early in my leadership career somebody made a mistake.

I’m in a meeting and they are telling me about it and this lady was the one who had made the mistake. I was a brand new GS-15 and I’m sitting there thinking… I’m going to set the tone that I have high expectations and I was getting ready to launch into a five minute spiel…I wanted this rooted out…I want people punished…this is unacceptable. Then it dawned on me that this lady was about the same age as my mother and I don’t think I would want anyone talking to my mother that way. So I asked a couple of questions and it became obvious she was devastated that she had made this mistake. It turns out that when I moved from that job I called her out as one of my heroes …she was one of the hardest working people in the whole division – I didn’t know that at

the time…I just knew she had a made a mistake and I was gonna be the boss. I’m so glad I caught myself in time. It taught me a lesson.”

Setting the atmosphere in the workplace is a leader’s responsibility according to Richey.

“I’ve always tried to figure a way to make people perform their best. You want them to be disciplined and dedicated but you want them to relax to the point that they can perform the best.” Again, the point is brought home with a sports analogy. Richey explains, “When I used to be a ball player many years ago, I found that when I was tense I didn’t play very well and I found when I was relaxed…man I’d make some plays!”

Mr. Garry Richey has been making great plays for America’s Air Force for over 30 years. A dedicated civil servant for over three decades, he’ll be missed. We all wish this great American the very best as he and his family take some time to relax and enjoy time together. Thanks for everything Mr. Richey. Hit’em long and hit’em straight.

About the Author: Mr. Bob Hamm is the Director of Process Improvement, HQ AETC, Randolph AFB, TX. He is currently a member of the Alamo Chapter and was as former LOA National VicePresident. Mr Hamm is a career logistician and former Maintenance Group Commander. He retired from active duty in 2009. K

49 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

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LMI-Logistics Management Institute POC: Bradley Silver BSilver@lmi.org HQ: McLean, VA www.lmi.org LOA Corp Partner: 2 years

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company POC: Deanne Hernandez deanna.hernandez@lmco.com HQ: Fort Worth, TX www.lockheedmartin.com LOA Corp Partner: 7 years

MacAulay Brown POC: Thomas G. Batty thomas.batty@macb.com HQ: Dayton, OH www.macb.com LOA Corp Partner: 5 years

MainStream G.S, LLC POC: Kali Mistry kali.mistry@mainstreamllc.com HQ: Robins, IA www.mainstreamgs.com LOA Corp Partner: 6 years

Military Logistics Forum POC: Jane Engel jane@kmimediagroup.com HQ: Rockville, MD www.mlf-lmi.com LOA Corp Partner: 1 year

Moog POC: Tom Laird tlaird@moog.com HQ: East Aurora, NY www.moog.com LOA Corp Partner: 4 years

Morgan Borszcz Consulting, LLC POC: Michael Mogan michael.morgan@mbc360.com HQ: Arlington, VA www.mbc360.com LOA Corp Partner: 4 years

Nordam Group POC: Robert Sherwood bobs@nordam.com HQ: Tulsa, OK www.nordam.com LOA Corp Partner: 6 years

Parker Aerospace POC: Elizabeth Butterfield ebutterfield@parker.com HQ: Irvine, CA www.parker.com LOA Corp Partner: 9 years

Pratt & Whitney

Standard Aero

POC: Samuel Anderson samuel.anderson@pw.utc.com HQ: East Hartford, CT http://www.pw.utc.com/ LOA Corp Partner: 7 years

POC: Bryon Mills bryon.mills@standardaero.com HQ: Tempe, AZ www.standardaero.com LOA Corp Partner: 5 years

Raytheon

SupplyCore Inc.

POC: Robert Garcia garciaroco@raytheon.com HQ: Waltham, Massachusetts www.raytheon.com LOA Corp Partner: 4 years

POC: David Hahn David.hahn@supplycore.com HQ: Rockford, IL www.supplycore.com LOA Corp Partner: 4 years

Rolls-Royce Defense North America

Systems Implementers

POC: Brian Mitchell bryan.mitchell@rolls-royce.com HQ: London, England http://www.rolls-royce.com/defence/ LOA Corp Partner: 2 years

POC: Richard Wood rwood@sinet.org HQ: Tuscon, AZ www.systemsimplementers.com LOA Corp Partner: 7 years

SAP Public Services, Inc.

Teradyne, Inc. - Automated Test Systems & Test Equip

POC: Mark Roddy mark.roddy@sap.com HQ: Walldorf, Germany www.SAP.com LOA Corp Partner: 2 years

POC: Lindsey Drummey lindsey.drummey@teradyne.com HQ: North Reading, MA www.teradyne.com/militaryaerospace LOA Corp Partner: 5 years

SAS Institute

URS

POC: Gail Bamford gail.bamford@sas.com HQ: Cary, NY www.sas.com LOA Corp Partner: 4 years

POC: Larry Eriksen leriksen@URS.com HQ: San Francisco, CA www.urscorp.com LOA Corp Partner: 4 years

Selex Galileo Inc.

Williams-ElectroLinx

POC: Darryl Davis darryl.davis@selexgalileoinc.com HQ: Arlington, VA www.selexgalileo.com LOA Corp Partner: 2 years

POC: Tres Moulton tres.moulton@williams-pyro.com http://www.williams-electrolinx.com/ LOA Corp Partner: 1 year

Serco

POC: Robert Holmes robert.holmes@wwga.com HQ: Marietta, GA www.cribmaster.com LOA Corp Partner: 5 years

POC: Rocky Barnard rocky.barnard@serco-na.com HQ: Reston, VA http://www.serco-na.com/ LOA Corp Partner: 6 years

Snap-On Tools POC: Pam Tithof pamela.m.tithof@snapon.com http://www.snapon.com/ LOA Corp Partner: 3 years

Spokane Industries POC: Robert Moore HQ: Spokane Valley, WA www.spokaneindustries.com LOA Corp Partner: 5 years

Winware / CribMaster

Wright State University, Inst of Def Studies & Ed POC: Susan Brixey susan.brixey@wright.edu HQ: Dayton, OH http://www.wright.edu/ LOA Corp Partner: 2 years K

51 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

INDUSTRY PARTNER

The Oldest Profession…

“Why didn’t I think of that?” Alicia Kadesch and Seth Brogadir, Deloitte help Col Steve Lawlor, Deputy A4I, solve a problem. (Photo by Donna H. Parry, ER photographer)

A medical doctor, an engineer and a consultant were arguing about what was the oldest profession in the world.

The doctor started… “Well, in the Bible, it says that God created Eve from a rib taken from Adam’s body. This must have required surgery, and so I can claim with a high degree of confidence that mine is the oldest profession in the world.” The engineer responded, and said, “But earlier in the book of Genesis, it states that God created the order of the heavens and the earth from out of the chaos. This was the first and certainly the most impressive application of civil engineering. Therefore, dear doctor, you are wrong: mine is surely the oldest profession in the world.” The consultant leaned back in his chair, smiled, and then said confidently, “Ah, but who do you think created the chaos?”

52 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

By Mr. David Rega

We are here to help you!

Have you heard that before? Most people are like me – those words were scary and made me wonder what bill of goods I was about to be sold. Especially if it came from someone wearing a nice suit! How many times have you heard that line from QA, the IG or maybe a headquarters evaluation team? People wonder how much help could really be provided. However, ‘help’ is exactly what consultants do – speak with respective customers, help identify shortfalls and issues, and craft workable solutions that are the best possible outcome for the customer. Consultants are there to help and what follows is a brief explanation as to how they can help you!

Whereas a consultant is generally brought in to do things that customer may not be able to do for themselves or may not have accumulated experience in doing yet.

Differences Between Consulting and Service Contractors Although it may seem like splitting hairs and oftentimes the lines are blurred when people/firms combine roles, there is a difference between consultants and other

forms of private contractors. Contractors have a right to control only the end service they provide. Though part of what a contractor may provide, their real output is as a doer of tasks as spelled out by the entity that controls the contract. On the other hand consultants generally provide expertise and experience to advise more effective courses of action or solutions to your problems. Further, the entity that controls the consultant’s contract generally does not control how the consultant performs his/ her service; rather, it sets the timeframe and desired form of the end result. Kind of sounds like an analogy between Contractor Logistics Support versus a Performance Based Logistics support structure, doesn’t it?

A general distinction is that contractors perform what the customer and their team could do (have the expertise to do) but choose not to for capacity or affordability reasons. Whereas a consultant is generally brought in to do things that customer may not be able to do for themselves or may not have accumulated experience in doing yet.

Consultants may provide advice, recommendations, analysis and other resources based upon their background, education, experience, knowledge and expertise. Service contractors typically provide focused, persistent support for one customer whereas consultants often multitask and are involved with more than one project at a time.

This provides an increasingly broader level of expertise the consultants may draw upon to support your needs. Consultants are often tasked with leading an initiative and

REGA collaborating with the customer on the specific direction of that initiative. Consultants provide an increase in breadth and depth of technical skills, an improvement in analytical skills, and the ability to clearly and concisely communicate important information in a timely manner. Consultants are sometimes an expert or professional in a specific field and have a wide range of knowledge of specific subject matter.

Very often, government customers reach out to consultants to organize and execute an effort to explore a specific issue providing tangible results in a specified timeframe – something that may be problematic for their in-house team given the distractions executing the day-to-day challenges.

Consultants are frequently sought for their strategic perspective on a project. They may perform certain aspects such as technical development or implementation, but are usually advisory and strategic in nature. Because of this analytical and advisory component, consultants do not usually implement or bid on the implementation of recommended solutions.

Doing so might cause one to question whether that advice was truly objective or self-serving and, in a competitive bid, provide a basis for protest. A good consulting company is rigorous in avoiding potential conflicts of interest and assuring all interactions are handled with the utmost integrity. Integrity and objectivity are paramount in every successful consultant’s relationship with their customer.

What it Takes to be a Successful Consultant There are three skills a consultant should exercise – communication skills, business skills and technical skills. Customers seek quick, clear, accurate answers that are easy to understand.

Further, they want answers first and may not even ask for the supporting details. What follows is a short list of qualities those successful and good consultants have: A good consultant can look ahead 4-5 steps and recommend ways through potential minefields the customer cannot see. Their experience in addressing similar issues and, in a better consulting company, access to a broad range of expertise is what you’re paying for.

A good consultant will turn down follow-on work if they are not best suited to complete that work.

Their reputation, as helping you to do what’s best for the program, is at stake otherwise!

A good consultant can tell a customer they may not be choosing the best path or approach and that

there are better methods of attaining a goal than the customer’s preferred track. If the baby’s ugly, a good consultant will tell you – that critical and objective input may not be possible within the construct of your organization.

A good consulting company is rigorous in avoiding potential conflicts of interest and assuring all interactions are handled with the utmost integrity.

A good consultant can add value to a project – they ask the critical questions, “is this the right thing to do?” and “is this thing being done right?”

A good consultant is willing to look beyond assumptions and does not jump to conclusions.

A good consultant can usually say “we’ve done this before and we can help you solve this problem.” If “it” has never been done before, a good consultant can say “Although it’s never been done, we have a way of getting this done.”

A good consultant brings tried and proven methodologies to solve problems.

A good consultant brings tried and proven methodologies to solve problems. In government acquisition, for example, a program/program manager may never have taken a program through a milestone whereas a consulting company may have done that several times in the last year for a variety of programs. A good program manager will leverage that expertise to obtain their milestone decision on or ahead of schedule providing capability to the Warfighter sooner and potentially saving millions.

The best consultants don’t just tell you what might be amiss; they work with you to develop alternative strategies, plans and courses of action to help you address issues. Mentoring is a key component of good consultant/customer relationships.

On-Going Challenges for DoD In 1990, the General Account Office (GAO) studied the use of consultants supporting Defense acquisition programs. Consultants were said to play an important role in the development of the weapon system acquisition programs studied. Within each Service,

consultants provided a wide range of services to include analyzing contractor logistics support plans to assess accuracy and completeness, providing cost estimating support of independent program cost estimates, and assisting in the formulation of structural design requirements for use in preparing contract specifications. Though the GAO report stated the DoD was actively seeking to reduce its reliance on the use of consulting services, it also stated the DoD relied on the use of these services in several critical areas on a variety of programs. A good program manager considers all dimensions of capability at their disposal – uniformed personnel, government civilians, contractors and consultants. The best programs use each of these components at the right time and place recognizing their unique roles and value to their “team”.

There are several key issues confronting Government program managers in the current environment that point to the need for increased use of consultants. One is the diaspora of expertise associated with a “graying” workforce – as a bow wave of more seasoned career civil servants retire, they are replaced (if they are replaced) with fresh young faces that, although bright and capable learners, lack the experience to effectively and efficiently navigate the complex DoD environment. Another issue is the impact of insourcing that was intended to reap “savings” in two ways – numbers of billets and cost per billet. In many cases the result of insourcing is a reduced number of bodies as the insourcing transition provided less than a onefor-one exchange of contractor to government civilian. Also, to reduce the cost per billet during this transition, a more seasoned contractor may be replaced with a much less experienced government civilian as significant salary reductions were offered. The cumulative effect of these issues provides the basis for prudent government program managers to use consultants at the right time and place.

Opportunities for Today’s Consultant There are several on-going initiatives within the DoD that today’s consultant may be ideally suited to support their successful implementation.

In June 2010, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates provided direction stating the DoD must significantly improve effectiveness and efficiency of business operations. These areas are certainly functions consultants can provide

 53 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

INDUSTRY PARTNER | THE OLDEST PROFESSION

Teamwork—we are all on the same team! (L to R) Alicia Kadesch and Roland Engelhardt with Deloitte discuss a briefing with Gregg Beecher and Paul Barany, HAF/A4I. (Photo by Donna H. Parry, ER photographer)

great insight and independent perspective on how best to implement. Further, in September 2010, OSD/AT&L Dr. Ashton Carter outlined to the DoD’s acquisition corps the need to implement 23 specific initiatives changing the way the acquisition community accomplishes their mission. As such, the Services must take action to realize and implement efficiencies in several areas impacting acquisition. For example, one recommendation stipulated that implementing efficiencies in Program Management Administration (PMA), which includes support contractors, will reduce program overhead costs while maintaining or improving cost/schedule/ delivery. For the USAF, this drove a need to achieve a 15% PMA efficiency while simultaneously improving or maintaining program cost/schedule/delivery. Further, the Services are expected to reduce knowledge based contract services costs by 4-10% while delivering the same or higher level capability by reducing funding for applicable services personnel.

A tall order, but which the expertise of today’s consultants should be well positioned to assist in answering.

54 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

A possible barrier to some of those opportunities may be the recently submitted series of initiatives provided by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. On 4 March 2011, Secretary Gates provided a wide-reaching series of initiatives to the rest of the DoD seeking to reduce duplication, overhead and instill a culture of savings and cost accountability across his organization.

One initiative, to reduce the DoD’s reliance on service support contractors, is expected to save $6B over the FYDP. Due to the inherent overlap and nature of contractors and consultants, it is assumed this may negatively impact today’s consultant to provide the same services as has been provided in the past. The budgetary issues with the 2011 budget certainly negatively impact this as well.

program or your organization. You can exploit their expertise, experience and capacity to do things that are either better accomplished by others or beyond your internal capability to effectively address. So, are you a sheep or a wolf ?

A sheep will say, I can only do so much with what I have, there are serious limitations, and my bosses will just have to understand. A wolf will say, I intend to accomplish results by this date, I will identify my barriers to success and I will use all dimensions of support capability to overcome those barriers. The cost of a consultant will almost always pay for itself through improved cost, schedule and performance.

Most importantly, consulting expertise will help YOU fulfill your responsibilities to effectively and efficiently accomplish the mission.

Me! Me! It’s all about MEEEE!!!!

About the author: Mr. David Rega, a consultant with Whitney, Bradley & Brown, works a myriad of Air Force and Joint acquisition and logistics programs. He retired from the Air Force in 2009 after 20 years as an aircraft maintenance officer.

K

When considering your need for consulting support, it really is all about you. What are your needs? What are your goals? What are your problems? Consultants, another tool in the toolbox, are focused on helping you and your team to overcome barriers for your

INDUSTRY PARTNER

By Mr. Joe Diana

Mobile Applications as a Logistics Enabler

56 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

What if a munitions team had ready access to a complete round builder and Munitions Storage Area (MSA) inventory location from the bomb build pad? What if expediters could avoid making a radio call or a trip to determine the most current status of a part?

What if maintenance leaders could immediately determine the status of an aircraft without having to call over the pro super or expediter? What if a crew chief could find a specific tool from among all the support sections without having to walk to each one? If any of these questions describe mission enabling activities to you, you are probably interested in knowing more about mobile applications.

pability and how much farther along the Army is than the Air Force in embracing the use of mobile applications. I know many Air Force logisticians are interested in seeing mobile applications in use, and this article provides a brief road map to successfully fielding mobile capability to Airmen.

DEFINE THE REQUIREMENT. The most important question to ask when starting to develop mobile capability is “What data do you want to be able to view on a mobile device?� Think about your favorite mobile applications. Most access a small set of features compared to their full-fledged web sites. The Army implemented a system using 12 months of end-user logistics data that captured more than one million query and reporting activities when a mobile application was developed for their use. With an analysis of that data, they were able to rank order an Army logistician’s most frequent queries and report requests. Analysis provided clear and unambiguous insight to what Army logisticians do on Our relationa most frequent ships with smart Today, a soldier in Afbasis. This insight phones have far provided the basis ghanistan using his surpassed anysmart phone can walk up for the first servicthing we could es provided on the have imagined to a piece of equipment mobile device. Infive years ago. and determine its status, formal discussions Many of us bank, with Air Force the last known location shop, connect, personnel strongly entertain and of an in-transit, inbound suggest the profile navigate using part , any outstanding of requirements smart phones.

TCTOs for the equipment, also applies to Air The fact that Force logisticians and even generate a fleet smart phones and their supcan make calls perspective of his unit. port community. is almost an afThe similarity beterthought! The tween Army and rise of the tablet laptop computer Air Force logistics information requirements has also impacted how we interis not surprising.

Both communities focus on act with the world and there are supply, distribution, maintenance and readimany who predict the demise of ness.

When defi ning requirements, also keep the desktop computer altogether. in mind mobile access will come from a variety How prepared are we as a logistics community to adapt to these of devices and the data must be available on all of them. The most limiting of those is the changes? ever popular BlackBerry. Screen menus should Today, a soldier in Afghanistan be simple and provide hyperlinks so users are using his smart phone can walk up able to drill down into data. Some developers to a piece of equipment and de- have developed a product which meets these termine its status, the last known requirements. location of an in-transit, inbound part , any outstanding Time GATHER YOUR RESOURCES. The creation of a mobile Change Technical Orders for the application is not an expensive venture, nor is equipment, and even generate a it as complex as many believe. With that said, fleet perspective of his unit. All there is a distinct process to ensure an effecof this is done using real time data tive output product for the end user. The rethrough an authenticated portal questor will need to re-catalog the desired data process. I was shocked to find that to access for ease of use, speed and productivity. my company had fielded this ca- Trying to pump current data feeds into a mo-

DIANA bile application will make queries The creation of a mobile cumbersome as the queries sort through millions of table entries. application is not an exOne alternative is to use a data pensive venture…there is a enterprise layer that allows quedistinct process to ensure ries to process in seconds. Setan effective output product ting up a server for a mobile application system and sustaining it for the end user. will require sustainment dollars, but this is a relatively low cost exapplications help overcome that penditure with the possibility that existing relimitation by using existing insources can be used. The final requirement for frastructure. the mobile application is a software program that converts all this into a useable format on PICK A CHAMPION TO SLAY THE A6 a screen. Surprisingly, this is the least expen- DRAGON. No one likes surprises, sive piece of the equation. A wireless network least of all the A6. Many great is not a necessity as the application can work ideas have failed during fieldwith access to cell phone signal. Many bases ing due to a lack of coordination are still struggling to field wireless networks between logisticians and comthat were promised in the early days of POMx munications personnel. The A4 [Point of Maintenance] and eLog21. Mobile community now works with the A6 on several different governance committees.

Seize on those relationships to get the ball rolling. As with any new applications, the A6 may have security concerns.

For the Army’s mobile application, the Army Logistics Support Agency signed a Designated Approving Authority memorandum to allow application testing using a Department of Defense Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process. This accommodated the Army G6’s requirements for portal certification of all users which reduced security concerns.

STAND BACK AND WATCH AIRMEN THRIVE. The Air Force recruits the best and brightest and we should harness their passion for technology and innovation. We continue to ask Airmen to do more with less and technology can help them make the most of their time in a day. Army customers, field logisticians, senior managers and commanders like

mobile applications. They truly see it as a natural evolution in their process and another tool in a high-speed toolbox.

Mobile applications represent the same technological leap from grease board to dashboard or from paper to PDF. They will give an expeditionary force persistent access to data and enhance mission success. The Air Force logistics community should not wait for others to deliver this capability but should be persuasive and forceful in advocating fielding now.

About the author: Mr. Diana served for 25 years in logistics and is currently a Principal Analyst with CALIBRE in the Strategic Logistics Directorate. He has been a member of LOA for 20 years and has served as a chapter president and chapter advisor. K

57 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

LEADERSHIP

445th MXG: Contributing to the Lean Enterprise

By Major Paul J Centinaro As part of an enterprise-wide initiative to cut cost and increase aircraft availability, the Air Force consolidated eight C-5 isochronal (ISO) inspection facilities to three regionalized ISO (R-ISO) locations. C-5 ISO capacity was consolidated to Dover AFB, Westover ARB and Martinsburg ANGB. This consolidation represented a significant role change for the 445th AW as they changed from “supporting” to “supported.” When the C-5 enterprise transitioned to the R-ISO process, scheduling limitations within the three identified R-ISO locations prevented a significant number of aircraft from rotating through before grounding. The two options available were to let the aircraft sit in queue on the flightline or tap into the enterprise’s reach-back capability. Fortunately, highly experienced and capable maintainers from the 445th Maintenance Group, located at Wright Patterson AFB, OH, stepped up to fill the gap. After assessing her Group’s capabilities, Colonel Anna Schulte committed the Group to accomplish four minor ISO inspections but the R-ISO manager changed the minor inspections to contingency ISO inspections. On the surface, accomplishing a few contingency ISO inspections doesn’t seem insurmountable. But, when considering the many facility and personnel limitations, one starts to see the task for what it truly is - a huge challenge. The fact the 445 MXG not only accomplished the task, but surpassed all time and quality expectations…is nothing short of amazing.

445 MXG CONTRIBUTIONS The 445 MXG stood up a 15-member ISO section in less than three months. This included developing a consolidated tool room and tool 58 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

accountability program, organizing and filling a bench-stock, establishing a training program to qualify young airmen, and developing an aircraft status tracking and reporting mechanism.

Operating the contingency ISO section was reminiscent of deployed operations where ingenuity, flexibility and work-arounds are often required for success. Indeed, like many forward-operating bases, the 445 MXG was faced with many LIMFACs and it required flexibility, determination and focus to succeed. For example, the 445 MXG was not manned nor equipped to accomplish C-5 ISO inspections.

The wing converted from C-141s in 2005 and was not equipped with C-5 ISO-dock aircraft stands or tail stands like Dover and Westover.

Thinking outside the box, they appropriated JLG man-lifts to enable inspection capability.

While this option proved successful, it required the use of a ground man which doubled the manpower requirement.

In addition to equipment issues, the team also dealt with a faulty hangar fire suppression system. During the ISO, the system triggered and engulfed the C-5, tools and equipment under 45 feet of fire suppressant foam which delayed the inspection process. This delay caused the team to move the inspection to the flightline where unseasonably high snowfall totals and extremely low temperatures threatened to delay the inspection process. Despite these obstacles, the 445th team accomplished their goal and completed the inspection by the promised delivery date.

As well as consolidating C-5 ISO operations, the Air Force has been experimenting with modifying the inspection process in order to accelerate the ISO process while maintaining safe and reliable aircraft. The latest variation,

SSgt Mike Benzing inspects the C-5 flight deck windows using JLG lifts appropriated from excess assets. Innovative work-arounds were required. (Photo by SSgt Amanda Duncan, 445AW Public Affairs)

MSG-3 [MAINTENANCE STEERING GROUP] is a voluntary structured process developed by the industry and maintained by the Air Transport Association (ATA) to make decisions used to develop maintenance and inspection tasks and intervals for an airplane. MSG3 is a decision-logic process for determining by reliability principles the initial scheduled maintenance requirements for new aircraft and/or engines.

The process identifies each Safety Significant Item (SSI) and applies a function, failure, failure effects and causes analysis on each using Failure Modes Effect Analysis (FMEA).

Damage to an SSI is considered possible from accident, environment or fatigue. MSG-3 output is used as the basis for a report which will set the principles for each Maintenance and Repair Organization (MRO) to develop a Maintenance Schedule for an aircraft type.

MSG-3 was first adopted in 1980 as a development of the earlier MSG-2 which itself was a development of MSG-1 procedures which were used in the development of the initial minimum scheduled maintenance inspections recommendations for the Boeing 747. Since 1980, a number of revisions have been made to MSG-3, the most recent in 2007 but, as yet, ‘MSG-4’ has not followed. called MSG-3 is based on commercial aviation best-practices and allows for a more streamline inspection process. The MSG-3 concept leverages the entire maintenance cycle to balance “the right time to find and the right time to fix”. After the second inspection, maintainers faced the daunting task of converting the existing work package to new MSG-3 inspection

CENTINARO criteria. Working with the Group’s quality assurance, MSgt Steve Rhodes, ISO Dock Chief, built the packages for G081, garnered approval, then set up an efficient flow plan. He mirrored AFSO21/ISO 9001 strategy to accomplish the most efficient manner of production. The MXG placed the flow plan on their intranet allowing all shops to monitor the progression of ISO. In the end, thanks to a superior attitude, keen use of resources, and continuous process improvement, the 445 MXG completed its fourth inspection nearly six months earlier than promised, despite many obstacles and challenges.

Capacity vs. Capability As the US Air Force continues down the path of enterprise-wide continuous process improvement, all organizations will be affected as we seek to find the balance between cost and performance. This balancing act will require some organizations to increase capacity while others will relinquish it. Thus, “capacity consolidation” may be the phrase word of the foreseeable future. However, as more and more organizations find their roles changing from “supporting” to “supported”, we must make sure we don’t confuse “capacity” with “capability”.

Capacity refers to an organization’s activity to perform a pre-designated process to bring

ISO Dock Chief MSgt Steve Rhodes (right) develops the plan to convert the ISO work package to the new MSG-3 inspection criteria. (Photo by SSgt Amanda Duncan, 445AW Public Affairs)

about the desired result. Capability, on the other hand, refers to an organization’s ability to perform some or all of the process. Capacity requires “action” and capability requires “knowledge”. Exceptional organizations in both military and corporate arenas rely on (and continuously build) their capabilities and capacities. In the corporate environment, this capability is referred to as a competitive advantage. In the military environment, this is referred to as enterprise building.

Capability was increased through a continuous commitment to the process. As described above, the 445th made the decision to invest in active participation in the R-ISO process.

The net effect of this investment was increased maintainer proficiency and increased organizational capability. The challenge for the 445th was to transfer the capability to do the work to the capacity to accomplish the ISO inspections.

Benchmarking, cross-talk and best practices were key factors in allowing the 445th to rapidly develop organic capacity.

Starting with an R-ISO baseline provided by Dover and Westover, the Wright Patterson team used value stream mapping to tailor the ISO package to meet the specific outcomes for a contingency ISO. Team leads routinely talked with dock One of the Group’s seasoned mechanics takes the opportunity to train one of chiefs from Dover the Group’s newest. Here Mr. Harold “Butch” Miller instructs Amn Keith Patton. and Westover to

learn best practices and used them throughout the process.

In the end, cross-functional teams, a detailed and thorough training program, and a proactive quality assurance presence were keys to success.

Maintaining Flexibility

Rigid

This is the most obvious of the success enablers but warrants comment. Hardly any process progresses as planned and as scheduled. Rigid flexibility is the “bend but don’t break” mentality which forces outside the box thinking and creative solutions. As maintainers, we should strive to create processes independent of personality. The 445th was able to accomplish its goals based on built-in redundancies and cross-functional teams trained on the inspection and repair process. Dealing with the myriad of obstacles and roadblocks in their way, the 445th epitomized the “bend but don’t break” attitude.

KEY TAKE-AWAYS There is no doubt that the 445 MXG was the right team for the job. The fact that they were able to accomplish four contingency ISO inspections nearly six months earlier than promised is a testament to the quality maintenance performed by one of the most elite organizations in the US Air Force Reserve. As a result of these stellar maintainers, four C-5 aircraft are mission-capable and delivering “beans and bullets” to our Warfighters. Their accomplishments and the lessons learned from their journey are relevant to all US Air Force organizations.

In short, the 445 MXG was able to step up and contribute to the enterprise capacity because it had built the capability. All organizations must understand that they have a “dog in the fight”. Successful maintenance organizations never give up the ability to achieve and aggressively look for ways to contribute.

About the Author: Major Paul J. Centinaro is an Aircraft Maintenance Officer assigned to the 445th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Wright Patterson AFB Ohio. He was previously assigned to the 436th Maintenance Squadron, Dover AFB Delaware, where he led the initial phase of the C-5 Regional ISO program. K

(Photo by SSgt Amanda Duncan, 445AW Public Affairs)

59 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

LEADERSHIP

Efficiencies: What’s all the talk about?

By Lieutenant Colonel Ray Briggs

It is important that we not repeat the mistakes of the past, where tough economic times or the winding down of a military campaign leads to steep and unwise reductions in defense. As a matter of principle and political reality, the Department of Defense cannot expect America’s elected representatives to approve budget increases each year unless we are doing a good job, indeed everything possible, to make every dollar count.

–Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, 9 August 2010 (Gates, 2010)

In his August speech, Secretary Gates challenged the Department of Defense (DoD) to find $100 billion in efficiencies across the entire department. His drive for efficiencies stemmed from a clear and grave understanding of our current fiscal situation. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mullen, declared the single biggest threat to national security is the national debt.

(Carden, 2010) Nevertheless, $100 billion is a large amount of money, but our current defense spending is significantly larger. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (USAF photo) The Secretary is looking for savings across the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP), or the 5 year spending plan starting with Fiscal Year (FY ) 2012 and inclusive through FY 2016. Using very round numbers for perspective, the recently signed FY11 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), provides a DoD baseline budget of approximately $565 billion. Adding spending on Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) brings the total to just under $725 billion with about 22% of our current budget provided by OCO funding. (P.L. 111-383, 2011) Using FY11 as a baseline and adjusting for 2% inflation through FY16 shows that the 60 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

Department would spend about $3,850 billion across the FYDP. Therefore, the proposed $100 billion in efficiencies represents roughly 2.5% of the FYDP…. it is still a lot of money that the Air Force—and the Air Force Logistics community must do their part to support.

A lot has happened since the Defense Secretary’s August speech. The announced closure of Joint Forces Command was taken up by Congressional Committees and approved by President Obama on 6 January 2011. (Obama, 2011) Secretary Gates announced his plans to retire from public service some time in 2011. And the term “efficiencies” has become the latest Pentagon hot-button issue, contained in countless PowerPoint slides, e-mails, papers, late-night brain-storming sessions, and think-tank discussions. The four Services and Defense Agencies all received an efficiency target with the recognition that the targets provided were a starting point in implementing the FY12 President Budget submission. The Air Force’s $28 billion efficiency target was further parsed out to all of the functional communities and Major Commands.

Exactly how each area expected to gain efficiencies was left to each community, who were asked to developed initiatives maintained under nondisclosure agreements by all involved.

Gentlemen, we have run out of money. Now we must think. - Winston Churchill It is necessary to make a few key points about what “efficiencies” are and are not. Unlike previous attempts in the past which seemed to take a crash axe to the budget or significantly drew down capability and manpower, the goal is to achieve the same or higher output while consuming fewer resources in the process. In his speech at the 2010 LOA Conference, Lt Gen Reno, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Installations, and Mission Support described finding the balance as “…the same cost with better performance or the same performance at less cost. It is not an option to have more cost, and it is not an option to have less performance. To be sure, it is effectiveness and efficiency. For a long time in this war we have talked only or mostly about effectiveness. It is no longer an option not to also talk about efficiency. Let me be clear, it is not efficiency at the expense of effectiveness; we have to have both.”

(Reno, 2010) The overall number of aircraft in the USAF inventory will grow in the next 5 years with additions in unmanned aerial systems and limited retirements of legacy platforms. Moreover, our AOR efforts are not tied

BRIGGS to any projected savings in the efficiencies, except where our tactics and techniques are modified as a result of gained efficiencies. Logisticians in the AOR are not going to be shorted the resources they need to do their wartime tasks. Proposed draw-downs in personnel in the AOR past 2014 are not in the efficiency calculations. The efficiencies are found in peacetime activities, and as we get better at those activities, they will carry into the AOR as new business methods.

Secretary’s Gate’s subsequent speech on 6 January 2011 started to illuminate some results of all of the late-night and behind-closed-doors staff work. The Air Force’s proposed efficiencies total some $33 billion over the FYDP. Noted proposals include:  Consolidating two air operations centers in the U.S. and two in Europe; consolidating three Numbered Air Force (NAF) staffs  Saving $500 million by reducing fuel and energy consumption within the Air Mobility Command (AMC)  Improving depot and supply chain business processes to sustain weapons systems, thus improving readiness at lower cost  Reducing the cost of communications infrastructure by 25 percent. (Gates, 2011)

Staff Sgt. Jason Vick clamps down a piece of angle iron for welding Jan 10, 2010, at Kadena Air Base, Japan.

(U.S. Air Force photo/James M. Bowman)

announced major efficiencies will touch Airmen in the field where the rubber meets the maintenance ramp and in the warehouses and loading docks of our Logistics Readiness and Aerial Port Squadrons to some degree.

More details are starting to come to light.

Secretary Donley later identified operations centers at Tyndall and Davis-Monthan Air Force Bases as the stateside locations and two centers at Ramstein as the European centers for consolidation.

Secretary Donley also identified the NAFs as the 13th AF at Hickam, Hawaii, 19th AF at Randolph, Texas, and 17th Air Force at Ramstein, Germany. These headquarters functions will combined with other headquarters functions already in place at those locations starting as early as FY12. The air operations center and NAF consolidations are expected to save about 331 active duty and civilian positions. (Donley, 2011) For AMC, the largest consumer of aviation fuel in the DoD, fuel savings are immensely important. If you are in AMC and are not familiar with fuel efficiency, then you are behind the power curve. The AMC Fuel Efficiency Office (FEO) has been around for over a year and a half.

The office actually has over 65 initiatives in some level of planning, with 11 in progress. Of those 11, two are engine wash programs for KC-10s and C17s, while the other nine are policy initiatives that reduce carry cost of fuel. These efforts have gained attention at the highest USAF and DoD officials… including Secretary Gates. Most of the initiatives are strictly operations related, such as reducing cruise speed of C-17s to save 2.3 million gallons of fuel per year, increasing

In a separate statement released the same day, the USAF Secretary and Chief strongly endorsed the efficiencies citing “growing operating expenses for fuel, maintenance, health care, salaries and training” (emphasis added). (No. 011-11, 2011) No major programs are eliminated with the Air Force efficiencies, though this is not the case for the other services. (McCullough, 2011) Nevertheless each of the Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley (USAF photo)

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LEADERSHIP | EFFICIENCIES simulator usage, and flight planning associated with diplomatic airspace clearance. However, the engine wash programs, aircraft winglets, discontinuing standard ramp loads, and others require changes for maintenance personnel. Clearly, mechanics around the world will be critical to make these efficiencies possible.

The most prominent efficiency area for logisticians highlighted

by Secretary Gates and expounded upon by Secretary Donley was improving our depot and supply DoD INVEST Submissions chain processes to support weapon systems sustainment (WSS).

The recent addition of over 400 new airframes including C-17s, MQ-9s, MC-12, RQ-4s, C-130Js, and F-22s brought a $7 billion projected increase to the FY12 sustainment accounts to boost WSS readiness a mere two percent from 80% to 82% of the validated requirement. To combat this astonishing growth, the Air Force initiated the WSS End-to-End (WSS E2E) working group to identify efficiencies in supply chain management, consolidated asset management, and depot performance. The working group identified ways to better manage the supply chain processes, improve depot work flow, and improved overtime management to hold the reins on over $3 billion of anticipated growth. The result is that a projected $4 billion growth in WSS should get weapon system sustainment from 80 to 84 percent for FY12 with more payback in the remaining years of the FYDP, but there is still work to be done with readiness, materiel readiness (i.e. equipment) and sustainment. (Donley, 2011)

Association event in Arlington, Secretary Donley said “that we are ready to establish a program of record” with respect to a new bomber. (Donley, 2011) Next on the Air Force’s list were moving Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance systems from the temporary OCO budget to permanent budgets. (No. 011-11, 2011) Besides tasking the Services and defense agencies to generate $100 billion in efficiencies last August, Secretary Gates also invited all DoD employees to help by submitting their “ideas, suggestions, and proposals from outside the normal official channels” (Gates, 2010) This initiative became the DoD Innovation for New Value, Efficiency and Savings Tomorrow or INVEST program (http://www.defense.gov/ home/features/2010/0710_invest) and ran from August to September, 2010. The Air Force took up this challenge as over-achievers providing 54.8% of all submission ideas (Figure 1). There seems to be a cultural inclination to want to foster better ways of doing business within the Air Force. Originally, INVEST winners were to be announced the last week in October, but as of mid-January, the results still are not released. With logisticians comprising a large percentage of the 8,701 USAF ideas submitted, there is a more than a fair chance of having some loggies recognized at either the USAF or DoD level.

Many of the ideas were very specific changes to weapons system Technical Orders, or proposed new tools or techniques for maintaining a certain Finally Secretary Gates mentioned reducing the cost of communications airplane. Some of these included detailed implementation requirements infrastructure by 25 percent or $1.2 billion over the FYDP. This will be and cost-benefit analysis. The best INVEST initiatives were farmed out accomplished by consolidating enterprise hardware, software, services. to the appropriate agency for review and implementation. If you are one (Donley, 2011) Logisticians will see communication infrastructure that submitted an INVEST idea, good on you! But a word of caution: changes, as well as facilities and functions consolidations, but we should just because the Air Force or DoD is doing the thing you suggested, doesn’t mean that your idea was implemented. A substantial number not see any decrements in capabilities or service. of the suggestions were about programs and initiatives already in place So where does the $33 billion in savings go? Secretary Gates’ guidance that would have yielded results even without the INVEST suggestion to move from sustainment tail to capability program, and many people also submitted tooth made it possible to buy more of the the same ideas. Truly unique ideas were The good news for USAF most advanced Reaper Un-manned Aerial difficult to find and were one of the qualiVehicles and move essential Intelligence, maintainers and loggies is that ties the selection team was looking for in Surveillance and Reconnaissance programs choosing winners. you are already well on the path from the temporary war budget to the perto achieving the efficiencies The good news for USAF maintainers and manent base budget. “Going forward, adrequested by Secretary Gates. loggies is that you are already well on the vanced unmanned strike and reconnaissance path to achieving the efficiencies requested capabilities must become an integrated part

by Secretary Gates. Deeply rooted in Air of the Air Force’s regular institutional force structure; the Air Force will increase procurement of the Evolved Ex- Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century (AFSO21) principles and pendable Launch Vehicle to assure access to space for both military and methods, our programs of Air Force Maintenance for the 21st Century other government agencies while sustaining our industrial base; the Air (AFMx21) and Expeditionary Logistics for the 21st Century (eLog21) Force will modernize the radars of F-15s to keep this key fighter viable are the tools we will use to achieve future efficiencies. This is where you well into the future; and it will also buy more simulators for Joint Strike come in. In order to make the big changes associated with eLog21 and AFMx21, you need to be ready, which means that you need to be inFighter air crew training.” (Gates, 2011) formed, understand, and support eLog21 and AFMx21. If you been to a The Air Force Secretary and Chief went on to elaborate further on how LOA conference in the last five or so years you’ve seen eLog21 in action. the money will be re-directed. First on their list was a new long-range The vendors’ area now includes a “Transformation Alley” led by eLog21. bomber (No. 011-11, 2011), also given the green light by Secretary Gates Many of the INVEST ideas were a push to go “Air Force-Wide”, on (Gates Says New Bomber Project Will Proceed , 2011). At an Air Force 62 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

BRIGGS

Staff Sgt. Ryan Conversi prepares the RQ-4 Global Hawk for launch at Beale Air Force Base, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Bennie J. Davis III)

using a tool, technique, or piece of equipment that “Base-X” found to enhance productivity. These concepts dovetail nicely into one of the newest eLog21 initiatives, Leveraging Solutions. Leveraging Solutions is all about how to replicate the goodness from a Base-X AFSO21 event across the Air Force. Field-level loggies & maintainers will be able to implement a large number of these good ideas without recreating a week-long Rapid Improvement Event.

The AFMx21 program supports eLog21 with the vision to “Transform current maintenance organizations and processes into two integrated networks—a mission generation network and a supporting repair network.” (AFMx21, 2010) There are four AFMx21 Transformation Initiatives:  Create the Mission Generation Network (MG)  Integrate the Repair Network (RN)  Transform the Munitions/Nuclear Enterprise (MN)  Enable Supporting Processes (ES).

These initiatives produce a number of major muscle movements, many of which have been previous ER topics as early as summer of 2007.

Read about eLog21 and AFMx21 at: https://www.my.af.mil/gcss-af/ USAF/ep/globalTab.do?channelPageId=s6925EC1350530FB5E0440800 20E329A9 and https://www.my.af.mil/afknprod/community/views/home. aspx?Filter=OO-LG-AF-83.

Change and continuous improvement are a fundamental part of our Air Force; efficiencies are just part of change. The platform for change has been smoldering since the early 1990s when manpower cuts started in earnest. A nascent continuous process improvement philosophy emerged around this time culminating with the fielding of the AFSO21 program in 2006. With its theme of continuous process improvement, AFSO21 was formally established and to this day provides the methodologies, processes and standardized work that supports our pressing mandate to eliminate waste in the way we execute our missions. Secretary Gates’ search for efficiencies is just the next step in improvements in the Department, however, it is very much likely not the last step. Efficiencies, whether by that name or any other, are here for the foreseeable future. In his LOA speech responding to Lt Gen (Ret) Zettler about efficiencies, Lt Gen Reno went on to say that “Logistics business is tough and we have a smaller margin for error now than I think we have ever had, and we have to get it right…. we can’t afford to fail.” (Reno, 2010) In the end, we all need to embrace efficiencies as challenge and not something to shy away from.

About the Author: Lt Col Briggs is part of the Logistics Transformation team at the Air Staff and is a member of DoD and USAF working groups on Strategic Planning, Business Transformation, INVEST, and Efficiencies. K

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LEADERSHIP

Deliberate Planning Model for Logistics Officer Leadership Development

By Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Harris Who does a Logistics Officer call when he or she is in need of career advice? Typically it is a mentor. How does someone go about obtaining a mentor or, even better, become a mentor?

What does the Air Force do to develop leaders to become mentors?

Maintenance Operations Officers meet regularly with Maintenance Group Deputy Commander. Lt Col Harris with 7 MXG/MOOs, (l-r) Capt Ben Smith, Maj Ahave Brown, Capt Danielle Kreger, Capt Jon Van Norstrand, & Lt Col Harris. (Photo by Maj David Hunter)

level Mentoring and Leadership Development.

The example is a typical group with roles for group commander, deputy commander, squadron commanders, operations officers and flight commanders.

deliberate process, one that aims to produce the right capabilities to meet the Air Force’s operational needs.” AFDD1-1 indicates the importance of a plan but offers few insights or recommendations.

The Instructions

To compound the issue, Air Force Instruction 36-3401 Air Force Mentoring, states, “Commanders are responsible for promoting a robust mentoring program within their unit.” However, AFI 36-2406 Officer and Enlisted Evaluation Systems makes no mention of mentoring.

In fact, the only mention of leadership development is in Impact on Mission Accomplishment section, “You may also address the ratee’s ability to evaluate and develop subordinates here.”

The importance of mentoring is stressed, guidance is vague, the responsibility is assigned, the feedback not required and, not surprisingly, the programs are frequently forgotten.

Two documents provide guidance on the subject and point toward mentoring as a critical component of leadership development. Air Force Doctrine Document 1-1 (AFDD1-1) Leadership and Force Development states, “Developing Airmen best happens through a

Air Force Instructions (AFIs) offer no end of What To Do for the Logistics Officer, but frequently the AFIs give little in How To guidance. The areas of Mentoring and Leadership Development are not exceptions. This article provides an adaptable model for operational-

The Research

Senior Army and Air National Guard officers join officers from other components at a Joint Task Force Commander Training Course at U.S. Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. (USA photo by SSgt. Jim Greenhill)

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Two Air Force officers recently wrote doctoral dissertations on the topic: 1.) Ken Callahan (2007, A case study exploration of developmental networks used by successful Air Force officers Publication No. AAT 3292692) and 2.)

Terry McGovern (2008, An empirical analysis of on-the-job executive development in the United States Air Force, Publication No. AAT 3357442). Both researchers focus on USAF officers and their impressions of leadership development and mentoring programs. Callahan performed a case study of five USAF officers in the rank of lieutenant colonel serving in staff

HARRIS positions to determine which relational and non-relational developmental networks they used.

McGovern performed an empirical analysis of on-the-job executive development. McGovern analyzed 118 active duty USAF officers in the ranks of captain, major, lieutenant colonel and colonel attending professional development courses.

McGovern found that 20% of officers did not receive any formal feedback during the past year, even though the program is mandatory. McGovern indicated that officers believe that 50% of their assignments failed to provide any leadership development. McGovern also discovered that the results of his research were nearly identical to responses in a 1962 study of officer perceptions of Air Force leadership development.

Callahan stated that only 20% of officers were aware of the existence of an Air Force mentoring program. He related that the traditional supervisor as mentor relationship fails to address the valuable constellation of mentoring relationships that can occur from peers and seniors not in one’s direct supervisory chain. The mentoring network starts early in an officer’s career. Officers who have former military family members as part of their mentoring network have a distinct advantage in that family mentors help prepare officers by highlighting the who, what, when, why and where of leadership development resources.

Both dissertations conclude that USAF officers could gain from a deliberate and comprehensive leadership development program.

Callahan indicates the USAF should develop a mentoring program to define and encourage officers by using developmental networks.

McGovern points toward an executive development program for future USAF executives that could avoid problems of retaining talent, accomplishing missions, adapting to change, and subordinate productivity.

US Army and 360-Degree Feedback The challenge of productive feedback is not unique to the USAF. The Army addressed the issue with a service-wide 360-degree program called the Multi-Source Assessment and Feedback (MSAF). The MSAF program is an online tool to provide focused feedback from others. “The MSAF started as a two year pi-

lot program in February 2004 in order to test and demonstrate the value of 360 degree assessments for leader development; the results showed that 97 percent of participants believed the program concept is worthwhile.” This groundbreaking program led to a web-based leadership feedback system for all Army commissioned and warrant officers, noncommissioned officers, and civilians.

The Problem Air Force leadership programs tend to focus only on those attending professional military education. Leaders often fail to provide productive feedback and train subordinate leaders in development methods, and subordinate leaders fail to learn how to gain leadership experience in his or her current position. The result is a situation in which leaders come to believe luck and timing play more important roles in leadership development than systematic mentoring and training. The problem is that Air Force development programs often fail to prepare subordinate leaders for leadership positions.

The Model The model is a three-tiered development program focused on peer-generated issues, and immediately applicable monthly leadership subjects and technical expertise topics. The concept is for a dedicated monthly meeting or lunch with two 5-10 minute briefings with time allotted for discussion. The group commander should mentor squadron commanders, the group deputy commander should mentor operations officers, and squadron commanders should mentor flight commanders.

Of the two types of topics, the mentor should present leadership topic to the mentees focused how to do the job easier, smarter or better

because of experience gained.

The technical expertise topic should be peer briefings, presented by the mentees to each other on a topic that they have learned through the course of doing the job, i.e. techniques that one wished that he or she would have known early in a new position or technical aircraft systems briefings to improve depth of knowledge. Those who have completed a previous assignment in the position should provide topics. A year-long plan of topics will allow for optimal delivery timing, adequate preparation and immediate application, i.e. a briefing on how to complete an Airman Development Plan prior to assignment cycle or a briefing on how to review a flying schedule in summer after moves.

Additional Recommendations The Air Force rewards officers for their own development but should formally hold them accountable for leadership development of subordinates. John P. Kotter, a world-renowned expert on leadership at the Harvard Business School, said “...well-led businesses tend to recognize and reward people who successfully develop leaders…When told that future promotions will depend to some degree on their ability to nurture leaders, even people who say leadership cannot be developed somehow finds ways to do it.” The USAF should adopt a service-wide 360-degree feedback for all leaders.

Officer feedback and annual appraisals should include a formal rating for development of others.

The AFIs provide requirements for the areas Mentoring and Leadership Develop but give little in How To guidance. This article provides an adaptable model for operational-level Mentoring and Leadership Development. The article recommends that officer feedback and performance reports include ratings for subordinate Leadership Development.

About the author: Lt Col Harris is the deputy commander of the 7th Maintenance Group at Dyess AFB. He is a local and national member of the Logistics Officer Association. An aircraft maintenance officer with 20 years in the Air Force, he was recently selected for promotion to colonel and is pursuing a doctorate of management in organization leadership. His dissertation topic is deliberate planning for leadership development of USAF logistics officers at the group-level. K 65 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

LEADERSHIP

The Compelling Need for a Professional Development Association Focused on Military Logistics

By Lieutenant General Kathleen M. Gainey I have long known the benefits of professional associations. Some 30 years ago, as a young lieutenant, I learned the advantages of one such group when I joined my local chapter of the National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA) attending my first national conference in 1981. Since then, the persuasive influence of mentoring senior leaders, including my father, encouraged me to increase my participation in the Association of the United States Army (AUSA). Over the years, my involvement in these and similar professional organizations became increasingly influenced, not by others, but by my own realization that professional associations have much to contribute to the pursuit of my profession.

Professionals and Professional Organizations: To understand why I hold such organizations in high regard, and why I believe that participation in a professional organization is important for our up-and-coming leaders, I feel obliged

to begin with some definitions. As my staff and I visited the combatant commands and LTG Kathleen Gainey, Director of Logistics (J-4), The the Services, we continued to find that dis- Joint Staff... test driving a new M-AT V at the port in agreements among our military logisticians Bahrain! (Photo courtesy Col Kyle Kremer, USAF, JCS were frequently a result of definitional dif- J4) ferences. This highlights the importance for our profession. It likewise ensures that we of shared language and the need to establish practice our profession and build upon our terms of reference as a fundamental and logical experience. To a great extent, it provides a point of departure, for otherwise, we run the community by which we associate with other risk of arriving at dissimilar conclusions belike-minded professionals. The military cannot fore conversations even begin. Illustrating this however do all these things for us. Individuals point is the awareness our Joint Staff J-4 team have a responsibility to internalize professionaland I developed, and that ultimately led the ism themselves by looking for opportunities to joint logistics community to create and publish improve their education, broaden their experiour Joint Logistics Lexicon. ences, and develop their relationships. This is So, what is a professional, and what is a pro- the mark of a true professional and herein lies fessional association? The most recent version the significance of professional associations— of the Joint publication, The Armed Forces a group of professionals seeking to promote: Officer, describes a military professional as, their profession, the interests of the individu“…a member of a profession, part of a self- als engaged in that profession, and the public’s conscious group of practitioners, pursuing a interest. common calling, and practicing under a collective compact…” I am of the same mind that a profession requires one to develop knowledge to a level considered expertise (educate yourself ), that it requires one to practice that expertise (develop your experience), and that it requires one to impart that expertise—developed through education and experience—with other members of the profession (associate with others in the field).

Professionals do these things within the framework of a shared code of ethics and for the good of society at large.

LtGen Gainey and Lt Gen Reno compare logistics initiatives. (Photo Donna Parry, LOA Photographer)

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The military, by its nature, ensures that we are appropriately educated

Professionals in Today’s Operating Environment: Just as definitions are important for communication, context too is important in understanding the environment in which we operate as professionals. The circumstances in which we serve today, and you can expect to see in the future are ever-changing. The Chairman had described them as: “uncertain, complex, changing, and characterized by persistent conflict.” Professionals such as we are—or at least hope to be—need to continue to develop in a manner that best prepares us for this dynamic environment. Plainly stated, if we intend to become the professionals we want to be, we need to adapt faster, think agilely, capitalize on the lessons of others, and find innovative ways to do things better, to not only earn our place as

GAINEY professionals adding value, but to overcome our enemies or, for that matter, any adverse situation. Today, the Services each have professional organizations and associations—entities that broadly address the nature of membership in the profession of arms. There are a number of civilian organizations too that address national security and bring industry, governmental, and defense organizations together, but each with slightly different target areas in logistics. What we do not have, however, is an organization that is solely focused on the military logistics professionals across the Services. So, as a logistician, where do you get the opportunity today to learn about multi-Service logistics?

...we do so by welcoming opportunities that encourage interoperability and embrace common core joint logistics training as a means of tackling our contextual challenges, head-on.

Promoting our Profession Through Improved Understanding and Training: With definitions settled and context explained, it causes one to wonder, how do we promote: our profession, the interests of our serving military logistics professionals, and ultimately serve the public’s interest? In my opinion, we do so by welcoming opportunities that encourage interoperability and embrace common core joint logistics training as a means of tackling our contextual challenges, head-on.

For those who have held a joint billet before, I think you will agree that you soon learned the value of the core competencies that fellow jointservice logisticians bring to bear and use to attack problems. I also suspect that those with the benefit of a joint experience gained a better appreciation of how serving with other Services helped develop solutions that you may not have considered in the absence of understanding the full spectrum of joint options. There is much to be said for the value of hands-on joint experience and its inherent lessons. With the perspective of the current and future Warfighting context I shared, however, I submit that we ought not wait until mid-grade and senior officers or noncommissioned officers are in joint assignments, the rare cross-Service educational opportunity, or Senior Service College to learn and sustain our knowledge about the other Services’ logistics core competencies. The prospect

of sharing best business practices among junior logisticians is undeniable when you consider that our individual Service logistics systems have so many common elements. Understanding the potential of interoperability needs to happen early while young careers are maturing.

Similarly, there is a desperate need to inculcate our training and education with joint thinking. Our joint logistics community continues its work through the National Defense University’s Center for Joint and Strategic Logistics developing a common logistics curriculum across the Services. The indispensable feedback on training voids that talented young logistics professionals know so well provides even more opportunity to leverage and gain additional understanding and advance our interoperability progress. Developing the critical networking that allows all service members to tap into the skill sets, capabilities, and experiences of sister-Services early, like that which a military logistics association can provide, is not only prudent but essential.

Bringing Service Logisticians Together: Our Chairman has said that, “Joint Force Commander[s] expect joint logistics to give [them] sustained logistic readiness which will provide freedom of action to effectively execute operations in support of national objectives.”

In a recent speech, the Secretary of Defense drove the point home saying, “America can succeed only with leaders who are themselves full-spectrum in their thinking. The military will not be able to train or educate you to have all the right answers—as you might find in a manual—but you should look for those experiences and pursuits in your career that will help you at least ask the right questions.” We need to improve our ability to think outside traditional lines and produce innovative, effective, and efficient solutions—promoting interoperability, leveraging Service interdependence, and synchronizing joint logistics training across the Services.

So, as the future of our joint logistics community, I challenge each of you to ask, how will I provide my Joint Force Commander with logistics options that support his or her desired end-state? Ask yourself, do I possess the breadth and depth knowledge of the other Services’ logistics systems that I know I will need in our dynamic operating environment? Lastly, ask

yourself, particularly if you were unable to answer these questions, what will I do about it?

My unwavering objective is meeting the joint Warfighter’s needs, and I see a compelling need for a professional organization that brings all Service logisticians together to help you find the answers to those questions as you pursue your profession.

As Exceptional Release readers, each of you have wisely taken a giant step towards becoming a professional logistician by joining the Logistics Officer Association. I encourage you to continue your relationship with this superb organization while encouraging your colleagues to do the same. As LOA continues to develop its Joint membership, I am confident that it will increasingly meet our pressing need for a professional development association-focused on military logistics.

About the Author: LtGen Kathleen Gainey has held a variety of logistics command and staff positions throughout her 33-years in the U.S. Army.

Her recent leadership experience includes service as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Resources and Sustainment, Multi-National Forces– Iraq, and Commanding General, Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command. She is currently The Joint Staff ’s Director for Logistics, J-4. She is slated for assignment as Deputy Commander, United States Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. K

LtGen Gainey addresses 2010 LOA National Conference attendees in Orlando. (Photo Donna Parry, LOA Photographer)

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LEADERSHIP

Growing a Lean Workforce: The Air Force’s Culture of Continuous Improvement

By Lieutenant Colonel Steven J. Minkin Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century (AFSO21) was implemented by the Air Force to create a culture of Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) where all Airmen are actively involved in reducing waste and improving processes. Improvements run the range of streamlining how offices order toner and paper to enterprise-wide initiatives impacting the way the Air Force provides base level services at every installation across the globe. Five years into the CPI journey, the Air Force has seen amazing accomplishments at all levels. Hill AFB reduced re-work on F-16s by 75% and achieved a 100% on-time delivery rate to their customer.

The Air Force Claims Processing Center reduced payment time to the customer from 5 weeks to 5 days. The pharmacy at Tyndall AFB reduced the time to fill prescriptions from 48 to 16 minutes. Recognizing the power of these accomplishments to improve the Air Force’s combat capability and service to its Airmen, organizations are travelling through the gates of CPI to find ways to make their operations better. Understanding how any Airman can gain a mastery of AFSO21 skills and tools to improve their organization is the first step in beginning a CPI journey. The path to becoming a true “Lean machine” requires looking at a brief history of the CPI process and the AFSO21 tools, evaluating the training opportunities, and exploring opportunities with Corporate America. (Thought this sentence was too long and perhaps did not capture what the author really meant to say).

Thinking through problems

SSgt Scott Grgurich troubleshoots a C-130 Hercules engine problem during an exercise at Pope Air Force Base, N.C. (Photo by TSgt Manuel Martinez)

AFSO21 is far more than a program, a business model or a leadership trend. AFSO21 is an organizational culture and mindset. AFSO21 empowers employees to make the most of their resources to include material, fiscal, and most importantly, intellectual talent to make the Air Force better.

Through the employment of a robust set of tools and a positive attitude toward improvement, Airmen can approach problems with an open mind to understand why things perform the way they do and develop organizational improvement solutions for leaders. The combination of Lean, Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints and Business Process Reengineering creates a powerhouse of ability for Airmen to use regardless of the situation they face.

Undergirding the CPI mindset is the Air Force 8-Step Problem Solving Model (Figure 1). The 8-Step Problem Solving Model provides Airmen a structured approach to explore problems and develop alternatives to improve situations. Furthermore, the model guides Airmen to find the reason behind the observed outcome without jumping to preconceived notions as to why the process is performing the way it is.

Each step of the model builds upon the previous step to aid in the development of courses of action that drive to an ultimate solution which implements a standard way of doing business that can be repeated time and time again in multiple locations. Take a moment to reflect on how many organizations you were in that worked to solve a problem you know was solved somewhere else. The problem could be the routing and completion of awards and decorations, the

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MINKIN purchase of supplies, the control of accountable equipment, or the tracking of assets across the globe. Each duty station reinvents the wheel and fixes the same process over and over again.

The question is--should the Air Force in light of reduced funding and resources really operate this way? Should the development of a solution at “Base X” translate to a solution for the same problem at “Base Y”? According to AFSO21 and CPI, they should. This future reality of sharing information and intellectual property in a DoD-wide knowledge management platform is being created today.

Understanding that the ultimate goal of AFSO21 is to create effective, efficient and repeatable processes across the Air Force, there should be no hesitation from a single Air Force member to partake in AFSO21 training and certification. Looking at the various ways you can get trained to be an active Air Force problem solver is an exciting opportunity of which every Airman can take advantage.

Learning to Be Lean Airmen receive education about AFSO21 throughout their Air Force careers. The depth and level of detail related to that training will increase as responsibility and time in service increases. Every Airman plays a critical part of the overall effectiveness of CPI. Through basic military training and professional military education, Airmen are exposed to AFSO21 and CPI concepts that can be applied to everyday situations. The key learning points for Airmen are to recognize they have the authority and responsibility to fix poorly

performing processes no matter what their rank.

Recognizing a failure to meet operational performance goals or even having a gut feeling that things could be better is the beginning of making process improvements.

The most powerful improvements often start with the individuals involved in the A1C Alex Lenz, a crew chief with the 79th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., cleans the wheels on an F-16D Figh day-to-day grind of a particular through the CPI process thus providing justprocess, not the supervisor that sees the process in-time training. from a 10,000-foot view. Having the authority to bring questions up the chain-of-command is The importance of trained Green Belts cannot a key part of the AFSO21 culture, and plays a be overstated. The Air Force is making great critical part in understanding the problem and strides in expanding its population of Green identifying performance gaps that need to be Belts across the service. Green Belt training is addressed.

1-week in length and includes several handsThe second training venue for Airmen is AFSO21 Green Belt training. Green Belt training is offered at base-level and is taught by a certified AFSO21 Black Belt. The curriculum is standardized across the Air Force to ensure all Green Belts get the same level of academic rigor in their studies. Green Belts are trained in the tools of AFSO21 and equipped to tackle process improvement projects at squadron or flight level. Green Belts also help guide base members participating in improvement events

The Under Secretary of the Air Force, Ms. Erin Conaton honored six East Tennessee manufacturing companies in October 2010, for supporting the AFSO21 Executive Leadership Course taught at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. From L to R: Ken Boling, Tim Verspille, Herb Bradshaw, James Cody, Carolyn Cuddy, Tim Fischer, Ms. Erin Conaton, Everick Spence, Alex Miller, Chris Jackson, David Tillotson, Chuck Parke and Craig Woodford. (Photo: by Lt Col Cyndi Feldwisch)

on activities to help Airmen learn the concepts and immediately see their application in the real world. Enrollment in a Green Belt class involves contacting your local wing AFSO21 office and finding a class on base to join free of charge.

Green Belts transition from being trainees to certified Green Belts after they have observed one CPI event, co-lead one CPI event, and served as the lead facilitator for one CPI event. The MAJCOM AFSO21 office certifies the completion of these tasks and awards Green Belt certification. Green Belts can have a dramatic impact on a local organization’s operational effectiveness. Having 5% of your squadron trained as Green Belts is a goal that will reap huge improvements in your organization and set you apart from your peers.

Black Belts are the heavy lifters of the AFSO21 process. Their level of immersion into the tools of CPI is more robust and their focus is on projects at the group level or higher. Green Belts that want to continue their CPI journey and become Black Belt trainees, need to provide their names to their MAJCOM AFSO21 office for consideration. Upon acceptance, Black Belt trainees attend a 2 week intensive course of study on CPI tools and implementation. Building upon what they learned as Green Belts, the Black Belt trainee will be

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LEADERSHIP | GROWING A LEAN WORKFORCE challenged to look at large scope problems and use a wide array of CPI tools to develop solutions. Additionally, Black Belts serve as mentors to Green Belt trainees, certify Green Belts, and instruct Green Belt courses at their local installation. After training, Black Belts must complete three CPI projects. One project must be outside of the Black Belt’s functional area, one must be of a transactional or administrative nature, and the final project must be a group event involving two or more Black Belt trainees and a mentor. The Air Force is offering Black Belt training at Maxwell AFB beginning in March 2011.

The highlight of a Black Belt trainee’s road to becoming a certified Black Belt is a 1 to 2 week immersion with a corporate partner to witness CPI implementation in corporate industry. Students are given the opportunity to visit companies that manufacture passenger aircraft, produce furniture, build private single engine planes, perform contracted depot level work on military equipment, and provide private health care services. During their immersion, Black Belt students work side-by-side with corporate mentors on high level projects designed to improve the company’s performance.

During the immersion students are asked to apply their AFSO21 training to projects well outside their comfort zone. This unique opportunity allows students to recognize the universal application of CPI tools. This experience serves as a means to help graduate the Black Belt trainee to a new level of confidence to take on larger Air Force problem-solving opportunities.

Forming and maintaining good relationships with our corporate partners is a top priority of Air Force senior leaders. In September 2010, Under Secretary of the Air Force, Ms. Erin C. Conaton traveled to the University of Tennessee to thank our corporate partners for their continued support of the Air Force’s AFSO21 journey. Through this unique partnership of government and civilian CPI practitioners, we are both improving upon the way we do business.

The key to any improvement process is senior leader support and buy-in. To ensure Air Force senior leaders are aware of the power of AFSO21 and facilitate a CPI culture across the organization, the Air Force offers a Senior Leader Course. Likewise this course’s management and administration transitioned to Maxwell AFB in January 2011.

The Senior Leader Course provides a 2-day intensive overview of AFSO21 goals and CPI 70 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

A1C Carrie Long, a crew chief with the 20th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, checks the inside of an F-16 Fighting Falcon. (USAF photo by SA Brett Clashman)

methodologies. Senior leaders graduate from the course with an understanding of some of the tools their Green and Black Belts can employ to improve their organizational processes.

Additionally, the course instructs senior leaders on how to develop and implement their organization’s strategic vision with the help of their AFSO21 staff. Most importantly, this course helps senior leaders grasp the power of AFSO21 and the best way to leverage its ability to move organizations from good to great.

The final training opportunity within the AFSO21 arena is the Executive Leader Course.

This day and a half course for general officers, senior executives, Command Chief Master Sergeants, and career field managers introduces attendees to the basics of AFSO21 and CPI. In addition to academics, this curriculum presents numerous real world examples of large scale CPI projects to share the incredible organizational changing power of AFSO21.

Students spend their last half day of class visiting an industry partner to see first-hand how CPI is applied and the benefits it can reap. The Executive Leader Course is taught exclusively at the University of Tennessee’s Center for Executive Education.

Each of these training venues affords their student the opportunity to see AFSO21 and CPI working to make the Air Force better. While the depth of knowledge varies by course, the concepts and application of CPI is the same.

Students regardless of the course they graduate from, walk away with an appreciation that AFSO21 does and will continue to make the

Air Force more effective at what it does each and every day. Airmen can find out more information on these training opportunities by contacting their local AFSO21 office or by emailing the Air Force AFSO21 office at safusms.workflow@pentagon.af.mil.

The future for the Air Force is bright. Having maintained control of the skies over our troops for over 50 years we cannot rely however, on our past performance to be an indicator of future success. AFSO21 is the vehicle for ensuring we are able to provide combat air power anywhere, any time around the globe. Through the elimination of wasteful and redundant processes to the streamlining of new activities, AFSO21 places a powerful set of tools at the fingertips of every Airman. Creating and sustaining a culture of CPI across the department will allow us to adapt to an ever changing global environment in a manner that is effective and efficient. The Air Force needs every Airman to have CPI in their DNA. Become a change agent and start your AFSO21 journey.

Both you and the Air Force will benefit from it.

About the author: Lt Col Steven Minkin is the head of talent management at the Air Force AFSO21 office in the Pentagon. He oversees the assignment of Green and Black Belts to high-level Air Force projects. He is a certified AF Black Belt and holds a Doctorate in Management & Organizational Leadership from the University of Phoenix. Lt Col Minkin can be reached at steven. minkin@pentagon.af.mil. K

VOICES | FOCUS ON A CHAPTER LEADER

Focus on a LOA Chapter Leader Capt Frederick Trueman Jr What is your current duty title and what are your responsibilities at Moody AFB? As the 41 HMU OIC, I am responsible for leading over 200 of the Air Force’s finest helicopter maintainers. Together we maintain 14 HH-60 airframes in order to execute personnel recovery missions.

What are some of the interesting projects currently ongoing at Moody AFB? The demand for the HH-60 has grown over the last couple of years and in doing so has outpaced the phase capacity. In response to the increased phase requirement in April 2009, the 23rd Wing performed a Value Stream Analysis and identified 88 wasted steps. Moody, Nellis and Davis-Monthan AFBs held weekly meetings starting in May 2009 and systematically eliminated or improved identified steps. Over 80 steps/processes were eliminated.

Manning adjustments were made across all three bases enabling 24/5 operations, thus increasing maintenance touch-time during HH-60 phase inspections. Headquarters ACC authorized the transfer of one Guidance and Control and Communication Navigation manning position to all three phase docks. The automated HH-60 Phase Job Standard was developed and implemented. Since the implementation of these Lean events, the HH-60 phase flow was reduced from 68 to 53 Days.

Vital Statistics Name: Capt Frederick R. Trueman Jr. LOA Chapter: LOA Flying Tigers Chapter, Moody AFB Hometown: Tampa, FL College: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Degree: Professional Aeronautics Professional Military Education: OTS/ASBC/SOS Recent Assignments: Maxwell AFB, Aug 2004 – Nov 2004 Sheppard AFB, Nov 2004 – Mar 2005 Luke AFB, Mar 2005 – May 2009 Moody AFB, May 2009 – present Deployment History: Prince Sultan Air Base 2002 and Al Udied 2010 Current Duty: 41st HMU OIC – and currently deployed to Camp Bastion, Afganistan Family: Wife Katrina, daughter Chleo, son Ransom

As the local LOA Chapter President, give us your local chapter update from the eyes of their president? What is your biggest challenge as one of our local chapter presidents? What are some of the most interesting things your chapter has done recently?

I turned over the reins of President to Capt Jake Shillinger in August 2010. While our chapter is growing, we still have challenges. The biggest challenge we face is membership continuity. Leading a chapter whose base is as busy as ours is tough. With the 723 AMXS’s rescue C-130s and HH-60s deployed in some fashion 365 days a year, the 23 AMXS with back-to-back A-10 deployments and the countless Loggie deployments, it is difficult at times to keep track of where everyone is. Since at-

tending the conference this past year we organized a trip to Robins AFB, thereby providing professional development for several of our members.

Capt Schillinger has put a plan into motion this year that will feature each of the units represented in our chapter.

What can we do to make LOA even more appealing to Air Force members?

I believe the best value of LOA is in the mentorship from senior leaders and the opportunity to learn from their experiences. We do that best at the chapter levels. If chapters are active, and offer opportunities to increase knowledge that logisticians can apply to their job, the response will always be huge.

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VOICES | FOCUS ON A CHAPTER LEADER Have you deployed recently? If so, please elaborate.

In 2010, I deployed to Al Udied AB, Qatar from Jan to May and served as the MXS Operations Officer. Capt Joe Balk did a great job of summing up what we did in the Summer 2010 edition of the ER. I am currently deployed with our HH-60s to Camp Bastion in support of OIF. We are flying personnel recovery missions in support of coalition forces in the area.

Please identify a leader or leaders who you feel are role model leaders that have made a positive impact on you as leader.

Col Geoffrey Parkhurst had a profound effect on my career. I had the opportunity to observe and learn from Col Parkhurst for several years and his mentorship was key in my development as a young officer. LtCol (sel) Argie Moore is the most energetic/passionate officer I have worked with. Her ability to know what is happening within her squadron, both on and off the job, is something we can all aspire to emulate. CMSgt Brett Burroughs had a huge impact on me. He taught me that you not only need to set the right standards but you need to uphold them. SMSgt Carlos Fajardo has shown me just how important developing your people is and the results when you do.

If you were the USAF Chief of the Staff what would be the first thing you would change…don’t be shy now?

I would default to the question Capt Jewel Kelly asked General Schwartz at the LOA conference. Is there a way to decease the size

of EPRs? Our Supervision spends hours per week writing and refining EPRs to ensure they say the right things. I believe we could condense EPRs to half the required lines while still retaining an effective review. This would allow supervisors to spend more time with the troops and less time with their computers.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has stated he wants to identify $100B in defense spending over the next 10 years. From your Post deployment fun at Disney World with daughter Chleo, Capt Trueman perspective how should we and his brother George. (Courtesy of mom Mary Lou Saraceni) achieve this demanding Udeid. I realize there may be the occasional goal? item that is unique to a particular service, but a The focus of the 2009 LOA conference was torque wrench is a torque wrench. Why do we joint operations. After a few months running to incur shipping costs when another service a helicopter squadron, I realize there is still possesses the ability at the location? room to grow in this area. We regularly deploy to joint locations and work closely with What books have you read in the last year? our sister services. However, our regulations Could you share any reviews with our readers? don’t allow for joint utilization of capabilities.

I have read and enjoyed, The Mentor Leader by PMEL would be a good example. We reside Tony Dungy and The Legend of the Monk by on Camp Bastion were the Marine Corps has a Terry Felber. Currently, I am reading UncomPMEL facility. However by TO 00-20-14 remon by Tony Dungy. Knowing I would be dequirements, we are required to obtain calibraployed, I wanted to focus a bit on mentorship tion services from Air Force PMEL or the AFand polish my leadership skills a bit. All three PSL as appropriate. For maintainers at Camp of these books are good reads. K Bastion, we must send our PMEL items to Al Pre-flight inspection at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. (Photo by MSgt Benjamin Pitts)

72 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

EDUCATION

A Maintenance Course For Ops Commanders?

By Lt Col Rudy W. Cardona Here they come. I wait early on Monday morning as a new batch of rated officers trickle into the classroom from the far reaches of the globe. They have come to learn about aircraft maintenance and they have come with plenty of questions.

Having talked to fellow operations officers and flying squadron commanders who’ve attended the course, many still question whether it is going to be worthwhile taking them away from their busy schedules for five days. For some of them, this will be the only formal maintenance training they will ever receive before being responsible for aircraft maintenance at an en-route location, having contract maintenance work assigned to their unit, or, for the majority, going on to command operations squadrons that interact with maintenance on a daily basis. Expectations are high and sometimes so is the skepticism. Several will begin class with their arms folded and chairs pushed back. But honestly, I enjoy teaching this kind of student. The dynamics of groups of pilots, navigators and air battle managers in one room adds to the adventure! By mid-morning of the first day, we’re deep into questions such as, “You mean, ops owns the spare?” and “There is a difference between the Mission Essential Level (MEL) and the Mission Essential Subsystem List (MESL)?”

The debate begins.

One MCOC student observes the confined spaces fuels technicians must navigate to troubleshoot and repair fuel leaks. MCOC students interacting with technical training instructor. (Photos Lt Col Cardona)

Background As a career maintenance officer, I had no idea this type of course existed but I hoped operators had an avenue to obtain such training. This article offers insight into the Maintenance Course for Operational Commanders (MCOC), a little-known course taught at Sheppard AFB. I thought it would be of interest to other maintenance officers that such a course was well-established, strongly supported by CSAF and receiving high marks from graduates. The MCOC was created in 2003 to educate operations officers about the balance between operations requirements and maintenance capability. In speaking to students during his tenure, General John Jumper, the former Air Force Chief of Staff who implemented the course, said, “I expect you to lead your squadrons into combat on the first night of the war…and need you to develop a deep understanding of what you will need to depend on to go to war.” He went on to say, “We 74 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

need you to know why maintainers need to train and why certain metrics are so important to them.”

Aircraft maintenance is the cornerstone of a wing’s ability to deploy or employ air assets. Understanding the ops-maintenance balance is a key element in order to meet complex challenges and must be learned early on in a mission generation leader’s career. The Air Staff ’s current policy is that rated officers within 6 months of taking command of an operational squadron or becoming a Director of Operations (DO) attend the MCOC. The current Air Force Chief of Staff, General Norton Schwartz, urges MCOC students to “discuss and debate the material.”

He stressed how important it is to develop a “better appreciation for each other’s processes and challenges [and]…understand costs and benefits of trading one good for another.”

The course is five training days in length and a small cadre of instructors teaches 25 classes per year with 13 students per class from the Air

CARDONA National Guard, Active Duty and Reserve forces. The primary course objectives are to strengthen communication, relationships and teamwork between operations and maintenance leadership.

Scope of Training

By mid-morning of the first day, we’re deep into questions such as, “You mean, ops owns the spare?” and “There is a difference between the Mission Essential Level (MEL) and the Mission Essential Subsystem List (MESL)?”

The scope of MCOC training includes maintenance management and principles, fleet health and sortie production, resource management, workforce management, munitions and weapons, expeditionary operations and operations and maintenance teamwork.

While students are at Sheppard AFB, also home of “Maintenance University,” they are given many opportunities to interact with maintainers at various leadership levels. For example, during their course, MCOC students tour and interact with maintenance backshop instructors, specifically in the fuels and propulsion specialties.

Since this is a commander’s course, every lesson strives to provide some type of take-away for the commander to use as a leader. The course is taught by a graduated squadron commander in order to bring realworld experience into the classroom. Examples of the topics discussed include what options are available for a two-time CDC failure or typical examples of ways to maintain good order and discipline in the no-roomfor-error maintenance community. Additionally, during the course, senior leaders (O-6 and above) provide a wide array of guidance and share firsthand experiences from both the operations and maintenance perspectives. These leaders address key topics such as contract maintenance, total force integration, deployments and other current challenges.

In addition, a maintenance chief ’s panel is provided to stimulate candid discussion on enlisted-related matters such as Air Force Specialty Code consolidation. Students are provided a forum to interact with Maintenance Officer Intermediate Course (MOIC) students in order to address current issues and solutions underway at various home stations.

While at Sheppard AFB, MCOC students visit the Aircraft Maintenance and Munitions Officer Courses (AMMOC) simulator to see

the final block of AMMOC instruction and view how maintenance officers are trained and prepared for duty. This stop is an eye-opener and many students depart the simulator in awe of the amount of responsibility assigned to brand-new maintenance officers and the level of knowledge these officers possess.

Students go to Lockheed-Martin (LM) Aeronautics Company in Fort Worth mid-week, as part of their PerformanceBased Logistics (PBL) lesson, and experience a living, breathing organization using DoD’s new acquisition model, learning what this may mean to future aircraft maintenance. This trip is not a dog and pony show presented through rose-colored glasses. LM Aero personnel provide a candid, honest look at their processes and products, highlighting both successes and challenges. Afterward, students are ready to take on the course capstone. The class is primed for the hands-on exercise where they schedule one month of flying and maintenance activities to include Time Compliance Technical Orders (TCTOs) s and Time Change Items TCIs) all while maintaining the proper phase flow. By this point in the course, they have a better understanding of the second and third order effects of such decisions as not putting enough emphasis on the flying schedule and/or what happens to the mission generation team when it becomes too easy to process an AF Form 2407 [Weekly/Daily Flying Schedule Coordination Form].

Student Pipeline and Way Ahead There have been 137 MCOC classes completed with 1,310 graduates as of 1 April 2011. The course continues to receive the highest marks from attendees, and in FY11 MCOC is scheduled to teach 25 classes and graduate 325 officers, a 40 percent increase from FY10. As the Air Force changes, so will MCOC. The course curriculum evolves annually to keep up with new processes and meet the needs of our customers.

It is an honor to be part of the training team that results in student feedback such as “I’ve been in the Air Force for 16 years, and today I learned what a 7-level is.” As for the students who began class with their arms folded and chairs pushed back, we know we hit a home run when they depart saying, “I wish I would have had this class 10 years ago.” Five days earlier they may have been course skeptics but on Friday MCOC attendees graduate and return to their bases as leaders ready to build a more capable maintenance-operations team. Our part as maintainers is to find the maintenance-operations balance, continue to educate both sides and groom the next generation in communicating requirements and capabilities.

For more info, please see our website under the 82nd Training Group, Sheppard AFB, on the AF Portal.

About the author: Lt Col Rudy Cardona is the Director, Maintenance Course for Operational Commanders, 82nd Training Group, Sheppard AFB, Texas. He previously commanded the 355th Maintenance Operations Squadron at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ and the 4th Component Maintenance Squadron at Seymour-Johnson AFB, NC. He is a career aircraft maintenance officer who has served in various assignments in the field, depot and HHQ. K

An MCOC class visiting the AMMOC simulator instructed by Maj Robert Lewin while simulator is in progress. (Photo Lt Col Cardona)

75 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

EDUCATION

TODAY’S SOS: Unleashing Leadership Potential

By Dr. Matthew Stafford For the vast majority of US Air Force officers, the term SOS – for Squadron Officer School – evokes telling memories. Most can recall the student interaction that has always been heralded as the most valuable and meaningful aspect of SOS. Students formed bonds that

last lifetimes. Most can also recall the game “Flickerball,” a strange amalgamation of basketball, soccer and American football. Those who think more deeply may remember the long days of stultifying classroom sessions – sessions ruled by PowerPoint slides – and multiple-choice tests that focused far more on rote memorization than on graduatelevel learning. Tellingly, what most cannot recall is how their SOS experience educated, motivated and empowered them to become better leaders in our Air Force. For a school founded as a leadership-development experience for Company Grade Officers (CGOs), the recollections most graduates recount are somewhat disheartening.

Beginning in 2009, under the leadership of the then-Commandant of Squadron Officer College, Col Stephen Tanous, SOS began a transformational journey that resulted in the School being recognized repeatedly for its innovative and highly effective approach to officer education and, more specifically, to leadership development. This article overviews that transformational journey and explains the educational approach in use at SOS today.

SOS’ Incredible Journey “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”

– John Fitzgerald Kennedy Upon assuming command in the summer of 2008, Col Tanous realized that something was very wrong in his new command. Morale was low, student feedback was poor, and it did not appear that either SOS or the Air and Space Basic Course (ASBC) were achieving their full potential as officer-development opportunities.

ASBC was working hard to rectify its situation, an initiative affectionately called “re-tool,” but SOS was bemired in traditions that seemed to run counter to the School’s intended outcomes. A unit climate assessment underscored the depths of faculty dissatisfaction. Student feedback was equally harsh.

In January 2009, Col Tanous asked me to join his team., after hearing about on the launch

Students at Squadron Officer School complete the Fitness Initial Screening Test (FIST), an important prerequisite for the physically challenging course of study.

(Photo by Capt Dale Hallagin)

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STAFFORD of an online master’s degree The new curriculum and an program. After reviewing empowered, capable faculty the situation at the School, were only the beginnings I outlined the problems I of the necessary changes. noted in a 9-page report.

In order for the College to Although the College had maintain itself on its new successfully navigated an trajectory, we had to focus inspector-general review the on the underlying processprevious fall, Col Tanous es. Ultimately, this drove and I agreed that educationus toward a cultural change ally the College needed a rewithin the institution. It view. Together, Col Tanous was an ambitious underand I began a major transtaking, but clearly the right formation…an curriculum thing to do. Col Tanous tsunami. The transformaspurred his team to action, tion required overhaul in adopting a new mission Colonel Stephen M. Tanous, Commanthree, key areas: curriculum, focused precisely on his dedant, Squadron Officer College, 2008curriculum-delivery, and in- 2010 (Photo by Capt Justin Radford) sired outcomes. By the end frastructure. The diagram of March 2009, Col Tanous below graphically depicts laid the groundwork by the desired end state that guided our planning. assessing the conditions within his unit and identifying internal leaders who were wanted Of the three areas described in the graphic to join our transformation team to bring about above, curriculum was the easiest challenge to revamp the College curriculum. He chartered tackle. We were blessed with an outstanding a process-improvement group; enlisted aid cadre of dedicated professionals who desper- from across Air University and, in early April, ately wanted to improve the learning environ- unleashed the team to build a better CGO-dement within their College. Still, even if one velopment program. By the end of April, the writes a great lesson, it takes a great teacher to team had produced a curriculum plan, outlinmake it come alive. We needed a teaching ing all of the lessons that would help forge the methodology that would empower both our new SOC and also a master plan to drive the faculty and our students to move beyond the year-long transformation of the College that death-by-PowerPoint and rote-memorization included faculty development. Col Tanous and learning that characterized SOS for years. We his senior staff took the plan to the AU Comneeded a master’s degree-level instructional mander, Lieutenant General Allen G. Peck, approach. Guided discussions employing So- and ultimately to the Air Education and Traincratic methodologies seemed most appropriate. ing Command Commander, General Stephen

Figure 1: The Tsunami: Three Challenges in Transforming Squadron Officer College

R. Lorenz. Both senior officers endorsed the plan enthusiastically.

“Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work.

And that’s the price we’ll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal.”

– Vince Lombardi Leadership Theory in Practice One of the key sources of concern when embarking on this journey was what SOC could do to produce better leaders. The Situational Leadership Model, in use at SOC since the 1970s, offered a good contextual model for understanding leadership situations, but not a means for developing leaders. Further, there was strong evidence to indicate that the Situational Leadership Model was inappropriate for such uses (see for instance Vecchio, et al., The Utility of Situational Leadership Theory: A Replication in a Military Setting, Small Group Research, Volume 37 Number 5, October 2006, Sage Publications). In working with leadership experts from the US Air Force Academy and Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), SOC curriculum-team members learned about the Full-Range Leadership Model (FRLM), and the ways in which it could be incorporated into a new SOS curriculum to achieve the School’s mission. It was a perfect fit.

The first FRLM lessons premiered in SOS in June of 2009, arguably the vanguard of the new curriculum. We empowered the faculty to deliver these lessons in the guided-discussion manner. The results were astoundingly positive. A first! The faculty earned a 100% effectiveness rating in student feedback for the lessons. Armed with this success, support grew within the faculty and staff, and additional lessons rolled into the curriculum throughout the remainder of 2009 and early 2010.

Today’s SOS remains a work-in-progress. As a closed-loop system of feedback, evaluation and improvement ensures that the School’s curriculum remains current and relevant. Additionally, partnerships with external academic organizations and individual researchers continue to shed new light on better ways to develop leadership skills within the CGO corps.

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EDUCATION | TODAY’S SOS Still, the break from the past was monumental.

So much so that students attending SOS prior to the transformation have few common recollections with those who graduate today. The Team Leadership Problems, Warrior Challenge and Project X remain, but much of the learning experience has changed dramatically.

A few of the more prominent changes were: the elimination of Flickerball, except as a single, just-for-fun experience in an afternoon field exercise, paintball and death-by-PowerPoint teaching methodology with multiple-choice tests. In addition to moving to the Socratic teaching method, other changes at SOS include the following: the addition of a Cultural Leadership Exercise in which students roleplay with villagers to negotiate for information and assistance, graduate-level evaluations (essays and formal presentations involving some research on the students’ part), a new distinguished-graduate program that employs a cutting-edge thin-sliced behavioral analysis to measure leadership growth day by day, and most importantly, the incorporation of the FRLM as the intellectual foundation for the entire curriculum.

The Full-Range Leadership Model (FRLM), also called the Transactional-Transformational Leadership Model, was developed by Bruce Avolio and Bernard Bass. It builds upon previous leadership theories identifying two, broad types of leadership, transactional and transformation, along with supporting leadership behaviors. It is an adaptive approach to leadership which allows tailoring to specific, personal strengths and needs. The model also addresses non-leadership behaviors, summarized under the heading “laissez-faire.” The model appears below.

Force’s need to train successful managers.

Every leader manages resources – people, finances, materiel, etc.

– so in order to be successful, leaders must be able to both lead and manage. Further, transactional leadership should not be shunned or discounted.

With highly motivated, highly capable teams – a description that encompasses the vast majority of military personnel – trans- Students navigate an especially tricky water challenge as part of their Project actional behaviors are X experience. Photo by SOS Experiential Committee) more than sufficient to achieve success in most of leadership is not to put greatness into hucases. Two behaviors support transactional manity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is alleadership: Management by Exception and ready there.” Transformational leadership beContingent Reward. haviors are those that elicit this greatness when MANAGEMENT BY EXCEPTION (MBE). Author Ar- it is not emerging on its own. Transactional nold H. Glasgow wrote, “One of the true tests behaviors are typically appropriate for day-toof leadership is the ability to recognize a prob- day operations but necessary to propel individlem before it becomes an emergency.” MBE uals and groups to higher levels of performance is a hands-off approach in which leaders al- – to do more than even the group supposed it low their subordinates to perform while they could do, or to overcome great challenges or track performance and outcomes, stepping in hardships. There are four transformational beas necessary to make adjustments and cor- haviors. These are described below. rections. Since most Air Force personnel are highly trained and highly professional, MBE is entirely appropriate for Air Force leaders.

SOS teaches students how to monitor, provide feedback on performance and requires them to constantly evaluate themselves and each other to measure outcomes against objectives.

LAISSEZ-FAIRE is essentially non-leadership, a condition that is more often achieved by default than design. Leaders become so overwhelmed with day-to-day responsibilities that they fail to lead. SOS is careful to explain to its students that they should continually reevaluate themselves and their leadership to see if they are sliding into the laissez-faire leadership trap.

CONTINGENT REWARD (CR). CR involves an exchange of rewards or punishments for performance. These rewards can be positive – promotions, good assignments, good performance reports, awards, decorations, etc.; or negative – counseling, undesirable assignments, non-judicial punishment, etc. To prepare its students to wield CR effectively, SOS offers lessons on feedback, the promotion system, commanders’ responsibilities and military law.

TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP is essentially management. Unlike many military leadership programs, SOS does not back away from the Air

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP. John Buchan, the Scottish statesman and author, noted, “The task

INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION (IC). IC is essentially a behavior in which leaders assess and meet subordinates’ developmental needs. Ultimately, it involves creating future leaders. One might also call this behavior mentoringand it is fundamental to officers’ responsibilities as leaders.

Dr. Nancy Greer noted, Leadership is not about creating followers only.

It’s about creating other leaders. I’m at my finest as a leader when I have created an organization full of individuals who can exercise leadership in support of the common goals and objectives that we share.

SOS puts IC into action by having students develop personal leadership development plans, share their plans with classmates, and help one another achieve growth in their selected leadership areas. Peer and faculty feedback and coaching are all based on IC behaviors.

Figure 2: The Full-Range Leadership Model (FRLM)

LaissezFaire Non-Leadership

Transactional Management

By Exception

Transformational Contingent Reward

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Individual Intellectual Consideration Stimulation

Inspirational Motivation

Idealized Influence

STAFFORD Intellectual Stimulation (IS). IS inspires subordinates to create solutions to the challenges they face. IS is not about teaching the leader to problem-solve, but teaching the leader to facilitate subordinates to develop and employ problem-solving behaviors. Steve Jobs, Apple’s founder, argued “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” Through IS, Air Force leaders stimulate innovation and put it to work within their units. At SOS, students learn problem-solving and process-improvement techniques and employ what they have learned in Team Leadership Problems, Project X tasks, and other academic and performance challenges throughout the program.

INSPIRATIONAL MOTIVATION (IM). IM is encouraging subordinates through strong messages and symbols and supplying a coherent, shared vision. Consumer advocate Ralph Nader wrote, “A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He inspires the power and energy to get it done.” Within SOS, students work on their communicative skills, both written and oral, and learn how to build persuasive arguments and inspirational visions to compel others to achieve their full performance potential.

IDEALIZED INFLUENCE (II). II is essentially “role modeling.” As American industrialist Thomas J. Watson, Sr. noted, “Nothing so conclusively proves a man’s ability to lead others as what he does from day to day to lead himself.” What some might call “walking-the-talk,” II consists of values-based behaviors that inspire subordinates to follow and perform to the best of their abilities. II enables the words of the

SOC mission statement, “leaders of integrity,” to come to life in the curriculum. Students study personal ethics, core values and the importance of role-modeling for subordinates. Peer and faculty feedback assist students in assessing their growth in this imperative area of leadership.

Lt Gen Al Peck, Air University Commander, leads the SOS students in the Warrior Challenge, 2010. (Photo by Capt Dale Hallagin)

Measuring Leadership Skills One very important mechanism developed to assist SOS in its leadership-development mission is the Leadership Profile Measurement (LPM). The LPM is a validated leadership assessment based on Avolio and Bass’ internationally recognized Multifaceted Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ). The LPM was developed with partners from AFIT, using the MLQ and a US Army version of the MLQ. It features both a self-assessment and 360-degree component, all linked directly to FRLM behaviors. The quantified results provide students with insights into their strengths and weaknesses across the FRLM, as seen by the students themselves as well as their superiors, peers and subordinates.

Prior to arriving at SOS, students are given access to curriculum materials and the LPM. Upon opening the LPM, students are requested to provide their supervisor’s email address. The supervisor then receives an electronic invitation to complete the LPM on their subordinate, and identify two of the subordinates’ peers and two subordinates who will also be invited to score the student’s FRLM behaviors.

SOS’ Cultural Leadership Exercise (CLX) is a dynamic experiential-learning activity in which students negotiate with simulated villagers from a distinctly different culture to gain information. [The villagers’ parts are enacted by trained contractors whose images have been obscured because of their continued support to US operations overseas.] (Photo by Capt Jose Alvedo)

Upon their arrival at SOS, students receive introductory materials, participate in a leadership discussion, and at-

tend a lecture on the FRLM. Armed with this understanding, the students receive their LPM results. They use these results to craft an individual leadership development plan. It is important to note that this is an individual plan, based on individual strengths and weaknesses and also on varying job requirements.

As noted above, the remainder of the SOS curriculum builds upon the leadership behaviors described by the FRLM. SOS also features experiential activities through which students put their leadership skills into practice. These activities are closely monitored and evaluated, employing a custom-built, thin-sliced behavioral-analysis approach that quantifies student performance to provide objective, real-time, leadership-growth measurements across the span of the program. Students are apprised of their development, relative to their personaldevelopment plans, in both mid-term and final feedback sessions. Further, the School’s student-evaluation program, also used to select distinguished-graduates (the top 10% of each graduating class), relies heavily on FRLM leadership-performance scores as key criteria for student ranking.

Today’s SOS is dramatically different from the SOS programs of the past. It is, however, fully aligned with its founders’ mission, to develop CGO leadership. The School is fully equipped to deliver to the Air Force the young professionals who are so desperately needed as our Service navigates the security and resource challenges that loom in our future.

About the Author: A retired USAF officer, Dr. Matthew Stafford served as a maintenance officer, missileer and strike planner while on active duty.

He has served as the Squadron Officer College’s Chief Academic Officer since 2009. K

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Not Your Ordinary Container…

AFGLSC Facility Creates Unique Containers in Support of and in Partnership with Industry and Government Organizations When NASA needed a container to transport the flight support system for the Hubble Telescope, it didn’t opt for a wooden box filled with packing peanuts.

The container designed for transporting NASA’s Flight Support System for the Hubble Telescope. Notice the angled roof, which allows it to fit in a C-5 Cargo Plane for transporting. (USAF photo)

By Mr. Matt Phillips When the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) needed a container to transport the flight support system for the Hubble Telescope, it didn’t opt for a wooden box filled with packing peanuts.

Instead, NASA looked to the Air Force Packaging Technology and Engineering Facility (AFPTEF) part of the AFGLSC’s 591st Supply Chain Management Group (SCMG) at Wright-Patterson AFB, for a solution.

Personnel assigned to the facility design containers for items that need protection from shock, vibration and the environment, build a prototype of the container and then subject the container to extreme tests. For example, in one test chamber at the facility the temperature can be programmed to rapidly change from 185 degrees Fahrenheit to 65 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. The facility also houses test chambers where containers can be dropped in ways to simulate extreme transportation or handling conditions. The goal of the tests is to simulate the most challenging conditions a package might encounter such as aircraft turbulence, a bumpy road and/or extreme weather. Internal shock mitigation systems, or internal cushions, make the containers being produced

by AFGLSC unique, Miller said. Facility personnel use everything from polyurethane and other types of foam, to aluminum cradle systems mounted on stainless steel shock isolators, similar to shock absorbers used in automobiles, to manufacture the containers.

With just a few dozen employees and a few thousand square feet of space, the facility flies far below the radar of most people. Even around Wright-Patterson AFB, many personnel don’t even know it exists.

However, within its walls, AFPTEF members design, build and test some of the most sophisticated shipping and storage containers in the world. In addition to the Hubble support system, a ring-shaped object which serves as a connector between the space shuttle and telescope during servicing missions, personnel assigned to the facility have made containers for everything from NASA satellites to the MQ-9 Reaper, an unmanned aerial vehicle that continues to play a pivotal role in US Air Force combat operations.

“We’re the group everyone comes to when nothing else works,” said Robbin Miller, chief of the AFPTEF. Part of the 403rd Supply Chain Management Squadron (SCMS) within the 591 SCMG, the facility is assigned to the Air Force Material Command.

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A worker standing inside a $400,000 chamber used to test packaging in extreme conditions. (Photo Kevin Frederick)

PHILLIPS

The facility, which is the only DoD organization with its range of capabilities under one roof, in addition to supporting the AF, does contract work for other branches of the military and federal agencies.

Once a prototype has been developed, depending on the number of containers required by the customer, often the facility’s prototype design is sent to a commercial manufacturer in order for containers to be produced in bulk Individual containers can cost as much as $100,000 to build. When mission requirements dictate a rapid solution, the facility team will partner with local and/or semi-local fabricators to expedite container fabrication or performance testing of containers.

The facility, which is the only Department of Defense organization with its range of capabilities under one roof, in addition to supporting the Air Force, does contract work for other branches of the military and federal agencies. “In addition to NASA, some of our customers in the past include the Defense Logistics Agency, Army Aviation and Mission This photo depicts a custom fabricated design developed to safely house and transport Life Cycle Management Command (regarding the ship- C-17 landing gear inside the WPAFB Packaging Technology and Engineering Facility.(Photo ment of helicopter parts), Tank Automotive and Armaments AFGLSC) Command (regarding medium truck engine containers), US The specialized containers designed at the facility are, arguably, some Army Missile Command (regarding Bradley Tank Line Replaceable of the largest in the world. The Hubble Telescope support system conUnit (LRU) containers), as well as the US Post Office for whom we tainer, for example, barely fit in a C-5 cargo plane. tested plastic mail storage bins,” said Matt Phillips, 403 SCMS director under whose responsibility the AFPTEF resides. “We also partner “We actually had to angle the roof of the container to get it to fit inside with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to obtain parts and the aircraft,” Miller said. other technical data to assist us in our design solutions,” continued Mr. Miller’s crew, which consists of engineers, prototype fabricators and sheet Phillips. metal workers, recently developed a shipping pallet for a C-5 nose plug, which is 16-feet wide and 18-feet long, and have designed containers for F-15 and F-16 canopies.

AFPTEF is responsive to customers. The facility receives many calls from customers when changes are made to the products for which the facility previously constructed storage or transport containers. These requests often result in modifications to the original containers or even a complete container redesign.

Miller, who started with the facility 22 years ago as a college student, loves the job because she says she gets to see something important built from scratch and which often last for decades. The containers we develop are out there for 20-plus years,” Miller said.

A worker inside the prototype fabrication shop checking a Computerized Numerically Controlled (CNC) machine used to build shipping containers. (Photo Kevin Frederick)

About the author: Mr. Matt Phillips is the Director of the Engineering and Technology Squadron, 403rd Supply Chain Management Squadron, 591st Supply Chain Management Group, Air Force Global Logistics Support Center (AFGLSC), Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. He is the Director of Engineering for the 591st SCMG with almost 25 years of experience in engineering, logistics, maintenance, and supply. K

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SUSTAINMENT

Key to a Better Relationship: Communication

By Mr. David Morrow

support continuThe Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) program is a best prac- ous improvement. tice embraced by the Air Force Global Logistics Support Center (AF- The integrated team apGLSC) as a key enabler for improving supply chain performance. The proach includes the Strategic Supprogram represents AFGLSC’s continued commitment to apply com- plier Relationship Manager (SSRM); mercial best practices and continuous process improvement to drive the Enterprise Sourcing Strategy Flight (ESSF); the strategic suppliers; operational savings and improve materiel support. The SRM program commodity councils; contracting; engineering; item management; and creates a close working relationship with key strategic suppliers that are weapon system supply chain management. Through collaboration, the critical to the Air Force supply chain operateam ensures strategic supplier sustainment tions. Suppliers are deemed “strategic” based decisions critical to the Air Force mission The program represents on the dollar spent and/or those that have are identified and addressed to best serve the AFGLSC’s continued committhe greatest impact to the sustainment supply Warfighter. chain performance. The SRM program’s foment to apply commercial cus on these suppliers provides a great impact The SRM program utilizes a standard repeatbest practices and continuon the supply chain performance. To achieve able process in developing and delivering ous process improvement to maximum results, the AFGLSC’s SRM prosupplier improvements to address the largest drive operational savings and pipeline cost drivers. The four step process gram takes an integrated team approach that utilizes a standard/repeatable process focused includes: improve materiel support. on a set of common metrics/goals which

Picture taken at first AFGLSC Supplier Summit held 15 April 2010. Representatives from AFGLSC and their Top Ten Strategic Suppliers pictured. (Picture by Burt Foutz)

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MORROW ASSESS: The SSRM performs a foundational assessment of suppliers to identify initial areas of opportunities for improvement associated with each of their Strategic Suppliers.

STRATEGIZE: The SSRM and Suppliers collaborate and strategize on performance improvement opportunities to work towards a common set of goals and objectives in support of AFGLSC supply chain improvement.

PLAN: The SSRM and Suppliers develop business justification for each improvement effort. These efforts focus on producing measurable improvements to a supplier’s performance.

IMPLEMENT: The SSRM formally hands off the implementation of the improvement effort to a team responsible for delivering the targeted results.

Latest Administrative Leadtime Metric for Top 10 Strategic Contractors

Reaching current AFGLSC goals of 95% OTD, decrease ALT by 50%, and decrease PLT by 10% can result in a savings in excess of hundreds of millions of dollars.

To measure the SRM program’s success, several key metrics are used, i.e. On Time Delivery (OTD); Acquisition Leadtime (ALT); and Production Leadtime (PLT).

Driving improvements in these metrics are aimed towards meeting AFGLSC goals associated with spare parts availability and Weapons System End-to-End dollar savings. Reaching current AFGLSC goals of 95% OTD, decrease ALT by 50%, and decrease PLT by 10% can result in a savings in excess of hundreds of millions of dollars. However, achieving these results and savings are only possible by continuously refining and improving the Latest Production Leadtime Metric for Top 10 Strategic Contractors focus of the individual supplier’s initiatives.

The AFGLSC Supply Chain is one of the most complex Supply Chains in the world and challenging to the most experienced supply chain professionals. A robust SRM program plays a critical role in the efficient execution of this dynamic ever changing supply chain environment.

As such, the SRM program is vital in supporting the AFGLSC mission “Deliver Integrated Global Supply Chain Support for Warfighter Capabilities.”

About the Author: Mr. David Morrow is a Life Cycle Logistician with over 30 years of experience both with DoD and commercial organizations. Most recently he has been involved with designing and implementing programs focused on improving AFGLSC sourcing and Supplier Relationship Management. K

Latest On-Time Delivery Metric for Top 10 Strategic Contractors

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SUSTAINMENT

By Colonel Joe Wilson and Colonel (Ret) Jim Diehl

Improved Sustainment of U.S. Air Force Aircraft Engines: ‘Doing More Without More’ With Alternative Parts and Repairs

“…we have a continuing responsibility to procure the critical goods and services our forces need in the years ahead, but we will not have ever-increasing budgets to pay for them. We must therefore strive to achieve what economists call productivity growth: in simple terms, to DO MORE WITHOUT MORE.” -Ashton B. Carter, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, & Logistics (September 14, 2010) As part of the nation’s military strategy to address current and recent conflicts around the world, the U.S. Air Force has been flying combat missions for more than 18 consecutive years. This has accelerated the aging of aircraft engines through significant increases in engine cycles, operating hours and exposure to harsh operating environments. As a result, the Warfighters have experienced dramatic drops in wartime spare levels and a steady decline in overall engine reliability

USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) powered by four LM2500 engines configured with compressors and high pressure turbines common to the US Air Force TF39 engine powering the C-5 aircraft fleet. (Source: US Navy)

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WILSON & DIEHL and performance. The KC-135 fleet has experienced an increase in F108 engine in-flight shutdowns and failures that have resulted in a struggle during the past two years to achieve minimum Warfighter engine spare levels.

According to Chuck Melton, Deputy National Guard Bureau/A4, the F108 propulsion system is now “ANG’s worst for fleet health,” with engine spare levels well below wartime requirements. From fiscal year 2008 through fiscal year 2010, the overall KC-135 fleet (Air National Guard and Air Mobility Command) experienced 193 engine failures or shutdowns, as reported to the Air Force Safety Center. Similar patterns across the Air Force fleet have resulted in greater demands for engine maintenance, a severely stressed engine supply chain and engines retaining their position as the Number One sustainment expense within the Air Force Materiel Command.

A culture change is needed to introduce a “do more Wartime flying operations are placing stress on the U.S. Air Force engine fleet. The USAF F108 enwithout more” ethos and robust new engine sustain- gine fleet averages 60 engine failures/in-flight shutdowns per year that threaten crew safety and ment strategy to restore Warfighter confidence and mission readiness. (Source: HQ AFMC/SEF) support, in terms of sufficient wartime spares and improved engine performance. In today’s fiscally Commercial Best Practices – Use of Alternative challenging environment, doing more without more also translates to Parts and Repairs identifying a strategy for controlling engine maintenance and material The good news in sustainment is that a new engine strategy is emerging costs while ensuring the safety, reliability and top performance of power that has been fully time-tested by the commercial aviation industry. The systems. strategy involves the adoption of commercial best practices that utilize non-OEM alternative parts and repairs. For many years commercial Business As Usual Weakens Sustainment aviation debated the use of Federal Aviation Administration certified With some of today’s engines projected to remain in service past cal- alternative parts and repairs. While the OEMs actively continued the endar year 2040, it becomes clear that “business as usual” is no longer a debate, the airline industry stepped forward, in harmony with the FAA, viable engine sustainment strategy as we look to the future of U.S. Air to utilize the certified alternative parts and repairs.

Force engine sustainment. Strategists within the organization need to An overwhelming body of evidence in flight safety, reliability, reduced rethink the current approach to sustainment. costs, improved schedules and strong engine performance has convinced Reliance for aftermarket parts and materials historically has been on the many in the commercial aviation industry to view alternative parts and aircraft engine Original Equipment Manrepairs as a best practice. Alternative parts, certified at every ufacturers (OEM), resulting in an acquisistep of the design and development process by the FAA, are tion environment in which more than half known within the industry as Part Manufacturer Approval of the engine sustainment funding is spent (PMA) parts. Alternative repairs, also certified by the FAA, via sole source contracts. The lack of alterare known as Designated Engineering Representative (DER) native sources for parts and services and repairs. As observed by Lieutenant General (ret) Donald J. lack of competition in negotiating cost Wetekam, former U S Air Force Headquarters Deputy Chief makes it difficult for the US Air Force to of Staff for Installations and Logistics and now President, AAR negotiate substantial price improvements, Aircraft Services: supply chain reliability and other contract “Commercial aviation has long recognized the benefits of alterperformance concessions. native parts and repairs. While the application of commercial The other military services are experiencstandards isn’t a panacea, the military could benefit from much ing a similar reliance on sole source enwider acceptance and use of PMA/DER. This isn’t anything gine contracts. Today this long-time Denew; it’s a tried and true approach that saves money, increases partment of Defense practice represents competition and enhances support.” a missed opportunity to utilize the same competitive dynamics of the commercial Commercial PMA Parts Started with the aircraft marketplace – and to leverage the Military competition to deliver to the Warfighter’s Lt Gen Don Wetekam, (ret), USAF former PMA parts are FAA-approved replacements for OEM-produced real price, schedule and performance im- U S Air Force Headquarters Deputy Chief of Staff for Installations and Logistics FAA Type Certificate parts. PMA producers must demonstrate provements that have been commonplace and now President, AAR Aircraft Serin commercial aviation for decades.  vices ) 85 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

SUSTAINMENT | IMPROVED SUSTAINMENT to the FAA through testing that a part is the same or better than the part it is designed to replace. In a September 2004 white paper titled, “The PMA parts Tsunami: Hype or Reality?” AeroStrategy, an independent industry research company, said the FAA initially adopted rules for the parts in the 1950s in response to the introduction of out-of-production surplus military aircraft into the commercial aviation market. Since that time the FAA has continued to develop procedures to declare airworthy the reverse-engineered parts that support commercial aircraft engines.

airlines, has huge potential for cost savings. Much of the savings is captured through the use of the comparable and less expensive PMA parts and DER repairs. Significant savings are also being realized by aircraft operators because PMA parts and DER repairs introduce competition where there once was none. In one example, PMA parts and DER repairs for the commercial CFM56-7 gas path engine components have resulted in savings of $500,000 per engine shop visit, or more than 50% off the typical OEM catalogue pricing.

The attitude toward PMA parts within the commercial aviation industry was reflected in the remarks of Robert Sullivan, General Manager, Engine Supply Chain, Delta Airlines (Delta Engine Yearbook 2007):

PMA and DER: Are They Safe … Are They Reliable?

“The quality of the PMA parts used by Delta is as good, if not better than those of the OEM. This is essential because we will never sacrifice safety or performance for unit cost savings.”

While the OEMs have claimed that their parts are more reliable than certified alternative equipment and repairs, the fact is that the reliable performance of PMA parts has been increasing substantially, while service failures and non-OEM Airworthiness Directives (AD) have not.

The strong safety record of PMA parts has allowed them to become a cost reduction strategy for the aviation industry, delivering a minimum savings of 35% when compared to OEM catalog pricing. The success of the PMA equipment has not gone unnoticed by the OEMs. In fact, one OEM that previously sent letters of concern to the FAA about PMA equipment now offers a product line of PMA parts it developed for a competitor’s aircraft engine.

DER Repairs – Benefits Too Substantial To Ignore As with PMA parts, DER repairs also are certified and fully approved by the FAA. At a minimum, DER parts must be returned to their original condition of form, fit and function. DER repairs cannot have any detrimental effect on engine performance or durability. Interestingly, certain FAA-approved DER repairs have demonstrated improved performance and durability over OEM equipment due to tighter tolerances through the application of technological advances, including improved coatings on the components, more advanced repair and machining processes, and other features. DER repairs are now accepted on a global basis and can be found on virtually all commercial aircraft engine types. With more airlines utilizing PMA parts and DER repairs than ever before, the benefits are too substantial to ignore.

Every day major carriers including American, Delta and United demonstrate their trust in the safety and reliability of alternative PMA parts and DER repairs, as do those in the industry and regulatory agencies who fly these airlines. A compelling and related case study on turbine engine component safety and reliability with DER repairs was published in 2010 by the US Navy regarding its fleet of LM2500 ship engines. The LM2500 engine has a common compressor and high pressure turbine with the US Air Force TF39 engine powering the C-5 aircraft fleet.

During the June 2010 ASME Turbo Expo 2010: Power for Land, Sea and Air industry gathering in Glasgow, United Kingdom, the Navy reported on 10 years of experience with repaired LM2500 High Pressure Turbine blades.

Navy program managers described how the OEM recommended they “…not consider HPT blade refurbishment due to the inherent risk associated with using repaired versus new production parts during the overhaul cycle.” The Navy ignored the recommendation and began having the engine HPT blades overhauled. Once installed, the Navy reported it could not tell the difference between the repaired and new production blades “installed side by side in the same engine room aboard ship.”

The Navy also addressed the reliability of the blades, acknowledging that from 1975 to 1999 it had a 0.38 engine failure rate/year caused by or linked to failures of OEM newly manufactured High Pressure Turbine blades. Although Navy program managers are gathering more data to address all concerns on the service life of repaired blades, they “can point to no data which support an increase in HPT blade failures” on the

At a time of weak revenue growth the global aerospace industry has continued to utilize innovative cost containment strategies. Maintenance, which ranks second behind fuel as the largest cost line item for BELAC LLC Testing a High Pressure Turbine PMA Blade.

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WILSON & DIEHL repaired blades. What they can point to is the $81M in accrued saving, thanks to the Navy’s 1999 decision to repair High Pressure Turbine blades.

engine component repair contacts entered into by the US Air Force with a non-OEM provider, generating an overall cost avoidance of $863M .

Stringent manufacturer testing and FAA airworthiness evaluations have contributed to the noteworthy safety record of engine PMA parts. (Source: Chromalloy)

There was further indication in 2010 of the move toward a new culture of equally reviewing the aftermarket services provided by alternative engine parts and repairs suppliers. This occurred when the US Air Force awarded a KC-10 Aircraft Contract Logistics Support Contract that gave blanket approval of the use of FAA approved CF6-50 engine PMA parts and DER repairs during overhaul and maintenance of the tanker engine fleet. This new approach also permitted the use of previously used commercial parts repaired to FAA standards.

Setting the Record Straight

It is not surprising that OEM parts manufacturers view PMA parts and DER repairs for the aircraft engine as a challenge to their dominant position in the lucrative aftermarket. To maintain their competitive positions they have threatened reduced support for commercial customers that elect to use PMA equipment, for example. And they have conAcceptance of FAA-approved parts and repairs tinued to foster an atmosphere of distrust within CFM56-3 PMA High Pressure Turbine Blade for the commercial CF6-50 engine fleet over the commercial and military aviation for the demon- Purchased by the USAF for the F108 engine. last 40 years allowed the contractor to deliver strated quality, safety and performance of the cer- Establishment of a second source of supply significant cost and engine performance benefits tified parts. In 2008, the FAA released Special introduces competition where there is none, beginning with the very first engine serviced unresulting in better Warfighter support at sigAirworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) NE- nificantly lower cost. (Source: Chromalloy) der the contract. Since the PMA parts and DER 08-40 on August 8, 2008 intending to address conrepairs were already developed and in service on cerns that commercial statements by OEMs were other aircraft engines, the US Air Force was not inappropriately undermining public confidence in PMA parts. required to expend scarce Component Improvement Program funding.

Within the Department of Defense there remains a culture favoring OEM engine parts and repairs despite the positive experiences of commercial aviation – with noteworthy exceptions that include the Navy utilization described earlier and importantly, the US Air Force.

In 1999 the US Air Force initiated adoption of alternative DER repairs during the transition of TF39 engines from the Air Force organic depot support to a commercial maintenance provider. Over time the Air Force has approved a variety of TF39 alternative repairs originally developed for commercial CF6-6, LM2500 and other turbine engines. As a result, the TF39 engine fleet has seen a 126% improvement in Exhaust Gas Temperature margin – the test cell indication of engine performance – and a 60% reduction in flying hour cost. For the Warfighter this translates to greater time on-wing at much lower cost.

In 2007 the US Air Force began a focused effort that resulted in acceptance and utilization of PMA parts and DER repairs (termed “Commercial Derivative Repairs”). One major success was the approval of a second source for newly-manufactured F108 engine High Pressure Turbine blades. The FAA-approved PMA blades are used by many air carriers on the commercial CFM56 engine fleet. The first competitive PMA solicitation by the US Air Force for a F108 High Pressure Turbine blade resulted in the OEM still winning the contract – but at a price that was 49% lower than its previous sole source price. And since that initial review where a PMA parts bid was reviewed and competed, the US Air Force has purchased the alternative blades for their engine fleet, at a cost that is 58% lower than the sole source cost. The latter competition generated savings of $11M on 3,426 High Pressure Turbine engine blades.

Another savings and alternative source utilization milestone was the abandonment of the 100-percent condemnation of four stages of compressor blades. Instead, the US Air Force awarded a five-year DER repair contract to a commercial supplier – an action that will save $23M. The repair contract has already saved sufficient funding to pay the repair contractor for the remaining four years of the contract. This is one of 18

During the first 11 months of the contract, 41 engines were delivered with a per engine savings of $1M when compared to the previous contractor. Approximately $500,000 of the savings is attributable to the use of PMA parts and DER repairs. Interestingly, savings to the US Air Force from the introduction of just two PMA parts (High Pressure Turbine blades and nozzles) during the overhaul of 10 engines means, in essence, the 11th engine overhaul is free … a classic example of “doing more without more.”

Under this same contract the US Air Force also benefits from commercial best practices in the reassembly of aircraft engines at the conclusion of maintenance events. All of the proprietary techniques and processes developed over more than 40 years in support of commercial CF6-50 engines are incorporated into the assembly of the US Air Force engines.

The engine “build” practices are a major contributor to the delivery of engines with improvements in Exhaust Gas Temperature margins that will result in reduced fuel consumption, which the USAF predicts will save $14M over the Five-Year Defense Program.

To be sure, adoption of FAA-certified and proven alternative “build” practices also represent an alternative to the Department of Defense past practices of seeking engine performance improvements via longterm investments in the development and testing of newly designed parts. By utilizing commercial best practices developed and utilized under the auspices of the FAA, the Department of Defense can avoid the investment costs – and begin capturing immediate savings.

Time to “Do More Without More” In looking to a new model for Warfighter engine sustainment, the US Air Force has taken important steps in the pursuit of applying commercial best practices and solutions to its strategy that ensure the safety, reliability and top performance of propulsion systems. Utilization of alternative parts and repairs has yet to result in broad acceptance within

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SUSTAINMENT | IMPROVED SUSTAINMENT

Use of FAA approved parts and repairs are saving $1 million per KC-10 engine overhaul and contributing to improved engine performance. (Source: U.S. Air Force)

the US Air Force engine community or within the Department of Defense, however. Use of sole source engine support contracts continues to be the dominant approach despite an established track record of proven benefits using alternative parts and repairs.

In today’s cautionary budget environment, the Department of Defense needs to take full advantage of the alternative PMA parts and DER repairs for its engines that have commercial equivalents. For military engines with no commercial equivalents, they should still consider application of the commercial proven technology for development of alternative parts and repairs to improve competition for military unique engines.

When it does, cost savings in the 35 to 50 percent range and measurable, significant gains in engine availability and performance efficiencies will become the norm – and the new benchmark.

Business as usual and sole source OEM-only practices cannot coexist in a “doing more without more” environment. They can and should no longer be acceptable within the Department of Defense engine aftermarket community. Over time, strict adherence to legacy engine sustainment practices place US Air Force fleets outside the mainstream and outside of what others in the commercial aviation industry – the world’s commercial airlines – practice as good business. CMSgt Mark Berens, ANG Advisor to the OC-ALC Commander, said the US Air Force F108 engines are “unique antiques” because they have not kept pace with commercial industry standards.

Next Steps Toward a New Strategy What are the next steps for the Department of Defense if it decides to adopt commercial best practices for engine parts and repairs? It can

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begin by uniformly permitting FAA-certified and approved parts and repairs (to include commercially repaired parts) for use on US Air Force engines with a commercial equivalent (i.e., the F108/CFM56-2, F117/ PW2000, TF34/CF34, and others.). In addition, it is critical for the Department of Defense to obtain undisputed ownership of all technical data for the engines it operates. Obtaining undisputed ownership of all technical data removes the pretext that the Department of Defense does not have the technical data to provide to potential third-party manufacturers as a step in gaining the freedom to compete all engine support contracts. And, when viewed through the lens of history, the cost of obtaining technical data will be considered minor compared to the cost of continuing the existing approach acquiring parts and repairs in a sole source environment for the remaining life of their engines.

Improving the sustainment of military aircraft engines through the use of FAA-certified PMA parts and DER repairs will not take years of work and millions of dollars for research and testing. The technology has already been developed, approved and used as a standard airline industry practice. Commercial best practices are readily available and encouraging a new sustainment strategy will enable “doing more without more.”

About the Authors: Col Joe Wilson is the Air National Guard advisor to the Commander, Oklahoma Air Logistics Center, Tinker AFB. Col (ret) Jim Diehl is a former Air Force Maintenance Officer. He is currently employed by Chromalloy, a turbine engine aftermarket services provider, as their Military Regional Sales Director. K

VOICES | CHAPTER CROSSTALK

chapter CrossTalk Hindu Kush LOA Chapter – Bagram AB, Afghanistan Submitted by Maj Andrew Huntoon The Hindu Kush Chapter continues to contribute to the 455 Air Expeditionary Wing’s priorities of Defend the Base, Supply the Fight, and Win by furthering our knowledge of our joint partner’s sustainment and logistics operations. This quarter, the US Army’s 10th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), Task Force Mountain Eagle, welcomed LOA members and provided an overview of their operations. Army members explained CAB organizational structure, flightline and in-shop maintenance capabilities, Class III / V operations, and UH-60 / CH-47 phase sustainment capabilities.

The chapter also played host to Officers, Warrant Officers, and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers from the 101st Sustainment Brigade. Army members were introduced to USAF flightline maintenance practices to include generation and munitions operations, logistical challenges facing our aircraft, and the USAF’s role supporting a Brigade Combat Team (BCT) in the field.

Later in the quarter, the chapter will continue its education series with a joint instruction session. Members from the US Army and USAF will team together and provide instruction on the combined munitions operations here at BAF.

Defense Logistics Agency Aviation - James River Chapter Submitted by Capt Alex Mol Greetings from DLA Aviation, Richmond, VA. Recent chapter highlights include a visit to our center by the AFGLC Commander Major General Gary McCoy. General McCoy spoke at a LOA sponsored breakfast and shared with us what keeps him up at night: Our increasing need to be more energy efficient and the looming budget cuts. Both will affect our military from a supply chain management and base quality of life perspective. He spoke on leadership with Gen Curtis LeMay and Vince Lombardi as his personal heroes. In addition, he shared his post retirement plan of trying out as the Dallas Cowboys’ starting quarterback.

The event, in conjunction with the DLA Aviation Senior Executive Partnership Roundtable conference, was held at the historic Bellwood Club on the center.

RDML Vincent Griffith, the DLA Aviation Commander, hosted both events, which highlighted the continued joint mission of ensuring that all USAF and sis- DLA Aviation Commander, RDML Vincent Griffith, presents Maj Gen ter service aircraft are mission ready through extensive supplier and service supply McCoy the coveted Elk plaque. chain collaboration.

Inland Northwest Chapter (INW) – Fairchild AFB, WA Submitted by Maj John Gustafson

[INW Chapter Members at FedEx Spokane Distribution Center. Back row from left: Col Tobin, Mr Fugure, Lt Col Hart, Mrs Brower, Capt Burns, Col Hill, Mr Houbrick. Front row from left: Maj Murphy, Mr Kennedy, Maj Gustafson]

The Inland Northwest Chapter held a professional development visit with the local FedEx distribution center in Spokane, WA. The Operations Manager gave chapter members a tour of their facility and explained the step-by-step process on how packages are received, moved through the center, and updated for in-transit visibility in FedEx tracking system. Then he explained their Area of Operations, types of delivery trucks they use, and their routing process. FedEx’s efficiency impressed Chapter members, who commented on how much Air Force processes mirrored FedEx commercial practices.

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VOICES | CHAPTER CROSSTALK The tour gave the members a greater understanding on FedEx service and how Air Force assets move through the commercial system. The visit also gave Fairchild loggies the opportunity to build better working relationships with FedEx. To end the event, we held a question and answer session with the distribution center Senior Manager, the Operations Manager, and the Account Representative for Fairchild. Topics included safety best practices, training, budgeting, IT, QA, fleet maintenance, inspections, and MICAP support. Overall the visit was a great success and the chapter invited the FedEx team to come take a tour of one of our KC-135s. The visit ended with Col Tobin, Inland Northwest Chapter Senior Advisor, coining the team for the visit. The chapter is continuing to plan new visits to build and strengthen relationships with industry in the community that support our mission.

Cowboy Chapter – F. E. Warren AFB, WY Submitted by 1Lt Christin Brodie The Wyoming Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officers (EPLO) from AFNORTH paid a visit to the Cowboy Chapter to give members an overview of the role they play in National Security Emergency Preparedness. Col Stacy Collins, Col Brian Klien and others gave an introductory brief to the roles and duties of the EPLO. Members of the Cowboy Chapter were also introduced to conducting Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) during emergencies, natural or manmade disasters, and other approved activities.

The Wyoming EPLOs also provided personal experiences ranging from providing relief to flooding in North Dakota to helping plan for the worst during the Democratic Convention in Denver in 2008. Just recently, Col Klien was called upon to assist evacuees from Japan after the earthquake and resulting radiation that occurred in March.

Next on the Cowboy Chapter agenda is a tour of the missile alert training facility for the 90 Operations Group to see what being a missileer “on alert” really means. The chapter also plans to The Wyoming EPLOs joined members of the F. E. Warren AFB LOA Cowboy Chapter for a group photo after tour the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, an introduction to National Security Emergency Preparedness and a question and answer session.

CO to see how they have tackled their logistics obstacles from a commercial point of view.

Wasatch Warrior Chapter – Hill AFB, UT Submitted by 1Lt Forrest Taylor The Wasatch Warriors hosted a variety of professional development events this quarter. We hosted two major events in February. First, we visited the Hill AFB Logistics Readiness Squadron. 1Lt Nick Bristow, the Installation Deployment Officer, led the chapter on a tour of Hill’s deployment facility. We discussed the unique responsibilities of an LRS servicing an ALC and the challenges faced on a base with four Wings and more than two dozen tenant units. Later in the month the chapter hosted former LOA National President, Col (ret) Rick Dugan as he lead the chapter in a lively discussion and debate on Repair Network Integration and the future of USAF repair networks.

In March the Wasatch Warriors visited the Strategic Missile Integration Complex (SMIC) on Hill AFB. The SMIC provides first article testing of components to be used on the Minuteman III (ICBM) Weapon System as well as providing a platform for TO Validation and Verification. Part of this visit included guided tours of a functionally identical Launch Facility and Launch Control Capsule. Captain Adam Rector, briefed tour attendees on the unique logistic hurdles that face the aging MM III. During the tour of the Launch Facility chapter members were able to enter the launch silo and witness the intricate network of support infrastructure required for launch. The tour shed insight into maintenance hurdles within Minuteman III Weapon System. The visit provided amazing insight into this highly critical, but all too often unfamiliar area of the Air Force Nuclear Enterprise.

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VOICES | CHAPTER CROSSTALK

Lt Gen Leo Marquez Chapter – Kirtland AFB, NM Submitted by Capt John Hampel Kirtland’s Lt Gen Leo Marquez Chapter reinvigorated their membership with a string of logistics tours to kick off the year, highlighted by a visit from Maj Gen Kathleen Close, AFMC/A4, and Lt Gen (ret.) Leo Marquez. Chapter members were treated to the insight of both generals as they discussed logistics and sustainment issues within and beyond the nuclear enterprise. In January, the Chapter seized the opportunity to tour the new operationally capable Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Sustainment and Integration Center. Members were treated to details of the 24/7 control center’s monitoring capabilities and assistance to field units, helping to bridge the gap on supply and maintenance issues within the Air Force and Department of Energy communities. Finally, the Chapter closed the quarter with a visit to the Defense Nuclear Weapons School, Weapons Display Area for an unclassified tour of historic strategic weapons.

The Leo Marquez chapter also studied challenges and successes of the 58th Maintenance Group’s CV-22 maintenance ops with the 71st Aircraft Maintenance Unit. The AMU’s leadership elaborated on overcoming training and environmental challenges as highlighted in the fall edition of The Exceptional Release.

All of the Chapter’s recent events contributed to a stronger understanding of mission sustainment issues, as well as how we can harmonize efforts, maintain a strong force, and cope with some of the challenges we are Members of the Kirtland AFB LOA Lt Gen Leo Marquez Chapter toured the CV-22 maintenance operations of all facing. the 58th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron to get inside the issues.

Sonoran Chapter – Luke AFB, AZ Submitted by 2d Lt Charles Glover The Sonoran Chapter has been busy over the last quarter. We continued professional development by holding tours throughout the Logistics Readiness Squadron and the Equipment Maintenance Squadron’s munitions storage area, followed with an offsite to the Phoenix FedEx Freight facility. FedEx provided insight how they use “centralized hubs” to maximize efficiency and deliver goods to customers on time.

Chapter members hosted a 12-hour “Viking Challenge” relay race, raising over $4,700 for our local LOA scholarship fund. Viking Challenge is a 12-hour relay in which teams of eight to ten people continuously move (run, jog or walk) around the base’s track. One member of each team completes one mile before passing the baton to the next team member. The chapter also had a visit with Lt Gen Reno during the Maintenance Professional of the Year banquet. The visit gave our chapter members an opportunity to hear from the Air Force’s ranking logistics officer.

Members of the Sonoran Chapter with FedEx service center manager Scott dePoto touring the Phoenix FedEx Freight hub.

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VOICES | CHAPTER CROSSTALK

Tidewater Chapter - Langley AFB, VA Submitted by 2d Lt Stephanie Scott The Tidewater Chapter at Langley AFB is off to a strong start this year with a new name, a new senior advisor, and renewed energy in reaching out to the logistics professionals on their base.

The Tidewater chapter plans to start our 3rd Quarter program with a presentation from the 735th Supply Chain Operations Group Commander Colonel Linda S. Hurry. She, along with 2d Lieutenant Stephanie Scott, will give a joint presentation on the role of the AF Global Logistics Support Center in supporting the warfighter.

This presentation will kick off the 3rd Quarter theme of “Expeditionary Focus” and will be followed by a guest speaker from Fort Eustis, speaking on Army supply techniques. We will wrap up the quarter in June by featuring a “Contingency” golf tournament. Players will be expected to follow the DEPORD, drag their bags (golf clubs), and play through the course while mitigating obstacles such as changing teammates, limited supplies, and unclear guidelines. Looks like a great quarter for the Tidewater-Langley LOA Chapter!

National Capital Region (NCR) LOA Chapter Update Submitted by Lynn Arias The NCR chapter has been busy offering a variety of events for members. Our two latest meetings centered on professional development. First, our chapter welcomed Mr. Greg Wilson from DLA who briefed members on the DLA Fusion Center. Members learned how the Fusion Center displays real-time data on everything from customers’ orders and delivery status to stock levels and what orders remain unfilled. The second professional development opportunity was an afternoon meeting in which Mr. Greg Stanley, the new AF/A4L Deputy Director of Logistics, was the guest speaker. Mr. Stanley shared with the members his recent experiences and lessoned learned from his last assignment at Warner-Robins Air Logistics Center.

Pulling members knowledge and experiences together, our chapter participated in LOA National’s first event centered on solving problems in the Logistics Enterprise. Chapter members analyzed the problem of loggies not updating their Airman Development Plan prior to DT sessions, in spite of APFC’s reminder emails. Chapter members brainstormed and developed potential solutions and forwarded them up for the LOA National Board and AF/A4LF to consider and implement.

Members also enjoyed a rare opportunity to escape off the Pentagon Reservation when chapter members visited the Lockheed Martin Fighter Demonstration Center in Crystal City. Lockheed Martin personnel gave the group an update on the F-35 NCR LOA Chapter members watch member Jeremy Stephens fly through the wild blue and an overview of ALIS. Then we got to fly! Members were yonder on an F-35 during their tour of the Lockheed Martin Fighter Demonstration Cenallowed to try out their flying skills on the F-35 and F-22 Simuter. lators. Just a taste of what we hope to see in Ft Worth!

Blackjack Chapter – Nellis/Creech AFB, NV Submitted by Capt Justin Godfrey The Blackjack Chapter kicked off 2011 with a tour & some hands-on activity with …bombs! The Nellis AFB Munitions Storage Area graciously hosted our chapter and helped us understand a little more about the amazing effort the logistics team puts into supporting operations.

The Blackjack chapter also hosted a visit from the Logistics, Installations, and Mission Support – Enterprise View (LIMS-EV ) team from HAF/ A4I. These professionals provided us with an overview of how the LIMS-EV tool can be used to review aircraft and vehicle status, key metrics, parts status, and munitions information all from within the Air Force Portal.

We’re looking forward hosting many of our fellow LOA members as they pass through Las Vegas supporting the many exercises held at Nellis AFB!

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VOICES | CHAPTER CROSSTALK

Gateway Chapter – Scott AFB, IL Submitted by Lt Col Kevin Gaudette The Gateway Chapter has been keeping busy in the months of February and March. In February, we had a great (non-traditional) logistics tour with AEP River Operations, who operate out of Granite City, IL and deliver over 71 million tons of dry cargo per year by barge. We learned about the inland river barge transportation industry, the logistics required to maintain and operate over 3,400 hopper barges, 62 towboats and 25 fleet and shuttle boats, as well as the potential for military use of barge operations.

In March, we had the very unique opportunity to tour the St. Louis Boeing production facility. Our tour begin with an outstanding guided tour of the Prologue Room, which displays various space and aircraft models depicting the historical timeline of Boeing’s rich legacy, to include McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, ANA, Douglas, Stearman and Hughes Helicopters.

We received interactive briefings from the Director of Business Development, Integrated Logistics and the Director of Supply Chain Management Planning and Systems. Lastly, we toured both the C-17 and F-18 production lines, providing an excellent opportunity to see Boeing logistics and supply chain innovation up close and personal. Finally, we’re entering our election cycle and look forward to turning over the reins to a fresh new Executive Council later this spring.

Texoma Chapter – Sheppard AFB, TX Submitted by Maj Wes Adams Sheppard AFB loggies are making great strides in re-energizing their Texoma Chapter! The new Executive Board elections were held in November to replace the vacancies from last year’s PCS cycle. We’re proud to announce the new chapter leadership: President - Maj Wes Adams (982 MXS/ CC); Vice President - Maj Sarah “Biscuit” Williams (373 TRS/CC); Information Officer - Capt Brock Sargent (363 TRS/RMA); and Treasurer Capt Clinton Varty (982 MXS/LGM).

Together with the chapter, we’ve identified an ambitious plan to expand the membership of our officer and civilian counterparts and increase mentorship/professional development. Progress is strong so far and we’re looking forward to helping with LOA National in Ft. Worth and getting involved in the Texoma community!

Wolf Pack Chapter – Kunsan AB, ROK Submitted by Capt Adam Hauer The Kunsan Wolf Pack Chapter continues to excel as we turn the corner on another successful PACAF ORI, integrating the strengths of logistics and maintenance into one cohesive team. The Wolf Pack received an “Excellent” grade and everyone is extremely proud that we have continued our string of amazing inspection results. Additionally, in Kunsan short tour fashion, the Wolf Pack is beginning to turn over leadership to the next class.

Upcoming events include a luncheon with MGen Judith Fedder to discuss current logistics initiatives and their impacts on operations across the Korean Peninsula, as well as a planned tour to Gimhae depot to visit the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA). The DCMA visit will provide our members with a perspective on logistics outside the United States Air Force, and provide ideas on how we can integrate these perspectives into our daily operations.

The Wolf Pack Chapter is looking forward to the upcoming year and hopes to see all past, present, and future Wolf Pack members at the upcoming LOA National Conference in Fort Worth, Texas. See you all there.

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VOICES | CHAPTER CROSSTALK

Rainier Chapter – Joint Base LewisMcChord, WA Submitted by Maj Emily Farkas The Rainier Chapter took advantage of our unique Joint Base Lewis-McChord ( JBLM) situation and partnered with the Army Field Support Battalion (AFSBn) to swap logistics tours. Rainier Chapter members from the 627 LRS and the 62/446 MXG received a briefing about the Army Material Command’s (AMC) mission and how they logistically support the warfighter. Following the AMC brief, we toured their Aviation Field Maintenance Activity and received an overview of the Army Aviation Reset Program which manages the inspection, repair, and overhaul of the helicopter fleet. This was followed by a walk-thru of the JBLM Regional Support Center and the Tobyhanna Forward Repair Activity that offered insight on the Automated Data Processing Equipment (ADPE) and communication maintenance support provided to Army Maj Gen Fedder, AF/A4L, and members of the Rainier Chapter units and a capability that could potentially be harnessed by the AF now that we are joint base. After a joint lunch, the Rainier Chapter hosted the AFSBn members thru fuels operations and material management in LRS, C-17 home station checks in MXS, flight line operations in the AMXS, and, finally, aerial port operations in the APS. Overall, it was a great start to a beautiful joint logistics relationship! In fact, we just received an invitation to the USA I Corps G4 Quarterly Logistics Conference and, in turn, we have invited them to future LOA events.

In April, Maj Gen Judy Fedder, AF/A4L, came to visit JBLM. She toured the 62/446 MXG, 627 LRS, and 627 ABG. Gen Fedder was the guest speaker at a LOA lunch in which she shared her insight to the chapter members about the significance of the Developmental Teams and, more importantly, updating our ADPs! She was also the guest speaker for our Log Fest that recognized the hard work over the year of our top performers in maintenance and aerial port.

Coordination efforts are taking place with the Golden Gate Chapter, Travis AFB, to have a joint-chapter venture in June. The plan is to have some of the Golden Gate members come up to the Pacific Northwest to visit JBLM, Whidbey Island NAS, Bremerton Naval Shipyard, and Boeing. In addition, we are planning a LOA golf tournament in June to support LOA National and Rainier Chapter scholarships.

Crossroads Chapter – Tinker AFB, OK Submitted by Capt Patrick Cain, Capt Cassandra Espy, and 2Lt Ashley Maddox The Tinker Crossroads Chapter embraced spring with a fresh line-up of professional development, mentorship and community service events. The chapter visited Oklahoma City’s Federal Aviation Administration’s Logistics Center, volunteered at the Regional Food Bank, prepared for “Rebuilding Together” and mentored cadets at Oklahoma State University.

During our visit to the FAA Logistics Center, we learned that logisticians at this facility manage all National Airspace System parts and provide on-site maintenance, installation teams, and core logistics capabilities. We toured the FAA’s only Central Distribution Facility which boasts a 99 percent inventory accuracy; an industry Best Practice. We also observed how they perform maintenance, repair and overhaul of antenna systems, radomes and towers. The Crossroads Chapter would like to thank Michelle Coppedge, Program Director, Cindy Kinnamon, FAA Tour POC, and all involved in the tour for an informative and professional visit.

In February the Crossroads Chapter volunteered at the Oklahoma Regional Food Bank and worked the “Food 4 Kids” assembly line. This section of the Food Bank packages food for low-income children and provides them with a backpack of food to sustain them outside of school. The team packed enough to fill 2,880 backpacks! In March, we joined the 2001 Rebuilding Together project, an annual effort to make homes safe, warm, and dry for low-income senior citizens. In partnership with the Tinker Leadership Development Association, the Crossroads chapter will be repairing the home of a local widower. Responsibilities range from evaluating the home, developing the plan, raising additional funds, and providing physical labor. Our team has received fantastic support from the community and is extremely excited for the weekend-long project.

Oklahoma State University’s Air Force ROTC Detachment 685 hosted its bi-annual career day this March specifically targeting Logistics career fields. The Tinker Crossroads Chapter capitalized upon the opportunity to impart loggie wisdom on America’s future leaders. The cadet corps was most interested in talking shop, exploring deployment options, and learning how to operate in a competitive and financially restricted environment.

This was a great first stride in creating a mentorship program between cadets from local schools and officers stationed at Tinker. The idea for the future is to expand the program to other local campuses in the Oklahoma City area and to include LOA civilians, reserve, and guard members.

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Kanaloa Chapter – Joint Base Pearl HarborHickam (JBPHH), HI Submitted by Maj John F. Adams, Jr. The JBPHH, Kanaloa Chapter has taken advantage of its unique place in the pacific theater and our fostered relationship with our Navy brothers. Through joint ventures with the Navy Supply Corp Association Hawaii (SCAH) we’ve had the opportunity to conduct some great tours and also enjoy mentorship from Navy and Air Force senior leaders alike.

To date the Kanaloa tribe has toured the historic Red Hill Fuel Storage Facility, the Virginia Class Submarine, USS Hawaii fresh off a 6-month deployment and the Nimitz class Aircraft Carrier USS Lincoln as she transitioned through our AOR. Along with the great tours we’ve been privy to great mentorship from guest speakers such as Mr. John Goodhart, Vice Commander and senior civilian of the Naval Supply Systems Command, Rear Admiral Vincent L. Griffith United States Navy Supply Corps, Defense Supply Center Richmond and Lt Gen Loren M. Reno, Deputy Chief for Logistics, Installations and Mission Support, HQ US AF, Washington DC.

Desert Eagle Chapter in front of a fully refurbished Stryker combat vehicle.

Desert Eagle Chapter – Al Udeid AB, Qatar Submitted by Maj Joe DePorter The Desert Eagle Chapter was recently hosted by the General Dynamics Land Systems’ workforce during an informative tour of the Army’s Stryker Battle Damage Repair Facility (BDRF). The facility is where the Army’s Stryker combat vehicle is received, overhauled, retrofitted with upgrades, and ultimately returned to the war fighter in a “like new” condition. The light-armored, 8-wheeled vehicles are made for handling everything from paved roads to sandy terrain, and provide protection from enemy fire and IEDs. Our chapter began the tour where the Stryker’s battle damage is initially evaluated. The evaluation is for deciding whether or not repair at the facility is feasible. We continued through the various stages of sheet metal and armor repair that return the vehicle’s structural integrity. Additionally, retrofitting of various upgrades is accomplished there. The tour ended with an “ops check” at the facilities test track, to verify that the war fi ghter is receiving a battle ready Stryker. K

Milestones Lt Col (ret) Steven Dutschmann writes: After a year in Qatar as the Deputy Director of the Host Nation Coordination Cell, I retired and moved back to Texas. Beth & I are keeping a division of X-ray Grafix in Georgia and setting up another division in Texas.

Maj (ret) Gary Durst writes: After a great run, I’m retiring and off to see what the next great adventure holds. We’re planning on staying in Middle Georgia for the foreseeable future. It’s been a pleasure and an honor to serve.

Col (ret) Sean Cassidy writes: I retired effective 1 Feb 2011, out of WrightPatt, OH. Man, 29 great years serving our

great Nation flew by!! Moved to Montgomery, Alabama to be the Civilian Director of the Air Force Logistics Management Agency at Maxwell-Gunter AFB. Hope to see you at a future LOA Conference.

the troops in the squadron...it was my honor to have been your commander. It is now time to move on and I will be taking command of the 355 CMS. Looking forward to command again.

Col Eric Axelbank writes:

Col Steven Weld writes:

We have PCS’d to Lackland AFB where I assumed command of the 37th Training Wing.

Hope to see you in Ft Worth in October!

After less than two years working test management issues at the Air Force Flight Test Center, I am moving back to Little Rock to take command of the 314th Maintenance Group.

Capt Timothy Dodson writes: Relinquished command of Det 1 at Ft Eustis, VA...heading out to be the MX Ops Officer for the 95th Reconnaissance Squadron.

Maj Steve Haynes writes: I’ve left the 28 MOS @ Ellsworth and am truly humbled by the professionalism of all

Maj Rob writes:

“Kong”

Kongaika

Moving from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (13 AF/A4 Contingency Plans) to work as the F-16 and Munitions Program Officer, Office of Military Cooperation (OMC) U.S. Embassy, Cairo, Egypt. K 95 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2011

Give Them the Recognition They Deserve!

Do you know someone who always goes above and beyond?

Nominate those deserving individuals for a National Award!

NOMINATIONS ARE DUE 1 AUGUST. LT GEN ZETTLER LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD This award recognizes members of the Logistics Officer Association who have demonstrated sustained superior leadership in service to this organization. The nominees for this award will have at least 20 years of service in a logistics related career and also at least 10 years of membership in the LOA. GEN BABBITT AWARD This award recognizes the two LOA National members who made the greatest contributions to the furthering of LOA National’s goals and objectives.

MAJ GEN SAUNDERS CHAPTER DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD This award recognizes the three LOA National members who made the greatest contributions in support of their local LOA Chapter activities.

LT GEN WETEKAM CHAPTER OF THE YEAR AWARD This award recognizes the chapter (large category) which displayed outstanding support of LOA National objectives, innovation of programs for their local membership, and community involvement.

DEBRA K.TUNE CHAPTER OF THE YEAR AWARD This award recognizes the chapter (medium category) which displayed outstanding support of LOA National objectives, innovation of programs for their local membership, and community involvement.

COL HASS CHAPTER OF THE YEAR AWARD This award recognizes the chapter (small category) which displayed outstanding support of LOA National objectives, innovation of programs for their local membership, and community involvement.

All nominations are due by 1 August 2011 and should be sent via email to InfoOfficer@loanational.org.

Chapter leadership should refer to www.loanational.org/about/guidance.php for specific guidance on award nominations.

Logistics Officer Association Post Office Box 2264 Arlington, VA 22202

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID Permit No. 768 Nashville, Tennessee