TRACEWELL ELECTRONIC E-TOOL MOBILE MANAGERS FOR MISSION CRITICAL MILITARY OPERATIONS s Mil-Aero Advanced Form Factor Engineering s Rugged for Harsh or Unusual Environments s Power & Thermal Electrically Managed Drawers s 100% Field Serviceable
Mission Deployed Systems Enabling Deployed PMA and Network Requirements
s Worldwide Power Input s Power Conditioning s Stackable from 2 to 8 Drawers s Mil-Std-901D Class 2 Grade B Rugged Deployed Systems Durable Protected Outer Shell
s Worldwide Power Input s Power Conditioning s 100% Sealed for Transportation s Designed to meet Mil-Std-901D CAC Deployed Mobile Managers Network-wide Managed Mobile E-Tool Cabinet
s CAC Secured PIN Encrypted Authentication s Detailed LED Diagnostics s Full Asset Detection Reporting s Detailed Transaction Control by User s Extensive Enterprise Reporting by Cabinet by Drawer
Rugged Systems Complete E-Tool Management
s Temperature Controlled Drawers rs s Single A/C Input s Single LAN Connection s Surge Protection Throughout s Secured Ethernet Switch Bay s Fully Secured
Your Ultimate Source for E-Tool Management and Security TRACEWELL COM s
L OGISTICS O FFICER A SSOCIATION
The Exceptional Release
Professionals Shaping the Military Environment EXECUTIVE BOARD President Col Tom Miller president@loanational.org Vice President Col Kevin Sampels vicepres@loanational.org Chief Financial Officer Col Jeff King treasurer@loanational.org
Summer 2012 - Contents FEATURES INDUSTRY PARTNER
Focus on a LOA Industry Partner By Mr. Al Allard .............................................................................................................12 LEADERSHIP
Focus on a CGO ..........................................................................................................14 Chief Information Officer Lt Col JD DuVall InfoOfficer@loanational.org Chief Operating Officer Ms. Krista Paternostro krista@loanational.org Membership Development Ms. Wendy Yonce membership@loanational.org Chapter Support Maj Camille LaDrew chaptersupport@loanational.org Executive Senior Advisor Lt Gen Judith Fedder
Focus on a LOA Chapter Leader ...................................................................................16 AFSO21 and Resistance to Organizational Change By Technical Sergeant Kasey Lynch ................................................................................28 EDUCATION
Preparing for Air Force Global Strike Command’s New Consolidated Unit Inspection By Captain James L. Gutierrez .......................................................................................18
Risk Assessment Management Program By Captain Jason Purcell.................................................................................................20
Information Anxiety Overload: The Looming Threat By Lieutenant Colonel Mike Allison and Lieutenant Colonel Pete Lommen .................22 FROM THE FLIGHTLINE
Webmaster/Website Lt Col JD DuVall webmaster@loanational.org www.loanational.org THE EXCEPTIONAL RELEASE Editor Lt Col Rich Fletcher editor@loanational.org Assistant Editor Col (ret) Mary H. Parker, 412 AMXS/MXAD assteditor@loanational.org ER Managing Editor/Publisher Marta Hannon marta@loanational.org ER Worldwide Staff Lt Col Michelle Hall, 43 LRS/CC Lt Col Paul Pethel, AFMC/A4US Maj James Dorn, AC SC Student Capt Timothy Dodson, 95 RS/LG Capt Dara Hobbs, AFSPC/A4RDX 1LT Scott Manno, OC -ALC/GKJLA Ms. Donna Parry, AF/A4/7PE Graphic Design MMagination LLC – Atlanta, GA www.mmagination.com LOA National PO Box 2264 – Arlington, VA 22202 Issue No. 124 - Summer 2012
Air Mobility Anytime, Anywhere By Captain Ben Chapman and Captain Pat Acuario ......................................................32
Space Logisticians By Captain Fredrick Puskar ............................................................................................36
Colorado Regional Quality Assurance By Major Jim Lovewell ...................................................................................................38
From Colorado to Kabul: Denton Movements in Air Force Space Command By Major John Gustafson and Mr Andrew Mills ............................................................40 EXPEDITIONARY LOGISTICS By Lieutenant Colonel Richard L. Apple
Operation NEW DAWN: Last Night, Last Flight .......................................................44 MAJCOM
Gaining “Perspective” From an ALEET Participant By Captain Scott R. Eberle .............................................................................................48
Space-Based Infrared System Survivable Endurable Evolution (S2E2): A Logistics Parable By Lieutenant Nina Rourke ............................................................................................50
Are You Ready to Kick Some “ACSA?” By Mr. Ron Yakkel ..........................................................................................................52
AFSPC Logistics Panel By Mr. Brad Leonard & Mr. Tony Mauna ......................................................................54 Continued on Page 2...
VOICES | PRESIDENT
President’s LOG(istics) Fellow Loggies, We all benefit in different ways from reading the Exceptional Release depending on our specific background and depth of experience in defense logistics. It is easy to think of at least two broad levels of professional development, foundational and advanced, that we grow in when reading about the logistics issues of today and tomorrow. Some articles fill a void in our knowledge that is truly foundational. That is often the case for more junior logisticians as they learn the basics which are so important to build on to be effective in leading our organizations. A void can also exist, not because of being new to logistics, but because an area exists where we haven’t spent a great deal of time personally or it is less talked about than the other domains.
Col Tom Miller
A second level of professional development is more advanced. We may have had multiple assignments where we dealt first hand or had oversight of an area and we are comfortable enough with the basics but as a professional logistician want to explore more on the subject and learn about the future or a different approach that is currently being taken across DOD. When we are comfortable with the basics of a subject, we can often benefit from the thought provoking articles that show us a more advanced view of a basic concept or challenge the status quo. A key benefit of being a member of the Logistics Officer Association is that the Exceptional Release staff and most importantly our members contribute thoughtful and thought provoking articles for our developmental benefit. This issue’s theme, “Space and Cyberspace Logistics”, is thought provoking and probably falls into the “fill the void” category for most of our members, whether they are new to logistics or have a great deal of experience. Thanks to all the contributing authors in this issue, what great insight.
Table of Contents (Continued from Page 1) MAJCOM (Continued)
The Challenges of Growing Well Rounded LROs in AFSPC By Captain Dara Hobbs.......................................56
READY... AIM... FIAR By Lieutenant Colonel James “Jay” Alonzo ..........60 VOICES
President’s LOG(istics), Col Tom Miller ..............2 Editor’s Debrief, Lt Col Rich Fletcher ................4 The Best of the Best: 2011 Air Force Awards ..........4 From the E-Ring, Lt Gen Judy Fedder................6 SES Speaks, Mr. Jeffrey Allen ..............................8 Perspectives, General William L. Shelton ..........10 Exceptional Release Book Review By First Lieutenant Silas Chadwick .................59
I’d also like to take a moment to give you a preview of October. The LOA National Symposium this year will make an exciting change to provide direct education to attendees in addition to the professional development agenda we’ve been advancing over the years. We’ll have nationally accredited instructors from both DoD and civilian institutions teaching coursework at Tuesday’s LOA University. The registration website will be open soon and you select the course you want based on your individual professional development needs. We’ll provide you much more detail in the near future but as you look towards the symposium this year we think you’ll find the addition of LOA University will give you a direct return on investment in addition to the benefit of professional development. Finally, a word on our recent elections. Congratulations to Lt Col Jeff Hayden as our new Vice President and Ms. Wendy Yonce as our new Chief Information Officer. Both professionals bring a wealth of experience to the National Board and have made a commitment to serve LOA membership even with the hectic schedule we all keep. They will assume their new positions following this year’s Symposium. In recent years we’ve shifted the elected board positions to two year terms offsetting the Vice President and Chief Information Officer with the President and the Chief Financial Officer. The advantage of longer terms provides a longer view of improvements and time for officers to make a more meaningful impact, the advantage of the offset of course means we have sound continuity in the elected board and reduces the turbulence of turnover. V/R,
Chapter CrossTalk .............................................64
Tom
Milestones .........................................................68
Col Tom Miller, President LOA National And Your LOA National Board
ER Correction: In the Spring 2012 ER, Lt Gen Loren Reno’s article Final Thoughts on Logistics and Service to the Nation, we inadvertently misspelled the name of one of the airmen Gen Reno mentioned. Gen Reno wanted to be sure our readers had the following correction: TSgt Joe Delauriers is from Hurlburt, was wounded in Afghanistan, and is a triple amputee. He is as upbeat and positive an airman as we’d ever want to know...so is his wife, Lisa. They were blessed with a son, Cameron Joseph, in December. 2 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
͖͔͕͖ ‘‰‹•–‹…• ĆĽ …‡” Association National Symposium …–‘„‡” ÍœÇŚÍ•Í•ÇĄ ͖͔͕͖ z Â?Â?‹ Š‘”‡ŠƒÂ? ƒ•Š‹Â?‰–‘Â?ÇĄ Don’t Miss the Year’s Largest Gathering of
Â?ĆŞ —‡Â?–‹ƒŽ ‘‰‹•–‹…• ”‘ˆ‡••‹‘Â?ƒŽ• This year’s symposium will bring together logistics leaders from across the defense industry. LOA has proudly served the Department Of Defense logistics community for thirty years, developing professionals and fostering innovation to enhance logistics within the national security environment.
For additional information please visit
™™™ǤŽ‘ƒ�ƒ–‹‘�ƒŽǤ‘”‰ For National Symposium and Industry Partner Sponsorship and advertising opportunities contact Marta Hannon: Marta@ loanational.org
Photos courtesy USAF
EDITOR
VOICES | EDITOR
Editor’s Debrief The Final Frontier? Our final frontier is determined by choice…do we choose to learn more by expanding our horizons, or do we choose to enjoy the comfort of our current knowledge level. At the foundational level, the Exceptional Release provides growth of professional knowledge. Space and Cyberspace Logistics…this theme was not selected by happenstance. At the end of the day, how many of us can really say we know what Space and Cyberspace logistics is all about? My guess there is but a few. As a logistics profession, we would be remiss if we did not attempt to stretch our limits by understanding as much about our profession as possible. I think you will find this edition of the ER does just that.
Lt Col Rich Fletcher
In this edition, you will find an abundance of articles on Space and Cyberspace logistics. It is not often we get an article from a major command commander. In this edition, we are fortunate to have a brief article from the Commander of Air Force Space Command, General William L. Shelton. His article is supported by articles from Mr. Jeff Allen, the Director of Logistics, Installations and Mission Support, HQ Air Force Space Command, and Lt Gen Fedder. Like previous editions, this edition contains articles from Space and Cyberspace loggies who were deployed; from loggies who continue to make the mission happen from home station; and, from those loggies establishing policy and providing guidance at the MAJCOM. All are fantastic articles certain to give you a Space and Cyberspace loggie perspective. In addition to Space and Cyberspace articles, we are privileged to have thought provoking articles ranging from Information Anxiety to Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness. We are also fortunate to have an article on Air Mobility Command’s support to the National Science Foundation outpost in Antarctica called Operation DEEP FREEZE. All articles bound to enhance your professional knowledge. New in this edition under Leadership is a book review section. Finally, this edition highlights the “Best of the Best”—those Airmen amongst us who were recognized as Air Force level award winners. It is a pleasure to serve with you. Congratulations to you—job well done! I hope this edition of the Exceptional Release broadened your knowledge, made you a better logistician, and strengthened our profession. In the next edition (Fall 2012), we will celebrate 30 years of the Logistics Officers Association. If you want to provide feedback on the Exceptional Release, send an email to editor@loanational.org. Keep ‘em flying!
Fletch
Lt Col Rich Fletcher and your ER Worldwide Staff
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. Policy on Written Submissions: The editor invites articles and other contributions on issues that support LOA’s purpose. Direct manuscripts, letters and other communications to: editor@loanational.org. Deadlines: The 15th day of January, April, July, and October. Story Format: Double-spaced, typed and electronically submitted to editor@loanational.org. Please visit the LOA website for more details. Photos & Graphics: Send individual electronic files (hi-res JPG, TIFF or EPS with type as outlines for ads) along with stories (as separate text files) and include cutlines/captions (numbered). Name your photo files with the author’s last name and number them according to their match with the caption, such as ‘smith1.jpg,’ ‘smith2.jpg,’ and so forth. All photos and ads should be at least 300 dpi or greater resolution. Submitter data: Should be typed at the end of the story file. Information included should be: Rank; full name; service; home mailing address; business name and address; business phone (DSN and commercial); email; three to five sentence biographical sketch; and a photo (as a separate file – see photos and graphics above). Editorial Policy: The editors reserve the right to edit all submissions for length, clarity and libel. All submissions become the property of LOA. Advertisement Formats: Each ad must be sent as a composite hi-res (300 dpi or greater) EPS file with fonts saved as outlines. Full-page ads with bleeds should allow at least 3/8” bleeds. Ad rates visit: http://www.loanational.org/exceptional-release/advertising-rates.php Advertising Contact: Ms Marta Hannon, Managing Editor | PO Box 2264 – Arlington, VA 22202 | email: marta@loanational.org | Phone 405-701-5457 Subscriptions: The ER is published quarterly and is available via membership in the Logistics Officer Association at the annual rate of $35. Access membership forms on the website at www.loanational.org.
4 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
2011 AIR FORCE AWARDS
The Best of the Best: 2011 Air Force Awards 2011 Dr. James G. Roche Sustainment Excellence 2011 Air Force Logistics Readiness Company Award Grade Officer: B-1 System Program Office at Tinker AFB Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center is recognized as the AFMC Aircraft Program Management Office by demonstrating the most improved performance in fleet sustainment for a given fiscal year. The B-1 SPO’s leadership and management enables significant improvements in mission capable, total non-mission capable maintenance, total non-mission capable supply and availability rates across the B-1 fleet.
Captain Jonathan P. Eizenberg, 1 SOLRS, Hurlburt Field, FL
The Daedalian Major General Warren R. Carter Logistics Effectiveness Award Finalists: 49 LRS, Holloman AFB, NM 27 SOLRS, Cannon AFB, NM 374 LRS, Yokota AB, Japan
2011 General Wilbur L. Creech Maintenance Excellence Award Global Strike Command is recognized as demonstrating the most improved performance in aircraft maintenance and logistics readiness in a given fiscal year. The most significant improvements were driven by the cannibalization rates of the B-2 and the B-52H.
2011 Air Awards:
Force
Maintenance
Effectiveness
CATEGORY 1, SMALL AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE (25-300 AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL): 353d Special Operations Maintenance Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan, Air Force Special Operations Command CATEGORY 2, MEDIUM AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE (301-999 AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL): 3d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Pacific Air Forces CATEGORY 3, MISSILE/MUNITIONS MAINTENANCE: 31st Munitions Squadron, Aviano Air Base, Italy, United States Air Forces in Europe CATEGORY 4, DEPOT (ANY SIZE): 76th Maintenance Wing, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Air Force Materiel Command
2011 Logistics Readiness Squadron, Non-Flying Unit: 377th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Kirtland AFB, NM
2011 Air Force Large Air Terminal Unit: 60th Aerial Port Squadron, Travis AFB, CA
2011 Air Force Small Air Terminal Unit: 732d Air Mobility Squadron Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
2011 Air Reserve Component Base Logistics Activity: 440th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Pope Field, NC
2011 Air Reserve Component Air Transportation 2011 Clements McMullen Memorial Daedalian Activity: Weapon System Maintenance Trophy: 27th Aerial Port Squadron, Minneapolis-Saint Paul IAP, MN 23d Maintenance Group, Moody AFB, GA
2011 Colonel Cynthia L. Benulis Air Force Logistics Readiness Field Grade Officer: Major Marie L. Meihls, 56 LRS, Luke AFB, AZ
2011 American Petroleum Institute Award Finalists 364 TRS, Sheppard AFB 18 LRS, Kadena AB 86 LRS, Ramstein AB K 5 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
VOICES | FROM THE E-RING
From the E-Ring Why Does Cyberspace Need Logistics? The theme of this ER is intended to push us out of the envelope regarding our thoughts on logistics. Start by reading Mr Allen’s SES perspective and you’ll get what I mean—space and cyber logistics are not ‘business as usual’ for most of us. We have long thought of, planned for, supported, and understood logistics as it applies to aircraft operations and deployments. Get a bunch of us together and we’re as likely to be discussing aircraft availability and JOPES as we are the latest sports scores of our favorite teams. So when we hear space logistics and cyberspace logistics, there
Lt Gen Judy Fedder
may be a few blank looks…What is that? Isn’t that something A6 does? Why does cyberspace need logistics? For starters, all systems whether space, cyberspace, or air require life cycle management, maintenance, and sustainment. What causes us to pause when we hear “space logistics” or “cyberspace logistics” isn’t the word logistics, it’s the space and cyberspace part that throws us. Because somehow, by adding those words, we think the meaning of logistics has changed. The reality is the basic tenets of logistics are the same across the three domains. The differences lie in how we implement and with what tools. It is in those differences where we, as a logistics community, can realize the most gains as we continue to evolve logistics practices. The good news is—there is always good news!—that the processes, procedures, and technology we use to overcome the challenges found in supporting space systems and cyberspace systems may enable innovative thinking to address the challenges we face in supporting air systems. So what makes space different? Air Force space operations not only enable effective global warfighting, but also touch our everyday lives. Space operations support the military services as well as civil and commercial activities like cellular communications and commercial and civil aviation… all part of our national security objectives. Our space capabilities are unmatched across the globe and are achieved, in part, by effective logistics support. Some space logistics concerns may sound familiar to those on the air side: life cycle costs, sustainment and the existence of a long-term, healthy space industrial base. One big difference, however, is that space logistics is more integrated with commercial and civilian communities including an extensive use of Contractor Logistics Support for maintenance. This dependency results in different challenges and requires logisticians to be more collaborative, advocate for innovation, and have a broader view of logistics support…not to mention the necessity of considering cost-consciousness in sustainment decisions. What is cyberspace? As Mr Allen points out, defining cyberspace is more challenging. Clear lines on both the military and civilian side do not exist within this domain. Militarily, this lack of definition requires greater collaboration among A4 and A6 and it challenges us as logisticians to have a holistic perspective. From the civilian side, the Air Force continues to use more commercial-off-the-shelf technologies and we require greater support from the global supply chain all of which ties the military, commercial, and civilian communities closer together. One of the biggest challenges within cyberspace may be the speed with which technology changes. Trying to keep pace with hardware and software tech refresh requirements in the field requires more agile programming, network policies and funding that we must continue to address, especially as there is more competition for dollars and bandwidth. Unless we expect the pace of change to slow, this will be an enduring area of need. Space and cyberspace operations will continue to grow as Air Force warfighting capabilities and advances in technology produce things tomorrow that we can’t even imagine today. These domains will challenge us as logisticians. And, while the basic tenets of logistics are the same across the domains, I believe the unique differences found in space logistics and cyberspace logistics are opportunities for our community to transform how we lead logistics not just in one domain, but across all three. Thank you for your service across Air Force logistics. It is an honor to serve with you. Lt Gen Judy Fedder Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Installations and Mission Support Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
6 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
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 2012 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.
VOICES | SES SPEAKS
SES Speaks Space and Cyberspace Pose Unique Sustainment Challenges For the past 18 months I have had the privilege of leading the men and women in Air Force Space Command’s, Directorate of Logistics, Installations, and Mission Support (AFSPC A4/7). In the logistics arena, the Directorate is charged with providing support to two of the three domains the Air Force operates in, Space and Cyberspace. One Mr. Jeffrey Allen thing I have learned in my short tenure is that Space and Cyberspace pose unique challenges when it comes to the lifecycle sustainment process. There are peculiarities and nuances in Space and Cyberspace, but the fundamentals remain the same. The bottom line is logistics is logistics no matter what domain one operates in. Space and Cyberspace transcend all boundaries; they are simultaneously tactical and strategic, local and global. These domains provide global access unfettered by time and distance. Our Airmen present full spectrum capabilities in, through and from space and cyberspace, 24/7 - 365. As such, we must be able to leverage our logistics capabilities to meet these critical operational timelines. Below describes some of the aspects about AFSPC logistics at the ‘orbital’ level.
SPACE “I believe there’s a foundational level of space capability our Nation must sustain to continue to enable America’s military operations – across the entire spectrum of conflict.” AFSPC Commander General William Shelton (50th American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Aerospace Sciences Meeting, 9 Jan 2012) Space acquisition and lifecycle sustainment flow through the Space and Missile Systems Center more commonly referred to as SMC. This center reports directly to the AFSPC Commander and is autonomous of AFMC. SMC provides cradle-to grave management of all space weapon systems with collaborative oversight from the AFSPC A-Staff. The Command does work closely with AFMC on depot-level support for some commodities and systems. However, the vast majority of depot-level work is accomplished through contract logistics support (CLS). One major focus of A4 is to ensure we are inserted early in the life-cycle to guarantee logistics requirements are addressed up-front during the acquisition process. In addition, we are working diligently to ensure all systems have viable life-cycle sustainment plans either in development or are being updated. Finally we are working to educate the key players at SMC and the headquarters on current OSD and SAF/IE policies on sustainment. At the operational level, virtually all maintenance is performed by CLS. Due to the nature of space systems, a blue-suit cadre of space maintainers was never developed to the extent we have in the air-breathing domain. As a result, contractors provide the vast majority of maintenance support for ground and launch range systems as well as software support. We are reviewing this support concept as contracts come up for renewal/re-compete to ensure the balance of blue-suit and contractor support will create the options necessary to provide the most effective and efficient support for our systems in this resource constrained environment.
CYBERSPACE “Today’s Joint missions in the air, space, and in all domains are increasingly dependent on skilled and innovative cyberspace forces. As such, access and continued freedom of maneuver within cyberspace is an essential requirement for our networked force.” Secretary of the Air Force the Honorable Michael B Donley (Air Force Association CyberFutures Conference, 23 Mar 2012)
8 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
ALLEN Early in 2011, the AFSPC/CV designated AFSPC A4/7 to oversee life-cycle sustainment for the cyberspace mission. This poses unique, interesting and difficult challenges to the A4 community. The first challenge is to understand what cyberspace really is. Is it a weapon system as a whole? Are certain segments weapon systems? Because cyberspace easily transitions from military to civilian uses, these are key questions, especially from a legal perspective. It also has major implications from a weapon system sustainment angle because of how sustainment will be funded. A second challenge is the speed in which cyberspace moves. Everyone knows the frustration when a website does not come up for a few seconds or an e-mail does not go through. But think about how quickly technology advances in the cyberspace domain. We are talking weeks and months as opposed to years for aircraft and satellite development. This rapid development and refresh requirement is not compatible with current acquisition methods and timelines. This leaves us two steps behind at every turn for cyberspace, so the challenge is to develop a rapid acquisition/sustainment process which is responsive to customer needs yet still includes the necessary rigor and oversight to align responsibility, authority and accountability. A third challenge is how to sustain and maintain cyberspace. This has traditionally been under the A6 using 33-series AFIs. We are in the process of bringing it under A4 oversight. As part of that process we are working to ensure configuration management is brought under control, tech data is developed and used, and the rigor and discipline found in other maintenance activities is reinvigorated and enforced. We are barely scratching the surface when it comes to cyberspace and are in the process of developing lanes-in-the-road with the acquirers and operators so everyone will know their specific responsibilities. We have developed a division within A4 specifically to deal with cyberspace sustainment and are looking forward to the opportunities that lie ahead in this fast-paced and vital domain.
LOGISTICS READINESS The Log-R community remains a vital enabler to the AFSPC mission. With numerous and diverse sites all over the world they provide the logistics, supply, fuels, transportation and mobility support to keep critical space and cyberspace operations going. This is especially critical at Thule AB, Greenland (800 miles north of the Arctic Circle) where they are only able to get bulk supplies and fuel delivered by ship during a very short summer window when the ice pack melts. An interesting but little known effort being undertaken by the A4 Log-R vehicle shop is an initiative sponsored by SAF/IE to replace the general purpose vehicles at LAAFB with an all-electric fleet to test the viability for future expansion. This collaborative effort between DoD, SAF/IE, AFSPC A4/7 and the 61 ABG has the potential to revolutionize how we buy and utilize vehicles in the future and may lead to significant energy savings. Launch vehicle and satellite fuels, also known as hypergolic fuels, are one unique commodity the Log-R community manages. They provide fuels management policy and oversight, similar to what other MAJCOMs provide with conventional fuels. These fuels are a key part of not only the AFSPC mission, but also of the United States Strategic Command and National Reconnaissance Office missions, and as a result, play a key part in assisting our Nation’s warfighters. In summary, AFSPC/A4 logisticians along with their Contracting, Civil Engineering and Security Forces counterparts on the A7 side, have a dynamic and vital mission providing extraordinary support to our Space and Cyberspace war fighters, the Air Force and the Nation. It is an evolving mission, we will continue to develop and improve as we work through these exciting and challenging times.
Mr. Jeffrey C. Allen, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Director of Logistics, Installations and Mission Support, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. He is responsible for the development, implementation and oversight of plans and policies for command logistics and installation operations supporting five space wings, 10 stations and 88 locations worldwide and deployed to an additional 35 global locations. The directorate oversees lifecycle sustainment for a global network of satellite command and control, missile warning, aerospace weather, spacelift and range systems. It also manages a $700-million annual portfolio supporting $23 billion in physical plant activities, including base development, housing, facility and infrastructure construction, and is responsible for all security forces support throughout the command. K
9 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
VOICES | PERSPECTIVES
Perspectives In Step with General William L. Shelton, Commander, Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado General William L. Shelton
At almost every speaking opportunity, I try to convey to my audience that space and cyber are foundational capabilities for our Nation and our military. Without them, we could not conduct Joint operations as we do today. Our actions would be far less precise, much more expensive, and, at the bottom line, highly inefficient. Just a few examples: space-enabled positioning and navigation (GPS) enables a single bomb to do what took hundreds of sorties and thousands of bombs in World War II. While the cost of those bombers, sorties, and munitions is high, so was the cost in lives and property of destroying a vast areas to destroy a single intended point target. In Afghanistan, like Iraq, we haven’t deployed the huge staff tails that were required in the past due to SATCOM-enabled cyber reach-back to the CONUS. That reduction in our deployment requirement puts significantly fewer troops at risk and saves tremendously on logistics support. Our Army is now lighter and more maneuverable, and I would assert that is primarily due to the advantages provided by space and cyber. They know exactly where they are—and frequently where the enemy is—due to GPS, Blue Force Tracking, and highly capable computer networks. They are also able to communicate beyond line-of-sight due to satellite communication capabilities. As a result, our Army can effectively cover literally thousands of times more battlespace per unit than they could even in the recent past. The foundational capabilities of space and cyber have radically changed our concepts of operation in all warfighting domains. This space and cyber foundation also is crucial to our logistics capabilities. Dependence on cyber capabilities for logistics probably doesn’t need much amplification. But things like in-transit visibility enabled by GPS, reach-back SATCOM to ensure the required steady flow of materiel, and the over-watch of our convoys provided by overhead space assets continue to enable more effective and safer logistics operations. With that brief preamble, I’m happy to introduce the next few articles in this issue of The Exceptional Release devoted to space and cyber logistics. In those articles, you’ll be exposed to several vignettes which will spotlight some routine and some unexpected features of the logistical trade in our Command, aspects that are likely to be simultaneously different and surprisingly similar to logistics functions in other commands.
I trust you will find this
edition both informative and enjoyable. General William L. Shelton is Commander, Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. He is responsible for organizing, equipping, training and maintaining mission-ready space and cyberspace forces and capabilities for North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Strategic Command and other combatant commands around the world. General Shelton oversees Air Force network operations; manages a global network of satellite command and control, communications, missile warning and space launch facilities; and is responsible for space system development and acquisition. He leads more than 42,000 professionals assigned to 134 locations worldwide. K
10 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
OUR MISSION IS YOUR SUCCESS PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS WITH AAI ENSURE MISSION READINESS AND ENABLE DEPOT EFFICIENCY
Our goal is to seamlessly provide our depot partners with the parts and equipment to deliver world class repair activity in support of our warfighters. The AAI Logistics & Technical Services (LTS) team can help the depot deliver increased performance and reliability at a reduced cost, as well as bring traditionally outsourced workload back into the depot. Our public-private partnerships create enhanced efficiencies and superior results with no awaiting parts issues and a demonstrated 98 percent asset availability. Let the logistics management, maintenance, training and engineering expertise of AAI raise the level of your work to new heights. For more information, e-mail RSC_AAIReg@aai.textron.com or call 800-655-3964. For aftermarket support and upgrade of test equipment by AAI ACL Technologies and other OEMs, call the AAI LTS Utah Technology Center at 801-392-0722.
aaicorp.com Š 2011 AAI Corporation. All rights reserved. AAI Logistics & Technical Services is an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company. AAI and design is a registered trademark of AAI Corporation. Aircraft photo courtesy U.S. Air Force.
VOICES | FOCUS ON A LOA INDUSTRY PARTNER
Focus on a LOA Industry Partner Goodrich…Not Your Father’s Tire Company By Mr. Al Allard I am sure many of you are probably wondering why there is an article about a tire company in the ER. Five years ago, I would have had the same thought. I was preparing to retire from the Air Force after my 20 year stint and saw an intriguing advertisement about a job fair in Boston. I took the very good advice of my Air Force Transition Assistance Program counselor and proceeded to research all the companies scheduled to attend the job fair. Of course, I assumed I already knew what Goodrich was all about. Well, you know the expression about assuming anything. I opened their web page and was taken aback. What I found was that Col. Chris Cook, 412th Operations Group commander, gets a sweeping view of California from 71,000 feet during a recent flight in Goodrich was no longer a U-2. (Photo by Col. Chris Cook) a rubber meets the road company. They had gone from tires and a collection of small, component systems; evacuation systems; seating products; fuel measurement and aerospace businesses to a leading global supplier of advanced systems, management systems; satellite and launch vehicle control systems; senproducts and services with nose-to-tail solutions for virtually every air- sor systems; de-icing systems and heating products; lighting systems; craft flying today. I have been with Goodrich Corporation for almost maintenance, repair and overhaul services. five years, and to this day, almost every time I meet someone and tell them where I work; I have to explain that Goodrich transition. So prior Goodrich’s Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance business unit to explaining Goodrich’s support on the edge of space let me give you a heritage began over 50 years ago with the design and manufacture of the cameras for the world’s first space-based photo-reconnaissance satbrief summary of Goodrich. ellite--CORONA. As a leader in airborne reconnaissance, sensors have Goodrich Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, is a global supplier provided strategic intelligence collection on the U-2 platform since its of systems and services to the aerospace, defense and homeland secu- inception. Goodrich SYERS-2A, a state-of-the-art multi-spectral senrity markets. Goodrich offers an extensive range of products, systems sor, is the Air Force’s most advanced real-time long-range Goodrich and services for aircraft and engine manufacturers, airlines and defense Electro-optical/Infrared sensor. Multi-spectral enhanced images proforces around the world. The company’s transformation into one of the vided by the payload are used for threat analysis and situational assessglobe’s largest aerospace and defense companies has been driven by stra- ment. They accomplish this by evaluating changes in images taken at tegic acquisitions and internal growth fueled by innovation and qual- different times showing differences not readily apparent to the human ity. Goodrich products are on almost every aircraft in the world and eye. We have continually provided enhanced capabilities through sucrange from flight control and missile actuation; landing gear; wheels and cessive generations of SYERS sensors. This multi-spectral sensor system brakes; engine control systems; cargo systems; engine nacelles and py- has seven imaging channels allowing daytime and nighttime intelligence lon systems; surveillance and reconnaissance systems, electrical power gathering. Additionally, the Optical Bar Camera (OBC) is a wet film 12 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
GOODRICH camera which is used for Broad Area Synoptic Coverage. This camera was critical following the earthquakes in Haiti and the reactor disaster in Japan. The photos obtained were essential for post-disaster analysis. The unique ability of the system to image large swaths of land in a high resolution allows it to provide one-of-akind imagery. Both the SYERS and OBC are maintained by dedicated teams of Goodrich Field Service Engineers. The majority of these professionals provide 24 hours, 7 days per week support to these vital intelligence platforms around the world. Their tasks range from completing sensor uploads and downloads, operational checks, repairs, aircraft forms and IMDS they truly know how to do it all. Here at home, they are supported by our integral depot engineering team in West- Ron Deagle (left) and Rod Blazvick prepare to load an optical bar camera into a U-2 high-altitude, all-weather surford, Massachusetts facility. This 400 veillance and reconnaissance aircraft March 13, 2011, at Osan Air Base, South Korea. The U-2 is being prepared for plus operational facility allows the a humanitarian mission to capture imagery of the earthquake- and tsunami-affected areas of Japan. (U.S. Air Force depot teams to provide full tear down photo by Senior Master Sgt. Paul Holcomb) capability in-plant or in the field. Field Service Engineers are in place running our piece of the ground They do whatever is needed to ensure the sensors are returned to misprocessing suite. Their primary mission is to provide the expertise necession capable status with minimal to no impact to operations. sary to ensure today’s technologically advanced sensor systems are opIn addition to providing top-notch airborne support through state-of- erationally ready to provide ISR mission support whenever and wherever the art sensors, Goodrich also supports the USAF on the ground. At required. From mission planning to sensor operations and finally image the USAF Distributed Common Ground Stations (DCGS), Goodrich quality screening, Goodrich Corporation ensures mission essential imagery is provided to AF analysts for strategic decision making. In-plant engineering support provides access to spectral scientists, analysts and development engineers who ensure optimum function and mission support. Our in-plant and field engineers support are complimentary, where the team works together to solve problems and institute procedures and corrective action to preclude reoccurrence. Goodrich maintains a mobile operation with expertise to “go anywhere/anytime” to meet mission needs. About the author: Mr. Al Allard retired from the AF in 2008. While on active duty, he served in a number of logistics career fields to include Aircraft Maintenance (F-111, C-130, B-1 and KC-10), Logistics Plans, Logistics Career Broadening at OC-ALC, and Acquisition Logistics at Hanscom AFB on the AWACS Block 40/45 program. He has been with Goodrich for 4 1/2 years serving as the Field Service and MS-177 programs Goodrich Field Service Representatives (L-R) Tony Diggs, Mike Dirkis, John Kidd, Josh Kingrey. (Photo taken by PM. K Chris Deyoung, a Goodrich CFSR.)
13 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
LEADERSHIP | FOCUS ON A CGO
Focus on a CGO In Her Own Words… Captain Dara Hobbs There’s no doubt about it that logistics is a dynamic field. If one thing remains a constant though…especially with regard to the joint world…it’s the need to be flexible and adaptable. Leave it to the Company Grade Officer (along with many other valued service members) to face that challenge with gusto and get the job done right the first time. It’s not always the Loggie with the most years in service that is called to the job either. Take for example, Captain Dara Hobbs. Captain Hobbs was submitted by Lt Col Fletcher. Captain Hobbs began Capt Hobbs and her brother, Major Shawn Walrath, were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan respectively in the summer of 2007. They her adventures as a lo- had the opportunity to meet at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar for their R&R. This particular photo was taken during a tour of downtown. gistician after complet- (Photo taken by Capt Hobbs.) ing the Logistics Readiness Officer Technical School in May 2004. A graduate of the University of Georgia, Captain Hobbs received her commission through the AFROTC program at Charleston Southern University where she earned the Medal for Military Merit from The Old Guard of the Gate City Guard of Atlanta, Arnold Air Society Award, and the Reserve Officers Association Award. Currently, she is a Plans and Readiness Officer assigned to Headquarters Air Force Space Command. Captain Hobbs has commanded the Traffic Management Flight at Malmstrom AFB and a Fuels Management Flight at Eglin AFB. In 2007, Captain Hobbs deployed to the Green Zone, Baghdad, Iraq for OIF. The ER asked Captain Hobbs to share her thoughts on being a leader…in her own words. CAPTAIN HOBBS ON THE BIGGEST LESSON(S) LEARNED WHILE DEPLOYED: The biggest lesson that I’ve learned during my deployments is to expect the unexpected. There’s no way to know what a deployment will bring…it will have its ups and downs. Best to be prepared for a lot of both. Setting aside your expectations promotes flexibility and an open mind; both critical items for your kit bag. CAPTAIN HOBBS ON BEING PREPARED FOR DEPLOYMENT: Preparing for a deployment isn’t easy, even for a loggie on the third go around. My advice is to take it seriously but to give yourself plenty of time (if you have it) to make your way through the checklist and accomplish the tasks. It’s a complicated process so it’s best to start early and ask plenty of questions as you go. If you find yourself struggling with a particular office or with one particular task during your out processing, tell someone. Provide constructive feedback to your chain of command, your UDM and, if possible, your Installation Deployment Readiness Center. It’s a complicated process but we can only improve upon it if we know where the stumbling blocks rest. CAPTAIN HOBBS ON HER PROUDEST MOMENT(S): I am proud of every day that I continue to serve. So many Americans don’t choose this way of life and that is okay, but I sometimes forget that this is a noble sacrifice that we make and an uncommon one at that. I am proud of carrying on a tradition that goes back farther than I can count. My brother is an officer in the Air Force. My parents are both retired USAF Master Sergeants; my dad having also served in the US Marine Corps in Vietnam. Even my grandmother was a member of the US Marine Corps Women’s Reserve in World War II. I was never pressured to follow in their footsteps but I am so proud that I am.
14 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
HOBBS CAPTAIN HOBBS
ON
KEEPING
LEADERSHIP SKILLS HONED:
I try to stay active in my community whether it’s volunteering at the local library or being involved in my church. This can be tough when you’re often deployed and enjoying the after effects of a 1:1 dwell ratio. But it’s worth the effort. Leadership for me is about being able to communicate clearly with others and just getting out and interacting with your coworkers and/or Airmen. It’s easy to sit back at the desk and plug away at your paperwork. Then you discover you’ve gone a week without seeing how your people are doing. You have to make a habit of getting out there and being involved. Being active in my community helps me enforce that practice. Leadership may come naturally to some…some theories may be that the only real leaders are born that way. This “gal” has to work at tit every day thought. Brigadier General Michael Walsh, Commanding General, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region Division, Baghdad presided over Capt Hobbs’s promotion to Captain. Maybe if I can practice it every day, it might get a little easier. Being active in my community helps me make that extra effort while giving a little back at the same time. It’s a win, win. CAPTAIN HOBBS ON HER ASPIRATIONS: My aspirations are to take it one day at a time. Literally. The Air Force is ever-changing and the world of logisticians isn’t always full of sunshine and blue skies. Taking it one day at a time allows me to try and take a step back from what really matters. The job at hand, the mission, the people…that’s where the heart of the matter really lies. As for my career aspirations, I’m married to a Space and Missile Operator so it can be difficult to aspire for that typical “check the box” career that many loggies might hope for. I learned early on though to do the very best job that I could every time and it’s served me well. I hope I can follow the same prin- While deployed to Afghanistan in the Winter of 2009, Capt Hobbs was able to meet with her brother, Maj Shawn Walrath, ciple in the future. K and husband, Maj Stephen Hobbs who were both deployed to Southwest Asia while completing a site visit for fuels at their location. (Photo taken by MSgt Clint Atkins.)
15 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
VOICES | STORY LEADERSHIP | FOCUS NAMEON A CHAPTER LEADER
Focus on a LOA Chapter Leader In Step with Mr. Jared Eros, GS-13. ER: What do you like most about being a loggie? The greatest part about being a logistician is the amazing variety of opportunities that are available to us. Logistics touches every aspect of a weapon system from cradle-to-grave. One day I can be reviewing the acquisition logistics “ilities” (reliability, maintainability, supportability, etc) for a brand new program and the next day I might be deployed in an operational environment managing logistics issues that are related to that program in the field. A logistician has the means to affect a program from its inception, improve it in its operational environment, see it through sustainment and see it reach disposition or even decommissioning ultimately. Logisticians can touch everything from the simplest aircraft part, to the aircraft tool that installs that part, or even the aircraft itself. In Air Force Space Command, Logisticians be
may
involved
with the inception of the most Mr. Eros in London 2009. Camp.)
(Photo taken by David
complex satellite and ground systems. There
is such a wide range of focus and responsibility to be experienced by a logistician that they should never be bored! ER: What was your biggest learning moment? My current job is my biggest learning moment. After being deployed for a year, it’s been difficult to get back into the “swing of things” and shift my focus back from operational logistics to acquisition and sustainment logistics. I’m also learning a completely new space system (ground based vs. space based) while trying to tackle the new challenge of being a branch chief, in addition to a program manager, and
Vital Statistics Name:Statistics Jared Eros Vital LOA Chapter: Name: Jared ErosLAAFB “City of Angels” Hometown: Denver, Colorado LOA Chapter: LAAFB “City of Angels” College: Denver, University of Central Arkansas Hometown: Colorado Syracuse University College: University ofBachelor Central of Arkansas Degrees: Science Biology-Physical Syracuse University Science Masters in Business Administration Degrees: Bachelor of Science Family: Single Biology-Physical Science Masters in Business Administration Technical School: N/A for current position
Family: Single
Duties/Current Duty:
the added pressure of making it all work. I have a great boss, Ms.
Technical School:Branch N/A for current position Chief (Current)
Michel Guthrie Vaccaro, so her mentorship has been key in making
Duties/Current Duty:
the transition smoother. I still have a lot to learn and each day is a learning experience! ER: What are you most proud of in your short time in civilian service? My proudest moment was finally seeing one of the satellite programs I was working actually send their first operational payload into space. While I was deployed for the military during the actual launch, it was rewarding to know that my team and I played a critical part in getting that satellite into orbit.
Program Manager (Current) - Branch Chief (Current) - Program Manager Assistant (Current) Chief of Readiness (Current - Assistant Reserve Chief of Billet) Readiness (Current Reserve Billet) Manager - IntegratedIntegrated LogisticsLogistics SupportSupport Manager - Operations Of icer Officer Operations - Curriculum Flight Commander Curriculum Flight Commander - Munitions Flight Commander Munitions Flight Commander
16 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
EROS
Capt Eros deployed to the Manas Transit Center joined in this photo by SSgt Juan Garcia and Capt Mark Williams. (Photo by Staff Sergeant Juan Garcia)
ER: Do you have prior military service? If so, please give the duty title you separated/retired in and years served. I was active military for four years and entered the Reserves in 2007. I worked at the Air Force Combat Ammunition Center at Beale AFB and the Launch Range Network here at Los Angeles AFB before becoming a contractor and later a civilian. I’ve remained in the Air Force as a traditional reservist and am currently assigned to Travis AFB with the 349th Air Mobility Operations Squadron. I recently completed a 10-month deployment to Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan where I served as the Operations Officer for the 376th Logistics Readiness Squadron. During my active career, I served in 21M and 21A billets, but my primary AFSC was 21M (Space and Missile Maintenance). When I joined the Reserves, the unit had a need for a 21R, so I had the opportunity to attend LRO technical training and I now serve as a Logistics Readiness Officer in my reserve capacity. I guess you can say I’ve collected a few 21 credentials in my short career! ER: As a recognized leader in your local LOA Chapter, what activities/events are you most proud of ? I actually started this chapter in Los Angeles back in 2005, which is also one of my proudest moments. It’s been hard to keep momentum up without the same senior level endorsement that I had when I was active duty (we face a unique challenge at LA AFB without the typical senior Loggie officers around to support the chapter), but we’re starting to get new people into the organization and we’re excited about keeping the chapter moving. We’ve also had some amazing speakers in the past, including Mr. James V. Jones (author of the Integrated Logistics Support Handbook...our “bible” here in the program office) and Mr. Gus Urzua, Vice President for Boeing’s C-17 program. K
EDUCATION
Senior Airman Greg Pagallo, 2nd Maintenance Squadron, inspects the throttle cables on the number two pod kneecap of a B-52H Stratofortress as Staff Sgt. Matt Lachney, 2 MXS, observes inside the Phase Hangar on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., May 1. These cables provide power to the landing gear and to the structures that flex the wings upward during flight. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Andrew Moua)(RELEASED)
Preparing for Air Force Global Strike Command’s New Consolidated Unit Inspection By Captain James L. Gutierrez
Previous research concerning this topic fulfilled requirements for the USAF Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Officer School, Combat Support Course at Nellis AFB, NV. It studied the correlation between the Twentieth Air Force (20 AF) Combat Capability Evaluations (CCE) and Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Maintenance Group (MXG) Quality Assurance (QA) pass rates. Since the research occurred, there have been changes to the current 20 AF CCEs. The Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) is presently incorporating elements of CCEs into the new Consolidated Unit Inspection (CUI) program. Because CUIs will replace existing CCEs, this paper takes the previous research and analyzes what will remain the same, what will change, and what recommendations ensure future success. 18 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
Nuclear deterrence is one of the instruments of military power the President of the United States has at his command to help ensure the safety and security of the American people and its allies. The United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) was established to ensure this strategy held true and to support the collaborative planning of all nuclear related missions and nuclear weapon system employment. The number one priority of USSTRATCOM is to deter nuclear attack and it does this by maintaining and operating a safe, secure and effective nuclear force. Designated as Task Force 214 for USSTRATCOM, the 20 AF is responsible for maintaining and operating the Air Force’s Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) force. Prior to AFGSC’s new Consolidated Unit Inspection (CUI) construct, the 20 AF used the “Combat Capability Evaluation” (CCE) program spelled out in 20 AF Instruction 90-1 to meet the USSTRATCOM Commander’s number one priority, nuclear deterrence. The CCE program provided the 20 AF/CC an assessment of subordinate units’ combat capability through the following categories: technical proficiency, standardization & evaluation, training processes & programs, and support. Specifically, once every 18 months the three
functional areas evaluated were Operations, Security and Maintenance. However, a new evaluation construct is under development for all wings within the AFGSC. The AFGSC’s new Consolidated Unit Inspection will operate in three phases: 0, 1, and 2. The AFGSC Inspector General (IG) conducted a Bomb Wing beta test for phase 0 in November 2011, and conducted the first ICBM Wing beta test for phase 0 in May 2012. Specifically, the AFGSC ICBM Wings will see those elements evaluated as part of a new 24-month cycle under one CUI umbrella. The AFGSC IG will lead these inspections and will include the following focus areas: Logistics Capability Assessment Program (LCAP), Aircrew Standardization Evaluation, Health Services, Safety Program Management, Weather Operations, Air Traffic System Evaluation Program & Airfield Operations Compliance, Information Assurance Assessment and Assistance Program, Information Security Program Review, Air Force Metrology and Calibration Program, and Judge Advocate Article 6 Inspection. Under the new LCAP focus area, Maintenance Groups (MXG) and MXG Quality Assurance (QA) sections, across AFGSC, must learn how to prepare for these new types of inspections.
GUIERREZ Where previous research compared the effectiveness of MXG/QA evaluations to the successful preparation of the 20 AF CCEs, concentration may need to shift to the effectiveness of MXG/QA evaluations to the preparation of the new CUIs. Since MXG/QA sections provide an objective sampling to the MXG Commander, in order to verify maintenance actions in support of USSTRATCOM requirements, it is critical to have measurable performance indicators. Performance results are indicators of a MXG’s ability to meet mission requirements in support of nuclear deterrence. Where the 20 AF CCE was the consistent assessment of a MXG’s combat capability, the CUI will integrate various inspections under one umbrella while eliminating redundancies. While past research suggested QA pass rates demonstrated a correlation in preparing MXGs for a CCE, there is no established metric at this time to determine a MXG’s preparation for a CUI. MXGs could benefit from similar metrics being adapted into the CUI construct from the CCE program. Since QA evaluations measure compliance with Air Force, Major Command, and local directives and policies, they appear to be the closest metric to measure a MXG’s preparation for a CUI. If CUIs are able to fill the void of the CCEs then MXGs will need to ensure preparations
The B-2 “Spirit of Missouri” taxis on the north ramp Aug. 10 at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., as part of the wing’s nuclear operational readiness exercise. The multiple aircraft fly-off tests the skills and operations of the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jason Huddleston)
are effective in advance of the CUIs. In order to determine the effectiveness of the MXG’s preparations, new analyses mirroring the previous research between QA and CCE pass rates will need to occur. Additionally, two previous research recommendations still apply. First, it is recommended all ICBM MXGs maintain QA evaluations for at least three to five consecutive years to enable future trend analysis. Furthermore, as functional elements of the CCE
are incorporated into the CUI, MXGs should ensure QA evaluations still mirror the execution of CUI evaluations in order to aid preparations. This is especially important in the area of Support, where previous research discovered inconsistent QA evaluations across the board. To determine any trends, new research and analysis should occur after all ICBM MXGs have completed their first round of CUIs. If a positive or negative trend is discovered, AFGSC could maximize the success of the CUI by ensuring transparent lessons learned across the command. Lastly, while QA pass rates alone do not guarantee future success, future analysis compared to CUI pass rates could help MXGs determine if any areas require more attention. Reducing and eliminating inspection overlap and redundancies will allow more time inbetween major inspections for MXGs to focus on training and day-to-day operations. What remains to be seen is how the increase in time between inspections will affect pass rates and inspection preparations. However, having all inspections under the umbrella of the IG allows for the consolidation of inspection efforts. As long as considerations continue to “strengthen the nuclear enterprise”—listed as a top institutional priority by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force—the reward of the CUI will outweigh any risk. The risk is ensuring the 20 AF can continue to assess its ability to meet USSTRATCOM’s number one priority.
Senior Airman James Hardy, 91st Missile Maintenance Squadron missile maintenance team technician, makes equipment checks on his team’s vehicle prior to departure while Staff Sgt. Jason Keen, 91st Maintenance Group quality assurance evaluator, watches here Aug. 18. Vehicle inspections like these are administered by a two-man team to ensure the safety of both Airmen and Air Force assets while in movement through the missile field. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Michael J. Veloz)
About the author: Capt James L. Gutierrez works in the Air Force Global Strike Command’s 576 FLTS/TEO and is a graduate of the USAF AMMOS Combat Support Course. K 19 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
EDUCATION
Risk Assessment Management Program A Safer Way to Fly, Fight and Win
By Captain Jason Purcell The United States Air Force mission is “to Fly, Fight and Win…in Air, Space, and Cyberspace.” In today’s global environment, our nation needs the capabilities the Air Force brings to the fight more than ever. However, in today’s resource-constrained environment, the ability of the Air Force to fly, fight and win hinges directly on the ability to make the most of resources and ultimately, to do more with less. The drive to accomplishing more with less, combined with an unrivaled operations tempo, can produce an environment that facilitates the use of shortcuts, and ultimately lead to incidents that negate efforts to fly, fight and win. A key tool in the Air Force’s ability to execute its mission resides in the 60th Maintenance Group (MXG) at Travis AFB. The 2,300 men and women of the MXG provide organizational and field-level aircraft and equipment maintenance support to the largest wing in Air Mobility Command. In July 2010, Colonel David Coley, 60 MXG Commander, noticed an alarming trend in self-induced human error mishaps, which resulted in aircraft damage and, ultimately, in the expenditure of manpower and resources normally dedicated to producing reliable, mission-ready aircraft. In November of 2010, Col Coley introduced the Risk Assessment Management (RAM) Program to the 60 MXG. After consulting with his team of squadron commanders and superintendents, Colonel Coley mandated the use of the RAM Program at the squadron level as an attempt to reduce the number of human error-related aircraft mishaps.
ment (weather, surface condition, and temperature), and training (skill level of supervisor, team members, training during task). Once assessed, the RAM NCO scores each area based on the point values detailed in a RAM worksheet. After totaling the score, the approving official references the scoring matrix to determine the level of supervision required to approve the task. Once the appropriate approving official has assessed the factors involved with the task and given the blessing to proceed, the RAM NCO and the approving official sign the RAM worksheet and file it with the squadron’s Unit Safety Representative. Squadron supervision briefs all RAM tasks to the 60 MXG Commander at the following morning’s maintenance meeting. The discussion of the RAM assessments not only informs the MXG/CC of the task, but also serves as a crosstalk between squadrons.
A RAM event is any team task requiring each The RAM program, by design, forces communiThe RAM program, member of the team to perform independently cation between team members, the team leader, by design, forces but in coordination with other members to comand different levels of squadron supervision. plete a maintenance action. Under the RAM communication between This communication ensures all parties involved Program, each squadron identifies their most are on the same page about the task they are team members, the team common, but risk-inherent team functions, about to perform, and are aware of the exterleader, and different levels and a team must accomplish RAM assessment nal factors they are facing while performing the of squadron supervision. when performing these tasks. Additionally, a task. The primary goal of the RAM program RAM assessment must be accomplished for any is to foster this communication and ultimately non-routine task that if improperly done, could reduce the number of human error induced aircraft mishaps. result in damage to aircraft or equipment, or in the injury or death of a team member. When accomplishing a RAM assessment, a NCO not Critical to determining if this or any other program is effective starts involved with the task serves as the RAM NCO. Moreover, a SNCO, by determining if a statistically significant difference existed in the normally the Production Superintendent, provides oversight and serves number of occurrences of aircraft-related human error mishaps from 11 as the approving official, when needed. The RAM NCO gathers the months before ( January 2010-November 2010) and after (December team performing the task, and assesses three areas: personnel (training, 2010-October 2011) the implementation of the RAM program. The experience, shift length, rest periods, and external stressors), environ- 60 MXG Safety Office provided aircraft mishap data compiled from 20 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
PURCELL mishap reports collected during the period researched. The researcher also separated the data to differentiate mishap types and totaled the occurrences of aircraft mishaps for each month represented in the periods both before and after the implementation of the RAM program. The researcher categorized the collected aircraft mishap reports as human error related, as each mishap was a result of an action or inaction by an aircraft maintainer. To test the hypothesis, the researcher conducted a one-tailed t-test. [A t-test is a statistical method used to determine whether there is a significant difference between two group means.] The researcher conducted the t-test with the significance level set at 0.05. If the p-value [probability of obtaining a test statistic at least as extreme as the one actually observed] was less than 0.05, a significant statistical difference between the number of mishap occurrences before and after the implementation of the RAM program existed. However, if the p value was greater than 0.05, no significant statistical difference between the number of mishap occurrences before and after the implementation of the RAM program existed. Based on the results analyzed, with a p value of 0.049, the researcher con- Maintainers from the 860 AMXS perform a RAM event prior to coordinated maincluded that after the implementation of the RAM program, there was a tenance efforts on a C-17A Globemaster III. Photo courtesy of Capt Purcell. statistically significant reduction in human error related aircraft mishaps. The total number of aircraft mishaps decreased after the implementation stabilize, painting a more relevant and accurate picture of the effectiveof the RAM program from 34 mishaps in the pre-RAM implementation ness of the program. period to 17 mishaps post-RAM implementation, which accounts for the statistically significant reduction. The RAM program forces aircraft A second recommendation is for the 60 MXG Safety Office personnel, maintainers to slow down and assess several external factors affecting the in conjunction with all affected squadrons, to conduct an in-depth review of the RAM program on a regular basis. risk associated with a maintenance task. It is This review should focus on the mandated important to note that of the 17 aircraft misIt is important to note that of RAM tasks, the completeness of the RAM haps for the December 2010-October 2011 the 17 aircraft mishaps for the score sheet, and should explore ways to intime-period, none of them was attributed to crease awareness of and buy-in to the proDecember 2010-October 2011 a RAM task. One interpretation of the data gram. The continued success of this program illustrated that the increase in situational time-period, none of them was hinges on its ability to adapt to policy and awareness has translated into an increased attributed to a RAM task. procedure changes within the 60 MXG and safety culture, which ultimately resulted in aircraft maintenance community as a whole. the reduction of damage to aircraft. In addition, the researcher interviewed several individuals, to include 60 MXG leadership, squadron leadership, Production Superintendents, and technicians performing the RAM tasks. This group of interviewees was selected to gain insight about the effectiveness of the RAM program, as well as pinpoint any intangible benefits such as increased communication, situational awareness, and a culture shift. Not surprisingly, 60 MXG leadership and squadron supervision agree the RAM program increases situational awareness, fosters communication, and improves team dynamics. At the Production Superintendent level, the majority agreed the RAM program offers a way to assess for human factors, and helps battle complacency among the team members. At the technician level, only a slight majority felt the RAM program was an effective tool in reducing self-induced aircraft mishaps, and that the time involved was a worthwhile investment. Many felt the intent of the RAM program was sincere, but the actual execution of the program was flawed. Another major contention among technicians was that many of the original RAM tasks have not undergone evaluation for potential updates or removal from the program. Based on the above results, the researcher suggests a few recommendations. First, the 60 MXG Safety Office personnel should continuously analyze the effectiveness of the RAM program. The program is in a state of relative infancy, as it is less than one year old. Due to the low number of available data points, a small change will have a larger influence on analytical results. As the RAM program progresses, these results should
A final recommendation is for the 60 MXG to initiate crosstalk with other AMC aircraft maintenance organizations. This crosstalk should focus on the successes of the 60 MXG RAM program in reducing human error related aircraft mishaps, and creating a maintenance culture focused on situational awareness, safety, communication, and teamwork. Due to the relative simplicity and flexibility of the program, implementation and adaptation should be seamless. Once other AMC maintenance organizations have effectively implemented and analyzed the effectiveness of the RAM program, the AMC Directorate of Logistics (AMC/A4), in conjunction with the Air Force Safety Center, should examine the possibility of implementation as a MAJCOM initiative. The RAM program has provided the 60 MXG a way of increasing communication, situational awareness, and teamwork with the intended purpose of decreasing self-induced aircraft and equipment mishaps. Preliminary research shows the program has been an effective tool, and will continue to be an effective tool for as long as the program maintains the appropriate level of “buy-in� among all levels of maintenance personnel. While it is incumbent on every aircraft maintainer to approach his or her job with safety at the forefront, the RAM program assists in elevating this safety awareness to the next level. About the author: Captain Purcell is assigned to the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis AFB. For questions or additional information about this article, he can be reached at jason.purcell@us.af.mil. K 21 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
EDUCATION
Information Anxiety Overload: The Looming Threat By Lieutenant Colonel Mike Allison and Lieutenant Colonel Pete Lommen Modern logisticians overcome a forest of challenges to accomplish the mission. The issues of reduced manpower and budgets are everpresent reminders of the political and economic constraints impacting our forces. The incredibly high operations tempo—declining, yet always an issue in the dynamic world we live in—has been and will continue to challenge our ability to train and prepare for our Nation’s airpower needs. The difficulties created by an aging fleet, exacerbated by the environments we have predominantly operated in over the past two decades, have challenged us even as we have begun transitioning to newer airframes and newer technologies. All of these 22 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
issues create tension and anxiety among the logistics workforce, but they pale in comparison to a silent predator lurking in the dense underbrush of this logistical forest—the problem of information anxiety, and more specifically, the closely related topic of information overload.
Basex, a knowledge research and advisory firm, named information overload as the “problemof-the-year” for 2008. If you haven’t heard of these terms, you have at least either suffered through their effects or experienced firsthand their power to create
SrA Anthony Mitchell, a 660th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, prepares to use a laptop to work on a KC-10 Extender. On the flightline at Travis AFB, laptops have replaced the traditional technical order books maintainers used for decades. (USAF photo SSgt Patrick Harrower)
confusion and sow disaster. In fact, in December 2007, Basex, a knowledge research and advisory firm, named information overload as the “problem-of-the-year” for 2008. In fact, they estimated the United States during 2008 would lose an estimated $650 billion due to reduced productivity and innovation. Additionally, they determined that as much as eight hours of worker productivity per week is lost because of this phenomenon. Finally, if those productivity numbers weren’t cogent enough, perhaps an internet search may crystallize just how prevalent the concept has become. Specifically, if you perform an internet search on Google for “information overload” you would be presented with a list of approximately 17,000,000 results. This is not a passing fancy or a completely new problem. While many logisticians
ALLISON & LOMMEN may not recognize this phenomenon, most, if not all, logisticians in the Air Force have experienced it.
A Short History of Information Anxiety/Infor mation Overload The broad issue of information and its effects on individuals has been studied for more than 400 years. During this time there have been many terms for the phenomenon, but information overload and information anxiety seem to be the most common and are used most widely today. Regardless of what it is called, the general The first Expeditionary Combat Support System work order opened on Aug. 2, 2010, at Hanscom AFB - the pilot base for implementidea remains the same. ing ECSS. (USAF photo by Mark Wyatt) Too much information creates an atmosphere lar information to create additional knowledge. a number of attempts to capture the transition where confusion, anxiAs humankind has progressed, and because from “information bliss” to information anxiety. ety and uncertainty develop. our brains have an arguably finite capacity, a As mentioned above, the issues of information To put this in context, consider some specific need has been created to find ways to store and overload and information anxiety have been categorizations that may help to understand transmit this knowledge. Early methods for with us for the better part of five centuries. this were through storytelling and stone tabthis broader construct. According to WurBlair’s article in the Journal of the History of lets. Th is progressed to parchment and books man in his book Information Anxiety, there Ideasnoted that from the period of 1550-1700 are five broad scenarios which may create an and resulted in the explosion of information a typical scholarly library grew by a factor of atmosphere where information anxiety may seen in the sixteenth and seventeenth centufifty. Ogilvie and Sheehan, who both puboccur: not understanding information; feeling ries. As humankind progressed further, our lished articles in the Journal of the History overwhelmed by the amount of information to methods for storing, retrieving, and transmitof Ideas , examined this issue and agreed with be understood; not knowing if certain informa- ting knowledge became more complex and efBlair that the initial explosion of information tion exists; not knowing where to find infor- ficient. took place somewhere around the sixteenth or mation; and knowing exactly where to find the seventeenth century, primarily within the sciinformation, but not having the key to access it. [T]he number of scientific entific community, and more specifically withMost of us can relate to these broad scenarios journals has increased in in the botanical world. They described how as examples of information anxiety in our own scholars began aggressively pursuing more emthe last 150 years from lives, but what really constitutes our definition pirical methods of description, which resulted 300 to over 100,000—an of the term information? in increased data collection and an incredible increase of over 5 percent outburst of scientific information. Understanding the basics regarding data, inper year. formation and knowledge is necessary to fully Additionally, the increase in the publication of understand the broader idea of information books to categorize the various fields of study anxiety. The composite of seemingly unrelated was compounded during the late seventeenth pieces of information can, at various stages Information overload is not a binary concept as century with the introduction of encyclopeof construction, take on the properties of any the name might imply. There is not a definidias and compendiums. Rather than creating one of these three concepts. Determining the tive time before which we were not overloaded a ready reference or synopsis of the field of constituent parts and the myriad ways of con- and after which we were overcome. It is rather study, these works merely added to the overstruction is how we develop an understanding a more abstract concept that has evolved over abundance of printed word on the subject. As of these concepts and are then able to use them time irrespective of the various attempts to categorize and defi ne it. Nevertheless, this difto develop ideas and create outcomes. . Due to its very nature, knowledge groups with simi- ficulty notwithstanding, researchers have made 23 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
EDUCATION | INFORMATION ANXIETY OVERLOAD Rosenberg points out in his Journal of the History of Ideas article, “projects aimed at managing an exploding ‘multitude of books and new kinds of information,’ tended to produce above all more books, even when these books promoted themselves as solutions to the problem”. It is easy to understand how this explosion of written material would create a certain degree of information anxiety, but this was 300 years ago and since then the world has progressed significantly. In fact, the ability to write, publish, develop and codify information has never been easier. Because of this ease, we have seen an explosion in terms of the information that is available and utilized by the average person in an industrialized society. In terms of professional journals and newspapers, Dean’s Lancet article and Meadows’s book Communicating Research show that the number of scientific journals has increased in the last 150 years from 300 to over 100,000—an increase of over 5 percent per year. Dean goes on to describe how the number of newspapers in the world had increased to over 9,000, with one edition of the New York Times (13 November 1987) reaching 1,612 pages in length. This is approximately 12 million words of written text—an incredible amount that would take the average person several days to read. With regards to books, the Sorbonne Library in Paris opened in the early 1300s with 1,338 titles. Currently, the Library of Congress contains over 32 million volumes and there are several libraries around the world with more than 20 million copies. In fact, publishers produce more than 3,000 titles per day worldwide.
dio, and talks on the telephone for almost three days. This represents a tremendous amount of information that needs to be processed. What about the growth of computer technology over the last two decades? Publications, newspapers and books, while the primary medium for the transfer of information throughout recordable history, is quickly being supplanted by electronic means of delivery and retrieval. Because of this, there has been another incredible growth spurt in the production of information. White and Dorman‘s article in Education Digest estimates that more information has been produced between 1970 and 2000 (since the widespread introduction of the computer) than in the previous five thousand years combined. Given the exponential growth created by the computer, this trend is expected to continue. To make matters worse, we also must contend with the 900-pound gorilla in the room—the Internet. Estimates of the number of Web pages vary, but it seems there are more than 366 billion Web pages depending on the figures used, with only about 10 billion of these actually indexed and searched by organizations such as Google. It’s easy to see why the proliferation of information could overload an individual or create a feeling of anxiety.
The Problem Why should the issue of information anxiety concern us? How can real-time, unlimited information create anxiety or hinder effectiveness? The answer lies first in the knowledge that is available to us, and second (but more importantly), in our ability to organize and codify it.
As long as the centuries continue to unfold, the number of books will grow continually, and one can predict that a time will come when it will be almost as difficult to learn anything from books as from the direct study of the whole universe. It will be almost as convenient to search for some bit of truth concealed in nature as it will be to find it hidden away in an immense multitude of bound volumes. (Diderot & d’Alembert, 1755) For anyone who uses a computer on a daily basis and for the multitude of logisticians who comb through countless written pages, this quote makes perfect sense. However, when you recognize the author and the date of publication the issue becomes far more intriguing. This isn’t a new problem; in terms of recogni-
It can be argued that these numbers represent only a fraction of the total amount of information available to the average human being on a daily basis, who is inundated with information, data and knowledge from a variety of outlets. According to recent statistical studies, every year the average American reads more than 30 magazines and 100 newspapers, watches over 2,000 hours of television, listens to Scanning a barcode on a weapon for inventory as part of the asset marking and tracking system implemented at Air Force more than 700 hours of ra- installations around the world. (USAF photo by TSgt Darrell Dean) 24 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
ALLISON & LOMMEN tion and solution development, it can be argued that it has largely gone unnoticed. Quite simply, the primary problem is that there is too much information in existence— too much coming in and too much going out. Most of our cumulative effort goes into extracting knowledge from the people who gathered it, so we can communicate it to other people who need it, but mostly wish they didn’t need it, to reach goals that we don’t always know, understand, or care about. We do this using technology that is always brand new, yet already obsolete; which is required for the purpose, yet complicates the process. Additionally, while we struggle with the changes to our own paradigms regarding information, we are invariably caught up in the changing paradigms across the information spectrum as a whole. And don’t be led into an all-too-common trap: that quantity of information is the primary variable when measuring information anxiety. The sheer amount of information is definitely a problem, but other problems exist that create an environment where information anxiety can thrive. Researchers have suggested that constraining the time to do a particular task to levels below what is required is a factor (sound familiar?). Also, too little information rather than too much information can also lead to an increase in information anxiety. This is important because it differs from conventional wisdom and opens up an additional avenue for analysis, the doubt regarding whether a particular piece of information actually exists. Additionally, the focus on overload oftentimes leads organizations to mistakenly conclude that technology can solve their problems by reducing the overall amount of information, which may only exacerbate a “not enough information” anxiety problem. It is essential to understand that the problem is far more complicated and goes beyond the simple issue of quantity.
The Effects of Information Anxiety/Information Overload on Organizational Productivity ”Old timer” logisticians often grouse about the glory days of launching jets, repairing vehicles, fueling aircraft, etc. with little more than a tattered tech order and greasy tool belt. They argue that today’s technology—hand-held computer interface units containing everything from tech data, supply requisition documents, maintenance management information, and weight and balance data—has unnecessarily complicated the logistician’s daily routine and had a detrimental effect on productivity.
Everyone, even the “youngsters” in the logistics career field, can to some degree empathize with the sentiments described above; however, it could not be further from the truth. According to Barnett’s 1999 article in U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, the reality is the United States military is an information technology juggernaut, and this technological reliance has increased both its efficiency and effectiveness. The United States currently spends more on technology than all but a few of the great powers spend on their entire militaries. In a world where most nations typically spend around $510 billion a year on defense, the US military easily surpasses this number on information technology systems.
The sheer amount of information is definitely a problem, but other problems exist that create an environment where information anxiety can thrive. While research abounds on how transitioning to technology increases productivity in an organization, a notional discussion of the impact may be more effective and succinct. Over the past 20 years—since 1990 and during a period of massive technological growth—active duty military end-strength decreased by more than 30 percent. Moreover, during this same timeframe, no one can argue that military taskings, missions, and requirements have experienced massive increases. How was this possible given these two seemingly contradictory trends? Some may argue, rightfully so, that this was made possible by the efforts of a dedicated workforce pushed to the limits of their capacity—and they would be correct. Others may argue for the various quality improvement efforts implemented over the past 20 years and the increased quality of the DOD workforce— and they would also be correct. But this cannot fully account for the delta. Some other factor has leveraged these improvements and facilitated this exponential growth in output, and that factor is undoubtedly technology. For all its faults, technology is the single multiplying factor that ties the other elements together in a synergistic whole. Technology and information are the constructs that provide clear advantages in the military environment by increasing productivity and efficiency; however, as we know no good deed ever goes
unpunished, and this is definitely the case with technology and the Pandora’s Box of problems that accompany it.
What Does it Mean to the Logistician? According to Losee’s 1989 article in the Journal of Information Science, “as military systems increase in complexity, performance figures such as weapons accuracy have been shown to decrease. Fighter pilots often disable warning devices in the cockpit to avoid the information overload that they and their compatriots have experienced in battle.” This problem is not isolated within the fighter jet cockpit, nor is it impossible to overcome. Similarly, every USAF Logistician has experienced information anxiety—yearly, monthly and many times each day. In an effort to deal with the aforementioned issues of aging aircraft and a shrinking workforce, logisticians began to utilize data and information to provide them with the tools needed to measure and improve. Aircraft maintenance officers began looking at mission capable rates and utilization rates (i.e., UTE). Logistic Readiness Officers (then as supply, transportation and logistics readiness shreds) began to analyze fill rates and vehicle mission capable rates. As logisticians increased their reliance on these basic rates, improvements in these areas led them to improve their understanding of the processes. These, in turn, made them work smarter and more efficiently even as the military experienced the drawdown of the workforce and the aging of aircraft. Then, quite naturally, logisticians found themselves falling into a common technological trap. Given the improvements in output and the increases in understanding that naturally comes from the introduction of technology into a process, we collectively determined that if some information/technology is good, then more must be better. We created more and more data points that we hoped would improve our ability to manage our processes. Aircraft maintenance created five-digit status codes to track the mission capability rates; 8-hour and 12-hour fix rates; and repeat and recur rates, just to name a few. The list is codified in AFI 21-101 and is always growing as new metrics are developed and utilized. Most of this data is valuable and applicable within various logistics stovepipes, but how many of us know how each rate should be applied, and how each works in conjunction with the other? And how often are we confronted with these data points when we either don’t understand their intrinsic value
25 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
EDUCATION | INFORMATION ANXIETY OVERLOAD to our process, or understand them and don’t know how they apply to our current circumstances? Simultaneously, in order to manage this proliferation of data, our communities started to develop and incorporate this data and information into meetings and data management systems where we could view it, parse it, and oftentimes determine that the existing data could not meet our specific needs, thereby creating more “improved” local versions of the data. Monthly Metrics meetings, IREP meetings, and any number of other base and unit-specific meetings were implemented to provide another avenue to help us determine the true value of the data. It should be noted that while the above example is aircraft maintenance-centric, this is not unique to maintainers. Logistics Readiness Officers, Munitions Maintenance Officers, as well as every career field and walk of life are confronted with similar, or even more dramatic, technological challenges.
nothing could be further from the truth. As mentioned earlier, information and technology are the tools used to leverage constrained resources into a powerful and effective fighting force. The problem isn’t the information, but rather the way we manage and use it.
Understanding the tools and capabilities these sections possess is key to ensuring that existing data is used to its fullest extent. The key to the USAF logisticians’ information anxiety/overload, is that we must as a community know what information means, how it applies to various aspects of our work lives, and how timely and appropriate application of this information will improve our situation. But we also must know what information is not value added, what information does not apply to a situation, and what information does not increase our ability to enhance mission effectiveness.
How Do We Overcome the Problem? Addressing the challenges created by the avalanche of information encountered everyday is akin to the difficulties encountered by Sisyphus, a Greek mythological character. Sisyphus was a king punished by being compelled to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, and to repeat this throughout eternity. This seemingly unattainable goal is similar to the difficult and redundant challenge of trying to combat the overwhelming effects of information anxiety/overload. But this does not mean that it is impossible to address or is too immense of a problem to overcome. In fact, over the past 20 years logisticians have begun to make inroads toward conquering this dilemma, but as fast as we develop solutions, new technologies and sources of information are introduced to compound the problem. So how should we proceed?
We need to continue using the tools at our disposal to mitigate and staunch the growing tide. One important way to do this is through continued, and when possible, enhanced use of data analysis resources currently at our disposal. One of the most important of these is the Analysis Sections available in many organizations. Understanding the tools and capabilities these sections possess is key to ensuring that existing data is used to its fullest extent. Analysis professionals are oftentimes able to identify and manipulate the vast array of data available to us, and more importantly help us filter it in a way that makes it more easily digestible. But this cannot be utilized independently. Air Force leaders need to KNOW what we have available, how to use it, what it applies to, and through the development of their A1C Troy Spence, a 62nd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron crew chief, looks over technical data on his laptop while performing maintenance on an MQ-1 Predator at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. The unit’s primary role is to launch and recover Predators own rubrics, understand what to do with supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. (USAF photo MSgt Demetrius Lester) the information when At this point, upon reading the above description of how we as a community develop and use data, it might be natural to draw the conclusion that data and information is bad! But
26 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
ALLISON & LOMMEN it is accessed. Through this iterative leadership process, we are able to reorganize the vast quantities of information into useable bites and better educate ourselves and those that we lead to find the true “diamonds in the rough” that lead to better mission accomplishment. Regardless of what we do, the creation of more data without appropriate methods to properly use it will only continue to expand the problem. Ultimately, reduction, elimination and combination of the data, as well as the careful future creation of data that is absolutely value added is vital to properly controlling information anxiety and overload in our profession. Additionally, as the amount of information easily exceeds the limit of what people can manage, we need to leverage, ironically, the latest technologies to help harness the information. In the past 50 years we have seen computers shrink from room size to palm size, while simultaneously changing from passive to active components in our everyday lives. The latest
The challenge lies in the delicate balance between what we think we need and what we can effectively handle. innovations are wearable computers that develop logic and present information based on our needs and usage habits. These new-age computing systems are integral parts of our lives and are always on and accessible. Understanding this relationship between man and machine may allow us to leverage this capability and develop personalized filters that eliminate unneeded data streams and enhance and deliver much-needed information. What does all of this mean for the modern logistician? First and foremost it means that we need to prepare ourselves for the information overload we are sure to encounter. Recogni-
tion of the waterfall of information we find ourselves under is essential if we ever expect to gain ground in the race against this paradoxical foe. No one can argue that information has been the foundation of our past achievements and is expected to be the underpinning of any future success. The challenge lies in the delicate balance between what we think we need and what we can effectively handle. About the authors: Lt Col Mike Allison currently works in the Office of the Secretary of Defense in Washington, DC. He is a local and national member of the Logistics Officer Association. An aircraft maintenance officer with 27 years experience, he possesses a Doctorate degree in Business Administration. Lt Col Pete Lommen is a career aircraft maintenance officer. He is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and the Air Force Institute of Technology. Currently, he is on a 1-year deployment to Shabhaz AB, Pakistan. K
LOA’s Scholarship Program Call for Nominations The Logis cs Officer Associa on has a new and improved scholarship program. There are three categories: M ’ ,B ’ , 1206 H S ! 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 nomina on package informa on is available on the LOA website’s scholarship link: h p://www.loana onal.org/about/scholarship.php More Details: 1) For those seeking the scholarship to pursue their Masters degree, write a 6-8 paged double-spaced paper on a current DoD logisƟcs issue. 2) For those seeking the scholarship to pursue their Bachelor’s degree, write a 4-6 paged doublespaced paper on a current DoD logisƟcs issue. 3) High School students (grades 10-12 including those graduaƟng in 2012) need to write a 3-4 paged double-spaced paper on a historical military event. 4) 1206 submissions must follow 1206 guidelines on the scholarship site. Each chapter may nominate one person for each category. The top two nominees in theMasters and Bachelors categories may be asked to present their papers to a field of judges during the 2012 LOA NaƟonal Conference. In these economically challenging mes what are you wai ng for?
NOMINATIONS DUE 1 AUGUST!
27 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
LEADERSHIP
By Technical Sergeant Kasey Lynch I believe the biggest obstacle to a smarter, more efficient Air Force is resistance to organizational change. I am the Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century (AFSO21) Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge (NCOIC) for the 51st Maintenance Group (MXG), at Osan Airbase (AB), Republic of Korea. I am a Technical Sergeant (TSgt) with 13 years of service. By trade, I am a F-16 Crew Chief. I spent the majority of my career either pushing toolboxes to aircraft to repair them or performing inspections as a Quality Assurance Inspector. After over a decade of turning wrenches, I was offered a unique job opportunity to stand-up and run the first full-time AFSO21 office in the maintenance group at Osan AB. The job seemed like a challenging “change of scenery” and I was very interested. I attended a week’s worth of training and did an interview with the MXG commander for the position. I competed against a handful of folks I felt were probably much more qualified than me. To my surprise, I was hired the following week. I now had a staff position and worked directly for the group commander. During our first meeting the group commander laid out the scope of my job. My responsibilities included performing Rapid Improvement Projects 28 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
A pilot from the 51st Fighter Wing climbs into an F-16 Fighting Falcon as a crew chief assists during an event that is part of an operational readiness inspection at Osan Air Base, South Korea. (USAF photo by SrA Evelyn Chavez)
(RIEs), working on the group’s Strategic Alignment and Deployment Plan (SA&D), capturing Value-Streams of processes suspected to be inefficient and performing AFSO21 briefings to the masses. If I matured enough with those tools, perhaps I could even facilitate a little 8-Step Problem Solving. According to my group commander, my first big task, though, was to create and implement a 6S program across the entire maintenance group. For those unfamiliar with 6S, it is the Air Force’s new and improved version of the Japanese 5S concept. Named for the fact it contains six components, all starting with an “s”, it is a concept based on the notion of eliminating unused waste and organizing work areas so what is needed for the job is close at hand. Ultimately, it is designed to provide an optimal flow of product through the work area. The six components of 6S include Sorting, Straightening, Shining, Standardizing, Sustaining, and Safety. Not only was I assigned to launch this major cultural
LYNCH change across 48 duty sections in my group, but I was also charged with creating a weekly auditing system, teaching each section how to grade themselves, ensuring they do it weekly, and confirming they are giving themselves “honest” assessments as opposed to over-inflated scores. Finally, I was responsible for averaging the data for each unit then placing it into a snapshot product to be viewed by group leadership at the monthly Quality Assurance meeting. I accepted the task with a “can-do” attitude but when I got back to my desk I couldn’t help but wonder “how on Earth am I going to do this as one TSgt in a group of over 1,300 personnel?” I started brainstorming immediately, knowing I needed every spare minute I had for the foreseeable future--at least until I got a battle plan hammered out. I researched both 6S and 5S extensively in books, on the internet, and reached back to some AFSO21 training aids I had been given during my weeklong Green Belt Course. I also researched corporations that applied the concept and plagiarized what I felt were the best Maintainers prepare to conduct postflight operations on an A-10 Thunderbolt II at Osan Air Base, South Korea. (USAF photo by SSgt Chad Thompson) parts and also those that were an appropriate fit for a group of 1,300 aircraft maintainers. Maintainers are some of the busiest folks in the Air Force, so I knew if my 6S Program was too complicated or the learning curve was too steep--it wouldn’t stick.
Implementation Once I understood the 6S concept inside and out, I began to develop my implementation plan along with an audit checklist for each section to use for a weekly assessment. My implementation plan consisted of initiating the program in phases, with one-week periods dedicated to each phase (sort, straighten, shine, standardize, sustain, safety). I created a rolling schedule to ensure I visited each of the 48 sections weekly and provided training and answered any questions. I created slide show presentations to use as visual aids during my training visits, complete with pictures, and listed the benefits to be realized from applying each of the 6S components. An electro-environmental technician performs an operations check on an A-10 Thunderbolt II as part of At this point, I felt that I had a “bulletproof ” an operational readiness exercise at Osan Air Base, South Korea. (USAF photo by SSgt Daylena Gonzalez) plan that could not fail. I was filled with positive energy and eager to get the ball rolling. Little deficiencies were typically given the care they needed in a timely mandid I know, despite how sound my implementation plan was--I had one ner. This job was different though. There was no Air Force Instruction last challenge left to wrestle with. It was a concept called “resistance to anywhere mandating a 6S Program be implemented. I knew to some organizational change.” extent I would have to “sell” this concept to folks and generate “buy-in.” As a TSgt previously operating at the tactical level, I had very little ex- I had a feeling if I overused the phrase “this is directed by the group perience in dealing with resistance to organizational change. Working commander” folks would feel like victims instead of stakeholders in the as a Quality Assurance inspector for the previous four years I seldom program. This would be challenging for me considering I never previhad to work hard to be persuasive. I performed my routine monthly ously had a job requiring me to be persuasive. inspections and if I found something incorrect I simply notified the secThe group commander, on the other hand, was well versed in dealing tion chief of the discrepancy and cited the appropriate regulation and with organizational change. In fact, during our first meeting, she began paragraph number. No section chief likes an inspection write-up, so
29 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
LEADERSHIP | AFSO21 AND RESISTANCE TO CHANGE by warning me I would be dealing with some potentially stubborn folks. The third type of folks I encountered while implementing 6S across the She continued by grabbing a pen and drawing a bell curve onto a blank group were what Rogers referred to as the late adopters and laggards. sheet of paper. She said, “I am going to tell you how to market this to The late adopters and laggards made my life difficult! I got to know people using a concept called Diffusion of Innovations.” This concept them pretty quickly and dreaded dealing with them. They were resistant had been developed by Everett Rogers in 1962. She next sliced up the to change. Also, within this subset of people were a handful of “old-hats” bell curve into 5 sections and explained that in both product marketing who had lived through the Air Force’s implementation of Total Qualand adoption of organizational change, folks are apt to exhibit one of five ity Management (TQM) in the early 1990s, and later returned to the behavior patterns. The five types of behaviors observed by Rogers during compliance-type inspections. As a far as they were concerned AFSO21 his study are innovators (2.5%), early adopters (13.5%), early majority was the new TQM, they wanted nothing to do with it, and I was an (34%), late majority (34%), and finally the laggards (16%). The titles “evil man for bringing this new age voodoo” into their offices. I was still of these behavioral categories are fairly selfin junior high school during the Air Force’s explanatory. My commander wisely suggested TQM Program, and I found dealing with As a far as they were I focus my early efforts on the innovators, early the recurring TQM conversation to be chalconcerned AFSO21 was adopters, and early majority groups. lenging simply because of the fact it was bethe new TQM, they wanted fore my time and I had not lived through it.
Three Types of Attitudes and Resistance to Change
nothing to do with it, and I was an “evil man for bringing this new age voodoo” into their offices.
Armed with what I felt was a great implementation plan and a brief but adequate overview of how to deal with organizational change, I started rolling out the phases of my plan and visited each of 48 sections weekly. Due to Osan’s traditionally high turnover rate, the operational tempo imposed by the flying schedule, and the battle rhythm of major inspections and exercises, folks were already plenty busy when I started making my rounds from section to section. Very consistent with Roger’s model, I felt I ran into three types of people during my work-center visits. The first were those who had a positive experience with AFSO21 at a previous duty station and were eager to incorporate Osan’s particular brand of AFSO21. Talking to these folks was easy, enjoyable, and made me feel like I had the “wind in my sails.” The second type of folks, were what I considered the everyday average section chief who had a sincere desire to do a good job running their section and taking care of their people. The section chiefs viewed what I was selling to them as yet another task to add to their weekly list of things to do. The majority of them had no qualms whatsoever about letting me know just how busy they were and they didn’t appreciate me dropping another weekly suspense on them. The section chiefs said things like, “I thought AFSO21 was supposed to eliminate work, not create it” or “Are you serious? I really don’t have time for this!” It took a bit of “smooth talking” on my part to get them onboard with what I was selling. Because I had to work to get buy-in with this group I considered each “converted” person to be a personal victory. The things that seemed to have the most discernible effect on their attitudes were my recurring visits, phone calls, and email reminders. 30 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
The most challenging aspect of dealing with the third category of folks was every single one of them wore more stripes on their sleeves than I. I felt in my previous job as a Quality Assurance inspector I had honed my skills of tactfully telling people, who outranked me, they were wrong and backing it up with written guidance. I quickly found out, through selling AFSO21 door-to-door to this third category of people, my skills needed further refinement. Early on, I found myself “agreeing to disagree” with these folks on many occasions just to get out their offices without them biting my head off.
Fortunately, my commander had already devised a clever plan for ensuring these folks would have to care about the 6S Program being implemented in their sections. I was told to focus the majority of my efforts towards the folks on the receptive end of the bell curve. For the most part, I did just that. I rolled out the phases of my 6S implementation plan, provided training, and finally arrived at the portion where the sections started to grade themselves weekly.
An Airman clips a wire while preparing a bomb for loading onto an A-10 Thunderbolt II at Osan Air Base, South Korea. (USAF photo by SSgt Chad Thompson)Organizational Change
LYNCH The sections began grading themselves on their weekly 6S efforts, reported the data to me, and I entered it into a product I created to track the data and average it out. At the completion of the first 30-days, I populated a slideshow presentation with the data reported from each unit. The data was displayed and briefed by both myself and each respective unit’s Officer In Charge or Superintendent monthly. The briefing of this data at the monthly Quality Assurance meeting ultimately wound up being the method used to drag the “kicking and screaming” late-majority and laggards through the AFSO21 door. Here I’d like to say a few words about Senior NCOs (SNCO) and organizational change. SNCOs move mountains for the Air Force each day through being experts in their functional discipline, successfully networking and expertly directing their subordinates to accomplish the mission. They play a large role in influencing the decisions of their leadership. Conversely, SNCOs also have the power to be speed bumps or even roadblocks to organizational change if they do not have buy-in. So inter- Figure 1, 25 AMU 6S Monthly Score Metrics, Source: 51 MXG MSEP Report, Dec/2011) estingly, who primarily constituted the folks in the late majority and laggards categories? None other than the group’s time-tested, battle-hardened SNCOs. Creating a 6S metric with reportbefore? This was a huge triumph over the resistance I had encountered able data and putting it in a slide, shown at a monthly meeting, finally along the way from the folks in the late majority and laggard categories got this hard-to-convince group of folks onmy commander spoke about. board with the organizational change. Each Creating a 6S metric with unit’s slide contained a breakdown of the Conclusion reportable data and putting it scores on a scale of 1-5 for each component Despite the challenges I’ve encountered as in a slide, shown at a monthly of the 6S. Additionally, I provided a more an AFSO21 NCOIC over the last year I long range look by providing a quick snapmeeting, finally got this hard-to- would recommend this job to anybody. The shot of the cumulative totals for the unit for convince group of folks onboard impact I was able to have on those willing to the last 90 days to determine if the overall integrate AFSO21 principles into their daily with the organizational change. level of effort was increasing or decreasing. operations is the greatest reward. Through Lastly, there was a section on each unit’s my experience, I realized there will always slide to publicize previous AFSO21-type improvements, improvements be folks in the late majority or laggards categories when it comes to in progress, and any noteworthy 6S efforts above and beyond the newly the acceptance and application of AFSO21 principles. Resistance to created cultural norms. organizational change is definitely the biggest speed bump in the road to making AFSO21 a daily way of life. The message I would like to impart Lift-Off to those still resisting AFSO21 is that these are proven principles! It was at this point I felt all the dots were finally connected. An AFSO21 6S program touching over 1,300 people had been completely envisioned Civilian companies are not handed a budget each October. If they aren’t and implemented from a few scribbles on a post-it-note from my com- making more money than they are spending, they close their doors and mander, countless hours of researching books and the internet, and an relinquish their market share to a competitor…Period. These corporaexorbitant amount of door-to-door selling of the concept. My program tions pay big bucks to have consultants trained in Lean Manufacturing (AFSO21’s civilian counterpart) come to had finally achieved lift-off and it was very their company and perform a Kaizen event gratifying. The results of over a year of my Resistance to organizational to apply these principles. Companies would efforts included full and sustained implechange is definitely the biggest not do this if they did not anticipate a return mentation of 6S across 48 sections with on their initial investment. The Air Force monthly reporting of results to leadership, speed bump in the road to has funded full-time billets for AFSO21 and the removal of over six tons of unused making AFSO21 a daily way of specialists at nearly every base, so I would items previously impeding product flow in life. The message I would like ask you to please take advantage of the serwork-centers. Floor layouts had been examto impart to those still resisting vices offered by these folks and welcome ined and improved, clerical office areas had AFSO21 into your daily way of doing busibeen reorganized to better facilitate the paAFSO21 is that these are ness. In the words of my commander and perwork processed there. I felt I had truly proven principles! AFSO21 mentor, “AFSO21 is not an event, made life a little better for all 1,300 people it’s a culture.” in the group. In what I consider to be the most extreme case, I had facilitated a section improving the floor layout of their work-center resulting in the elimination of 48% of the movement required to repair a typical aircraft. How many people can honestly say they made their job 48% easier than it was
About the author: TSgt Kasey Lynch is a career aircraft maintenance technician. He is currently assigned to the 51st Maintenance Group, Osan AB, Republic of Korea. K 31 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
FROM THE FLIGHTLINE
Air Mobility Anytime, Anywhere Operation DEEP FREEZE 2011-2012
Aircraft 09-9210 and maintenance personnel at the Pegasus runway. (Photo provided by SSgt Nicholas Rice.)
By Captain Ben Chapman and Captain Pat Acuario
to sophisticated research technologies, and even special cargo like the small group of penguins that were transported this season for delivery to SeaWorld in San Diego, California. Although a smaller footprint of researchers and support personnel stay on Antarctica throughout the year, Operation DEEP FREEZE is part of a larger “plus up” focused on maximizing research and sustainment efforts during the more hospitable conditions of the Antarctic summer. Though temperatures still hover around freezing (on a nice day) and high winds persist, the summer season is when the highest volume of materials, equipment and personnel are transported.
Earlier this year temperatures got down to chilling levels in Washington State, creating a snow storm that left only the daring few to attempt to travel the unplowed side roads to go to work. Imagine if your car broke down or if you had a flat tire and had to change it in this bone chilling environment. Now, imagine this scenario with a C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane as your car and the chilling environment as Antarctica, and you need to change a tire on a runway that is constantly being monitored for meltDuring the six month 2011ing conditions beneath you. In March 2012, 2012 season, the C-17 team pilots, maintainers and support personnel from Joint Base Lewis-McChord ( JBLM) flew 74 missions transporting completed another successful season operat6.33 million pounds of cargo ing under these very conditions in support of and 5,155 passengers from Operation DEEP FREEZE. The mission of the Christchurch International these skilled technicians is to provide critical airlift support for the multi-faceted research Airport in New Zealand to two program of the National Science Foundation runways near McMurdo Station. based out of McMurdo Station, Antarctica. During the six month 2011-2012 season, the C-17 team flew 74 missions transporting 6.33 million pounds of cargo and 5,155 passengers from the Christchurch International Airport in New Zealand to two runways near McMurdo Station. Passengers include personnel who operate McMurdo Station, scientists who work at research sites scattered throughout Antarctica, and frequent visits from government officials and distinguished guests. Cargo ranges from replacement food and supplies 32 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
In order to accomplish this challenging and dynamic mission, the C-17 team has developed a time-tested formula for success. The season begins in late August when the first C-17 team of pilots, loadmasters, maintenance and logistics personnel travel from JBLM to the 304th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron (EAS) staged at the Christchurch International Airport. The first rotation, referred to as “WINFLY,” conducts flying missions in more severe conditions than the following rotations because Antarctica is still under winter weather at this time. The WINFLY rotation is also heavily involved with preparing for the follow-on rotations, responsible for initial aircraft beddown, facilities preparations, and delivery of all Consolidated Tool Kits, Readiness Spares Package, and support equipment needed for the season. Operations out of Christchurch International are highly organic, relying only on a small footprint of
CHAPMAN & ACUARIO Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE), Liquid Oxygen (LOX) servicing equipment, and lavatory service provided by the airport services. Additionally, the WINFLY team and each successive team conducts a rigorous homestation preparation process, operationally checking all systems, conducting Critical Tire Inspection requirements (tighter tread standards for operations on semi-prepared runways), scheduled maintenance requirements, and ensuring cargo system serviceability prior to departure for New Zealand. This is an essential part of the process since it limits the potential for extended downtime or aircraft swaps which could have a negative impact on the cargo and passenger flow.
(common referred to as “Ice”) runway, is closest to McMurdo Station. Early in the season mission planners seek to maximize usage of the Ice runway to avoid lengthy transportation times to McMurdo; as weather conditions progress toward the height of summer, the Ice runway is constantly evaluated for maximum landing weight and balanced with the logistical gains of proximity. Eventually, flying operations shift to the Pegasus glacial runway located nearly seven miles from McMurdo Station. For the duration of the season, conditions on this runway are monitored for higher temperatures making runway damage more likely, and operations are subsequently shifted to night time landings and takeoffs to limit risk. For these reasons, the Operation DEEP FREEZE mission is constantly in flux: it is not uncommon to have multiple weather cancellations, shift modifications, and consecutive fly days throughout one team’s rotation, requiring aircraft maintenance and support professionals to remain flexible.
An instrumental part of this process is the combined 62nd/446th Maintenance Group team that plans, directs, maintains and executes the daily maintenance effort so every aircraft performs to its optimal level as it departs for McMurdo Station. Each day begins with the team preparing the aircraft and reporting maintenance status during the aircrew brief. Takeoff times One example occurred on September 1, The maintenance team is onare highly weather dependent, varying from 2011 when the C-17 team was called upon site through the duration of the early morning to late evening. The mainteto assist in providing medical supplies to an launch sequence in case any nance team is on-site through the duration ailing civilian located with National Sciof the launch sequence in case any last minence Foundation researchers at Amundsenlast minute problems requiring ute problems requiring attention surface and South Pole station. According to the attention surface and two highly Scott two highly qualified Flying Crew Chiefs fly Joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica qualified Flying Crew Chiefs fly onboard the aircraft for each five hour flight Public Affairs article (http://www.af.mil/ onboard the aircraft for each news/story.asp?id=123270536), travelling to to McMurdo Station. Upon arrival they the South Pole station under these circumimmediately accomplish maintenance and five hour flight to McMurdo stances would require an 800 mile overland servicing requirements for the return flight Station. movement, or a ski-equipped LC-130 to do and facilitate cargo and passenger offloadthe airdrop. Because the first option was not ing and loading as needed. Ground time on Antarctica is time-compressed, typically lasting no more than two hours feasible given blackout conditions and temperatures dropping below -60 due to crew duty day limitations. Additionally, due to rapidly changing degrees Fahrenheit and conditions were prohibitive for an LC-130 to weather conditions, landing at McMurdo is never a foregone conclusion; operate at the station, the C-17 team incorporated a Night Vision Gogaircrews are constantly monitoring weather reports for their arrival into gle (NVG) mission to airdrop 400 pounds of medical supplies during the and departure out of McMurdo, and in rare cases are unable to proceed. return leg of the September 1 mission. This mission required extensive planning, interagency coordination and flexibility on behalf of supportSet against the backdrop of Antarctic mountains and plains, the C-17 ing maintainers. Due to altitude conditions of the airdrop, the Flying dwarfs surrounding aircraft and support equipment at the Ice Runway Crew Chiefs could not be present on-board the aircraft for the drop airfield adjacent to McMurdo Station. There are two runways operated procedure. Subsequently, weather conditions deteriorated to the point during each Operation DEEP FREEZE season. The first, the Sea-Ice that the crew could no longer land at the McMurdo Station runway. The aircraft returned to Christchurch and the Crew Chiefs remained at McMurdo Station for three days until weather McMurdo and Scott Base (New Zealand’s equivalent station) form the logistics hub conditions improved for the next mission. Despite this for research efforts under the United States Antarctic Program. (Photo provided by limitation, the mission was a success from a humanitarian Capt Ben Chapman) standpoint, and a representation of the C-17’s capability and level of proficiency the team had developed over time in Operation DEEP FREEZE. In addition to weather-driven and operational challenges, the team is confronted with the unique circumstances commonly faced during expeditionary Air Mobility operations. For instance, during an organic deployment of this nature special emphasis must be placed on both accuracy and quantity of supply assets in the Mobility Readiness Spares Package (MRSP) prior to deployment. In the case of Operation DEEP FREEZE, a single kit was deployed in a standard ISU-90 mobility bin for the entire 6-month season. Prior to departure of the WINFLY rotation, a line-item review of parts was completed in addition to a thorough inventory by 627th Air Base Group’s Logistics Readiness personnel at JBLM. Before redeployment of the WINFLY and each follow-on rotation, a deployed 33 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
FROM THE FLIGHTLINE | AIR MOBILITY ANYTIME... supply technician accounted for any issued parts in the kit to ensure they were ordered, sourced, and sent on-board each replacement aircraft. Additionally, if a Mission Capable (MICAP) part is needed by the deployed team to sustain operations, the supply technician has the ability to coordinate with 618 TACC/ XOCL and homestation supply to source and deliver the part as soon as possible. As was proven during this season, having a dedicated supply expert with a working knowledge of the TACC process, en-route locations, and supply system can be critical in expediting this process.
As was proven during this season, having a dedicated supply expert with a working knowledge of the TACC process, en-route locations, and supply system can be critical in expediting this process. Another interesting facet of the program is the frequent and unpredictable need to assist individuals requiring medical transport from Antarctica. Such cases, termed “Casualty Evacuations” (or CASEVACs), are flown onboard otherwise routine New Zealand bound flights from McMurdo. When required, these missions require special coordination and flexibility of the loadmaster crews who properly configure the aircraft for litters, if needed, and
Flying Crew Chief TSgt James Luenebrink of the 62 AMXS coordinates with ground personnel to accomplish refuel prior to returning to Christchurch International Airport, NZ, approximately a 5 hour flight in both directions. (Photo provided by Capt Ben Chapman)
generally ensure the flight is as comfortable as possible for the patient. Operation Deep Freeze has grown significantly since its inception in 1955. McMurdo Station and other sites throughout Antarctica provide valuable research efforts in many areas to include climate and ecological study. One example is the National Science Foundation’s continued development of the HIAPER Poleto-Pole Observation (HIPPO) program, which uses a modified Gulfstream V aircraft to measure levels of carbon dioxide and other gasses at
various latitudes and altitudes around the globe to improve atmospheric models for greenhouse gas distribution. This program has advanced research efforts on a wide scale, and continues to shape the understanding of global climates. For more information, visit the National Science Foundation website (http://www.nsf.gov/ index.jsp). Although the specific stories and projects are constantly evolving, Operation DEEP FREEZE remains not only a centerpiece of our nation’s scientific goals, but also snapshot of the Air Forces capability to provide timely Air Mobility in any environment. This unique and challenging mission requires the best of our Total Force logistics personnel; we ask them for their skill, flexibility, and diligence as they provide safe, reliable, ready aircraft just as we do anywhere else on earth. Year after year, they deliver. About the authors: Capt Ben Chapman is stationed with the 62d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Joint Base Lewis-McChord as the Blue Aircraft Maintenance Unit Officer-in-Charge. Previously he was stationed at Osan AB, ROK and McConnell AFB, KS.
C-17 Globemaster III aircraft 08-8201 during scheduled ground time at Ice Runway near McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Cargo is downloaded onto ski-equipped platforms and delivered to nearby McMurdo Station. (Photo provided by Capt Ben Chapman)
34 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
Capt Pat Acuario is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord since 2000, and is currently serving as the with the 446th Maintenance Squadron’s Fabrication Flight Commander. Previously he served on Active Duty at Shriever AFB, CO, Balikesir Air Base, TU, Grand Forks AFB, ND, and Charleston AFB, SC. K
FROM THE FLIGHTLINE
Space Logisticians
Delta IV Medium operation from Space Launch Complex 6 on April 3rd, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mr. Rodney Jones)
By Captain Fredrick Puskar We, the Airmen of Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), provide the Warfighter a full-spectrum perspective of the battlefield. Much of the technologies these Airmen use in AFSPC’s operations are integrated into the space vehicles launched into orbit by the professionals at Vandenberg AFB (VAFB). Behind the scenes are the dedicated “Space Logisticians;” the obscure individuals who provide the vital support continuing Space and Cyberspace superiority. These continued efforts allow us to empower the mission to combat those who would try to harm our way of life. Although, in AFSPC our normal operations differ in scope from our brothers and sisters in other commands, the importance of our LRS cannot be questioned. We continue to support the joint operations downrange while providing “the right asset at the right time.” This continues to cement the need for logistics, as in any successful operation. We have the basic components of the Logistics Readiness Squadron (LRS): Deployment and Distribution, Fuels, Supply and Vehicle Management. However, we have quite a few unique situations within these confines that can cause challenges for our logistics professionals. We provide the basic fuel support one would expect for conventional operations, but some unconventional differences separate us from other LRS units. A unique capability is the two Hypergolic Storage Facilities (HSF) specifically designed for missile propellants. They encompass Hydrazine (storing all A-50 in Defense Logistics Agency Energy’s inventory including four different grades) and Oxidizers (the only DOD bulk Oxidizer storage area, storing three different grades.) The HSF was built in 1984 to store hypergolic fuels from deactivated Titan Weapons Systems. These consumables support many programs and vehicles including Atlas V, Delta II/ IV, Minotaur, Peacekeeper, Loral Space Systems (satellite payload processing), Aero Jet and White Sands (research and development). Currently, we have approximately $75M of products stored in our facilities. Our Installation Deployment Readiness Cell (IDRC) is responsible for deploying all personnel from VAFB, as well as managing all Host-Tenant Support Agreements. The Support Agreement Manager maintains 66 intra-service/inter-government Support Agreements, as well as 116 Memorandums of Agreement and Memorandums of Understanding which contribute a wide range of pivotal services for the launch operations of VAFB’s Western Range. The LRS’s total support agreement program is valued at $14M annually. Vandenberg’s flightline is seemingly quiet in comparison to those at our 36 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
sister commands, but the members of the Air Terminal actively assist with the loading and unloading of arriving aircraft. Although small in size, their role is crucial to the success of many organizations including the NRO, NASA, Lockheed Martin and others who play an active role in the exploration and usage of the “next frontier”. Last year during the Japanese nuclear crisis, critical support was needed and the 30th LRS proved its versatility as second to none. Our professional expertise aided with the delivery of 34,000 pounds of boric acid to the relief effort. Our Air Transporters have also directly supported the test phase bed-down of the Global Hawk program at VAFB. They also aided the Missile Defense Agency in loading satellite and reconnaissance equipment that is being sent to the Airmen in the Middle East supporting the Warfighting. We also directly support VAFB’s space mission with teams of highly trained and experienced vehicle maintainers and operators. The Vehicle Management flight and Vehicle Operations element of the LRS provide multiple types of assets to support the base’s missions. During launch missions, the rapid deployment of these units is the key to successfully maintain control of our logistical footprint. Manning these two critical support sections is a combination of 75 highly trained and experienced Airmen. Most of the maintainers and operators are veterans of many OEF and OIF deployments, ensuring freeflowing supply chains downrange, despite the constant threat of terrorist
PUSKAR attacks. After completing their deployments in some of the most remote and dangerous locations, our vehicle maintainers and operators seamlessly transition back to providing essential launch motor vehicle support, while still maintaining deployment readiness. During every VAFB space launch, we stand ready to respond to the Wing’s vehicle support needs. Spearheading this effort is a wrecker support team that remains on-call throughout all space launch operations, able to rapidly deploy and support any motor vehicle problems. While Vehicle Operations provides around-the-clock vehicle recovery, the Vehicle Management side of the house ensures the Command’s largest fire truck fleet is ready to respond to a launch emergency. The two sections also play a significant role in supporting the United States and Russia’s New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) efforts in controlling nuclear proliferation. TSgt Christopher Quezada and SrA Renel Keffer prepare a pallet of Boric Acid for expedited shipment to When our Russian START counterparts an- Japan following their nuclear disaster on March 16th, 2011. 34,000 pounds were transported in all. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mr. Jerry E. Clemens) nounce that VAFB will be inspected, the 30th LRS’s Vehicle Operations provide them with National Defense Transportation Association Award winners. Both of transportation support. these critical entities are pivotal to the accountability and transport of Our vehicle maintainers also play a tremendous part in the Nuclear Cer- Nuclear Weapons Related Materiel (NWRM) throughout the world. tified Equipment program, which ensures the mission ready status of As the Air Force Chief of Staff ’s #1 priority, all facets of NWRM are all vehicles needed to support the launch operations of the 30thSpace verified by a stringent local procedure to ensure there is no chance for Wing. Offering the Command’s only Minuteman III tractor/trailer cer- error. We placed the utmost precedence on all things regarding this subject to ensure that compliance is the most important detail. tification course adds to the direct support we provide. Traffic Management and Supply continue to provide the award winning service you would expect from the 2011 AFSPC LRS of the year and
On our best day no one knows we’re here. We continue to provide all the skills of logistics professionals despite the unique challenges associated with VAFB. VAFB’s exclusive mission safeguards the lives of our Warfighters everyday and provides vital mission critical data to our space partners in industry and others. Though we are proud of our accomplishments, we humble in knowing we continue to be the pivotal link behind the scenes.
Minotaur IV Launch from Space Launch Complex 8 on April 22nd, 2010. (Courtesy Photo/30 SW PA)
About the author: Captain Fredrick Puskar is stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base as the 30 Logistics Readiness Squadron’s Deployment and Distribution Flight Commander. He has been stationed there for nearly two years with previous assignments to Luke Air Force Base and Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay. Captain Puskar is currently pursuing his Graduate degree in Logistics and Supply Chain Management through Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. K 37 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
FROM THE FLIGHTLINE
Colorado Regional Quality Assurance By Major Jim Lovewell Bubble gum, rain gutter piping, matches, binoculars, self-inflating life boat and paper clips…all items actor Richard Dean Anderson, a.k.a. “Angus MacGyver”, utilized to save life and limb throughout 139 episodes of the hit television series MacGyver. For those not familiar with the show, the main character had a knack for 21st LRS Air Transporters SrA Keith Noble (left) and SrA Ray Castillo (right) prepare a pallet load for getting out of the most difficult life-threatening evaluation. (Photo by Maj Jim Lovewell) situations with common everyday items. What tance, a thriving QA program helps foster a culture of compliance and does MacGyver have to do with the Air Force and logistics? We are the pursuit of process excellence. QA has been an integral part of the at an important crossroad as the DOD’s budget and manpower pools Maintenance and Fuels community for many years, and has existed in continue to diminish. Despite these constraints, mission demands conLogistics Readiness Squadrons in differing forms since the LRS continue to grow as conflicts around the globe drive robust logistics support cept was launched in 2002. The October 2011 publication of Air Force requirements. Any unnecessary hindrances at the tail end can directly Instruction 20-112, Logistics Readiness Squadron Quality Assurance impact front-line mission support. Our processes must stand up to the Program, was the most definitive step toward formalizing LRS QA prorigor of our dynamic and resource–constrained environment. It isn’t cesses and expectations. AFI 20-112 is a tremendous help in building possible to solely survive, we must thrive…now is the time to look for and standardizing unit QA sections; yet the requirements are difficult novel solutions to the most vexing logistics problems. to implement in smaller or more non-traditionally organized logistics units. The five Front-Range units mentioned While perhaps not as spectacular as the above vary in size from small to medium and plot in each MacGyver episode, several ...[S]everal Colorado-based are tailored to the specific missions each unit Colorado-based Total-Force Air Force loTotal-Force Air Force logistics supports. As a result, these units break the gistics units have come up with an idea to units have come up with an idea mold of a traditional LRS. pool Quality Assurance (QA) resources in an attempt to raise compliance across the to pool Quality Assurance (QA) The “as-is” Quality Assurance Program outboard. Dubbed “Regional QA”, the conresources in an attempt to raise lined in AFI 20-112 is challenging to implecept is now in the first of a six month test ment even within large LRSs, but even more compliance across the board. phase. The results of this effort will be preso for smaller non-traditionally aligned LRS sented to Air Force leaders to help refine units, often with one-deep shops with comthe QA program for small or non-traditionally organized active duty, binations of active duty, Reserve/ANG, federal civilian and contracted Reserve and Guard units. This article is a discussion of what drove the personnel. In many cases, individual Front-Range unit QA programs need to design a modified program, how it is organized and our desired existed on paper, but were unable to fully implement hard-hitting prooutcome. grams necessary to meet the demands of today’s high-op tempo environTo begin, it’s important to understand the basis for Quality Assurance ment. and the operating environment facing three Air Force Space Command logistics units (50 LRS, 460 LRS and 21 LRS), one AFRES unit (302 LRS) and one ANG unit (60 LRS) in the Front-Range region. One of the most important ways we ensure compliance with logistics processes is through QA measures. True, properly trained and motivated professionals are at the core of compliance; however, QA provides an important countermeasure to process deviations. Of the utmost impor38 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
So, what would MacGyver do if faced with the QA challenges presented by Colorado’s logistics units? He would utilize the everyday items around to modify his environment. Let’s look at the challenges faced by the before mentioned non-traditional LRSs. The solution would have to be flexible in order for each unit to de-conflict other activities. The solution could not result in additional manpower or cost. And finally, to preserve the spirit of keeping unit QA a Commander’s Program IAW
LOVEWELL AFI 20-112, LRS/CCs or equivalents would need full latitude to plan and execute a monthly inspection approach. Unlike MacGyver, we were all out of matches, paper clips and self-inflating life boats, but we still worked to develop a solution…what does our solution look like? Unit commanders and QA leads from each organization spent a great deal of time in October-November 2011 discussing options. 10 LRS (USAFA) hosted an AFSO21 event in December 2011 with representatives from each organization to better understand the challenges of AFI 20-112, to decipher the reasons why full implementation at individual units has been slow, and to identify a viable plan for the way forward. The AFSO21 event examined process breakdowns, bottlenecks, nonvalue added workload and critical procedures. Through careful analysis of the “as is” processes, the team emerged with a concept that is already making a difference across Front-Range bases. “Regional QA,” or RQA, is completely voluntary and keeps the program squarely in the Unit Commander’s court. Organization and monthly execution of inspections are facilitated via a lead RQA Section and managed by a LRO, SNCO and NCO. Evaluators from individual units fill in where manpower or functional inabilities exist in the overarching program. Here’s how a notional month of RQA plays out. Unit Commanders gauge the required amount of monthly inspections based on available personnel IAW 20-112 requirements and report this info to the RQA leads. Commanders also include the functional areas their units are able to cover on their own with in-unit qualified QA evaluators. RQA leads then calculate remaining requirements and populate a proposed inspection schedule. After de-confliction with base exercises, inspections, and other operational considerations, unit commanders receive a forecast schedule highlighting unaccounted for functional areas within each unit. The RQA leads then request units to fill in gaps with evaluators and confirm inspection dates. The monthly inspection is then complete. Teams of 10-12 evaluators travel to the units according to the schedule and, fortunately all, participating units are within an hour’s drive of each other. Lastly, the collected information is prepared into individual reports and provided to unit commanders.
Compliance Assessment. Evaluators themselves benefit from seeing firsthand how other units are tackling similar functional challenges at their home unit. Second, centralizing the data collection decreases unit workload and maximizes causal analysis. If a systemic problem is detected, RQA facilitates a formal Root Cause Analysis and corrective actions, thereby decreasing the likelihood of a repeat finding not only in the unit where the problem was detected, but across the included Front-Range units. Finally, because it is comprised of units from both active and Reserve components, RQA provides a valuable Total Force feedback tool to assist shaping current Air Force QA policies to more effectively address small and non-traditionally organized units. AFSPC/A4/7 approved the RQA team with a 6-month test phase. The test period began in March and is conducting monthly evaluations at each unit until August 2012. The lessons learned and data collected at the end of this phase will be used to make recommendations to HQ AFSPC and to Headquarters Air Force on how to improve the QA program. These lessons learned should help to make the Logistics QA program more effective for smaller LRSs, ANG and AFRES units. This innovative approach to Quality Assurance may also set the example for other MAJCOMs and establish a benchmark across the Air Force. Attaining and maintaining compliance is crucial to logistics operations, whether on base or projecting logistics capability downrange. Innovative thinking via the RQA program is a great way to maximize resources available at units across the state of Colorado. We’re excited to launch this new initiative and to help shape the future of logistics compliance Air Force wide. For those old enough to remember episodes of MacGyver, you’ll most likely agree he was an innovative problem solver. In this regard, you probably won’t see a hit television series based on the Front-Range’s RQA program, though we’re very proud of the concept and results thus far. Compliance is at the very core of each logistics process our units undertake and no stone should be left unturned when it comes to honing our workload and procedures. For this reason, using lessons learned to make the Air Force QA program more effective is a very MacGyver-like initiative we’re proud to be piloting.
About the author: Major Jim Lovewell has served in a variety of positions since joining the Air Force in 1997 to include Commander, 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron, RAF Mildenhall and Counterinsurgency Logistics action officer for Multi-National Force Iraq’s (MNF-I) CJ 1/4/8. He is currently the 21st LRS Commander serv21st LRS Supply technicians TSgt Beau Beers (left) and SSgt John Straum (cen- ing at Peterson AFB, Colorado. K
The RQA concept brings with it a host of benefits not available with the traditional single-unit concept. First, opportunities for crosstalk are vastly available when the QA evaluator comes from another unit with a host of new perspectives. The QA inspectors also offer valuable feedback on programs such as safety, emergency manage- ter) prepare for a Quality Assurance Personnel Evaluation. (Photo by Maj Jim ment, self-inspection and Logistics Lovewell)
39 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
FROM THE FLIGHTLINE
From Colorado to Kabul: Denton Movements in Air Force Space Command Air Transportation Specialist assigned to the 460th Logistics Readiness Squadron begin upload of 15 aircraft pallets of humanitarian goods. Pallets are being moved under the authority of the Denton Program. (Photo by A1C Paul Labbe, 460 SW)
By Major John Gustafson and Mr Andrew Mills Over the last two years, a team of 460th Logistics Readiness Squadron (LRS) personnel have been working hard to move humanitarian supplies from the 460th Space Wing at Buckley AFB in Colorado to Afghanistan. This small team of Air Transporters supported various charitable organizations in the critical steps of preparing, staging, and loading cargo onboard
With an intense focus on customer service, both internal and external, the 460 LRS has developed a successful partnership with various contributors to move and distribute over 140,000 pounds of aid throughout the country of Afghanistan. 40 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
military airlift. With an intense focus on customer service, both internal and external, the 460 LRS has developed a successful partnership with various contributors to move and distribute over 140,000 pounds of aid throughout the country of Afghanistan. Everything from water irrigation systems, winter clothing, shoes and children’s toys have all been processed and shipped through Buckley AFB under the Denton Program.
How Denton Works Have you ever been asked by a local organization or someone from your chain of command if your unit can support them moving charitable donations to overseas locations? If you have and did not know how to properly assist them, understanding how the Denton program works will allow you to guide them through the correct way of using Department of Defense transportation to ensure everything is done legally.
The purpose of the Denton Program is to allow private voluntary organizations and non-governmental organizations the authority to transport humanitarian aid at little or no cost to the donor on US military transport assets on a space available basis. The purpose of the Denton Program is to allow private voluntary organizations and nongovernmental organizations the authority to transport humanitarian aid at little or no cost to the donor on US military transport assets on a space available basis. The program is jointly administered by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Department of State (DOS) and Department of Defense
GUSTAFSON (DOD). United States Code, Title 10, Subtitle A, Part I, Chapter 20, Section 402, Transportation of Humanitarian Relief Supplies to Foreign Countries, outlines the DOD’s support for the Denton program. Denton support is strictly monitored by Congress and units need to ensure they comply with the program’s requirements if they are moving donated humanitarian supplies. Annually the Secretary of State is required to submit a report to the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives identifying the origin, contents, destination and disposition of all supplies transported under the program during the 12-month period. Aid organizations must apply for Denton support on-line via the Overseas Humanitarian Assistance Shared Information System located on the Humanitarian Assistance – Transportation website. Donors need to contact the
Denton program officer prior to submitting an application to determine whether the program is possible in the specific country. Applicants must provide a detailed packing list of the goods; identify staff in-country to ensure proper pick-up and distribution of commodities; provide duty-free certification for the country to which the commodities will be shipped; and ensure compliance with all legal requirements in the recipient country. Getting proper coordination completed can be a daunting task. This may be why the majority of donors are from large charitable organizations that have extensive support and contacts to the area where their aid is destined to be delivered. Additionally, donors must submit a report to USAID within 30 days after the goods are moved overseas describing in detail how the humanitarian aid was distributed, and to whom and how the goods were used. This report will be compared with the distribution plan provided as part of the application for transport assistance. Failure to submit the report in a timely manner may result in the donor being disquali-
Eligible commodities must be humanitarian in nature, such as agricultural equipment, medical and educational items, vehicles, non-perishable food and clothing. fied from participating in the Denton Program. The application process typically takes several months. Approval only comes after the package has been coordinated through the USAID, DOS and DOD. Average transportation time varies by location and can take from a couple of weeks to several months. Since transportation is based on space availability it can’t be scheduled, is not guaranteed to occur, and generally is not used in crisis or disaster situations. The program provides
SSgt Steven Bouquet, 460 Logistics Readiness Squadron, inspects a net for damage before tiedown. (Photo by Mr Andrew Mills, 460 LRS)
41 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
FROM THE FLIGHTLINE | FROM COLORADO TO KABUL transportation for approved assistance commodities destined for approved countries. Eligible commodities must be humanitarian in nature, such as agricultural equipment, medical and educational items, vehicles, non-perishable food and clothing. Weights for items to be moved must fall into a minimum of 2,000 pounds to a maximum of 100,000 pounds. Approved countries include those that are supported by DOD transportation services, and where civil systems, local infrastructure and the supply chain will support immediate onward distribution of the commodities once they arrive in country.
Movement to Afghanistan and 460 LRS One of the 460 LRS largest Denton movements to date occurred in the winter of 2010 and was the result of over a year’s worth of planning coordination from an initiative started with CAP Logistics and the Canadian Consulate General. The idea initially started during a planning meeting sketched out on a Starbuck’s© coffee napkin that eventually turned into a nationwide donation drive to collect cold weather clothing, shoes, medical supplies and sporting equipment that would be sent to over fourteen
destinations in Afghanistan. A CAP logistics business development director partnered with multiple organizations all across the United States to collect the humanitarian aid and staffed all the paperwork over twelve months to meet the Denton Program requirements. When CAP Logistics finally received approval for airlift, the operation moved fairly quickly to get the goods to Buckley AFB and the 460 LRS cargo yard for processing.
Andrew Mills, who then started coordinating with all the main players to ensure smooth processing through the Defense Transportation System. CAP Logistics received a donor package from Denton Operations Manager which outlined how to prepare the donated goods for palletization at Buckley AFB, along with the required shipper’s documents. The total amount for movement was six fifty-three foot long trailer loads.
Once the shipment was approved by USTRANSCOM, about a week out from load date, a logistics manager contacted the Airlift Operations Supervisor at Buckley AFB, Mr.
After receiving the notification, the 460 LRS’s three Air Transportation Specialists started mapping out a plan to process the cargo with the donor’s point of contact. Two days prior to airlift departure the Air Transporters escorted the trucks on base and worked the initial inspection with the 460th Security Forces Squadron to ensure each load’s accuracy. Once all the trucks were cleared they moved them to 460 LRS’s cargo yard for download and staging. After all the cargo was downloaded, the team began to mix and match various skids and equipment for build up on 463L pallets for movement. Many of the skids had been sitting in donor’s warehouse for over a year or more and were not in the best condition. Skids were repackaged and inspected to ensure no hazardous material was inadvertently included in the
One of the 460 LRS largest Denton movements to date occurred in the winter of 2010 and was the result of over a year’s worth of planning coordination from an initiative started with CAP Logistics and the Canadian Consulate General.
Boxes of cold weather clothing being consolidated for palletization at Buckley AFB, CO. These items are part of a C-17 load being prepared for shipment to Kabul Afghanistan, Nov 2011. (Photo by Mr Andrew Mills, 460 LRS)
42 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
GUSTAFSON shipment and all cargo met DOD and Denton movement requirements. While the buildup process was occurring, USTRANSCOM routed a C-17 mission to land at Buckley AFB that had the space available to move the 54,000 short tons of cargo being staged. On a cold afternoon in November 2010, the day of actual airlift departure, multiple donor organizations came out to observe the upload of their cargo and take pictures of one of final steps of this year long effort. Dr. Douglas Jackson, President of Project C.U.R.E stated, “When you finally start seeing these big pallets being put on a plane like this and knowing it’s on the way, that is really, really, heartwarming.” Ms. Martha Butwin, Senior International Trade Specialist and the US Department of Commerce remarked, “I feel a sense of accomplishment because this is so important for the people there in Afghanistan and it took so long for the whole process to happen.” In total, the 460 LRS Air Transporters help palletize and ship over 11,000 cold weather coats from the Skiers Association, 10,000 pairs of shoes from Crocs, over 5,000 personal hygiene kits and medical supplies from project C.U.R.E which went to twenty-five hospitals
and clinics. The US Olympic Committee, USA Soccer Association, and the USA Volleyball Association donated equipment to field over 250 teams throughout the country. Additionally, the team processed agricultural seeds and irrigation system equipment that gave Afghan farmers an alternative crop to plant to export on the market along with feeding their communities. Finally, the team shipped 10,000 brand new toys from WalMart’s largest toy supplier to distribute to children in Afghanistan. Mr. Andrew Mills, the Airlift Operations Supervisor in the 460 LRS summed up the squadron’s attitude towards this mission perfectly, “It’s always important when we take the time to help others. If we can take a small role in that from home station to assist our deployed troops and to the civilians in Afghanistan it’s always a benefit.” It’s the team effort displayed across a range of organizations in the US and other countries that make the Denton Program work at Buckley AFB. Based on the performance of the hard working logisticians in the 460 LRS this small team of Air Transportation Specialists have earned a reputation of world class mission support for Denton movements. Although the
process and coordination to get the movements approved can be long for the donors, the Air Operations team is always eager any day of the year to assist processing these missions. Over that last few years the team has executed nine missions to support locations in Afghanistan and South America. Currently, the team is in coordination with the HELP charity of Colorado for another potential move in the spring or summer of 2012. The team is ready to make a difference one pallet at time. A CAP Logistics video of the how the entire event was organized and staged is available on youtube at the following URL: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=xnv-CgS1arg. About the authors: Major John Gustafson has been a Logistics Readiness Officer for twelve years and has served in multiple Wing level assignments in PACAF, ACC, AMC, and AFSPC. He is currently the 460th Logistics Readiness Squadron Commander at buckley AFB. Mr Andrew Mills retired from active duty after 21 years as a Air Transportation Craftsman. He is currently the Airlift Operations Supervisor for the 460th Space Wing, 460th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Buckley AFB. K
Aerowing Ad
43 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
EXPEDITIONARY LOGISTICS
Operation NEW DAWN: Last Night, Last Flight By Lieutenant Colonel Richard L. Apple I deployed to Imam Ali Air Base, also known as Contingency Operating Base (COB) Adder, in July of 2011. This was the beginning of my fourth deployment to the AFCENT AOR since the beginning of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM in 2001. While it was my first command tour in the AOR, I fully expect44 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
ed it to be a normal rotation; eat, sleep, work, wash, rinse, repeat until told to catch the next rotator home. Little did I know that my future would hold one of the most rewarding professional experiences of my Air Force career. My assignment at Ali Base/COB Adder was as the Commander of the 407th Expeditionary Support Squadron (ESPTS), known as the “Spartans.” Upon arrival, I was intrigued to find the Spartans were responsible for billeting of AF troops, MWR, education services, personnel (PERSCO), munitions, POL, supply, logistics plans, communications (to include Combat Communications), aerial port, vehicle management, and TMO. Needless to say, as “Spartan 1,” my dance card was full. Working alongside me and leading the “Gunslingers” of the 407th EOSS was Lt Col William “Data” Bryant (Gunslinger 1), a Viper driver deployed from Osan AB. The Gunslingers had the monumental task of providing civil engineering, EOD, crash, fire, rescue, airfield management, transient alert, air traffic control, and airfield security. I couldn’t have asked for a better counterpart, or the leader we both served. Col Theodore “Ted” Mathews (Warrior 1), a mobility pilot, was our boss, and commander of
the 407th Air Expeditionary Group. While he was the Senior Airfield Authority (SAA), and the ranking Airman on Ali Base/COB Adder, we all worked to support the 321st AEW and the 9th AETF-I in support of Operation NEW DAWN (OND).
We got lean, efficient, and we prepared by shipping out anything not absolutely necessary to maintaining SAA. Since I was on the ground in the second half of 2011, I suspected to be involved in the drawdown and eventual withdrawal of US forces from Iraq. However, as I helped review and refine our drawdown plans, Warrior 1 called Gunslinger and I to his office. Col Mathews told us, “Gentlemen, we’re going to take pause our withdrawal efforts, as the Iraqi and US governments are discussing the possibility of staying past the 2011 deadline.” Needless to say, Warrior 1 had given us some pretty difficult news to deal with. If we were to stay, we need-
APPLE ed to stop our retrograde activities immediately and try to get some capability back. However, if we stopped the drawdown, how do we restart without having a bottleneck of people and cargo at the end? I felt as if I was stuck in the Clash’s classic song, “Should I Stay, or Should I Go?” Thank goodness we had the leadership we did. Col Mathews, and his Deputy Lt Col Mike Haddock, kept us moving forward by continuously refining our plan and updating the Time Phased Force Deployment Data (TPFDD), while at the same time preserving our capabilities to execute the mission for either potential outcome. We got lean, efficient, and we prepared by shipping out anything not absolutely necessary to maintaining SAA. Finally, we received some good news; we would execute a complete withdrawal from Iraq. However, we also received some not so good news; we had 6 weeks to do it, and, by the way, there are approximately 40,000 troops in the country, and most of them are heading south and will transit our location. Good thing Col Mathews had taken the deliberate and detailed
...[W]e rehearsed, almost daily, our plan to consecutively drawdown the 407th AEG from approximately 300 people at execution to 62 people on the last airplane out. approach that he did, because we were postured to execute the drawdown. To make a long story short, we rehearsed, almost daily, our plan to consecutively drawdown the 407th AEG from approximately 300 people at execution to 62 people on the last airplane out. I can’t stress this enough, our ability to successfully accomplish our mission hinged on constant mission rehearsal and immediate feedback from all parties up and down the chain. Over the 6 weeks we actively executed the plan; we conducted rehearsals daily. Col Mathews ensured everyone knew their job and where and when to do it. We performed what I call a “violent bal-
let” of redeployment every hour of every day, and for the first time in my career, we executed our plan exactly as we sequenced it. Of course, the timing changed almost daily due to aircraft availability, weather, and other outside factors, but we executed as planned! What a rewarding experience, and for us at Ali, we were witnessing mission execution in a very real and tangible way. Every day, there were fewer and fewer people on the base. We went from a high of approximately 13,000 troops near the beginning of the drawdown, to what looked like a ghost town at the end. What an incredibly satisfying accomplishment, and all of it culminated on 17 December 2011, the last day for the last base supporting Operation NEW DAWN. I awoke around 0500L on that last day. I looked around my room, and realized that by that evening, an Iraqi could very well be living there. As planned, I left any personal items I didn’t need as a gift to the Iraqi Air Force. Soap, towels, toothpaste, you name it, I wouldn’t need it anymore. I got into the 2006 Ford Ranger I
Col Ted Mathews conducts final mission rehearsal with 407th AEG Leaders. (Photo courtesy of Lt Col Michael Haddock.)
45 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
EXPEDITIONARY LOGISTICS | OPERATION NEW DAWN had been assigned, and drove to my office at the Air Terminal. I parked and left the keys in the ignition, another gift to the Iraqis. This particular Ranger had been running with the “check engine” light on for weeks, and was beyond economical repair. Thanks to American engineering, it kept going for that last ride. I arrived at work, put my bags on the baggage pallet and went about my routine of checkingin with all my supervisors. That was a pretty easy task, as there were only 15 Spartans left. My mission for the day, which we rehearsed to the point each of us could recite it from memory, was to support two C-130s, two C-17s, and four Blackhawks. We planned this operation to the exact detail. We would support the two C-130s, and one C-17 (for the final US Army airlift) with full airfield security, air traffic control, and crash, fire & rescue. The final C-17 (ours) would assume all the risk as the final 62 Airmen of the 407th AEG, and the last OND Airmen in Iraq, departed the AOR for final time. We had our plan, and now we execute! Our Airmen would be home for Christmas. “Spartan 1, Warrior 1,” my radio crackled to life. “Spartan 1, go ahead,” I responded. “Posit?” “ATOC.” “Meet me in the command post ASAP, Warrior 1 out,” Col Mathews stated. I was thinking that this couldn’t be good. “The C-17 for Army troops is hard broke and can’t
make it, our bird is also delayed, I want you to execute our alternate plan, and break all the loads down to C-130 sized load plans,” stated Col Mathews. “Boss,” I said, “this is the last night of OND, there’s no way our brothers in AMC and the AMD [Air Mobility Division] are going to let us down. Give it an hour or so, we’ll have our birds.” I know it’s hokey, but in the heat of the moment, that’s exactly what I said, and guess what? I was right. Just as it had been going all along, our plan remained intact, and went off as planned. At approximately 2000L, I watched a C-17 loaded with US Army troops and cargo break ground and head south. What a beautiful sight! “Spartan 1, Warrior 1,” said Col Mathews over the radio. “GO!” When the firefighters standing next to me heard the call, they sprang into life! With a loud war cry, “YEEEAAAAHHHH!” they broke down their equipment, offloaded water and foam from their trucks, and loaded them on US Army Heavy Equipment Transport trucks for their trip south. They had rehearsed this time and again and set a new record of 15 minutes. Concurrently, they emptied their breathing air, packed the final ISU90, and high-tailed it to the waiting aircraft. The Spartans of the Aerial Port built, weighed and loaded the final pallets, and started walking passengers to the aircraft. Simultaneously, our Air Traffic Controllers descended from the
tower, hopped into a vehicle with the final SF troops and collapsed our perimeter down to the final aircraft. While all of this went on, I, accompanied by SMSgt Ronnie Sturgill (407th ESPTS Superintendant), locked the flightline gate, and began the final sweep of the air terminal and compound. I don’t have the words to describe how surreal it felt to walk through that area one last time. There was no one left. No equipment, no people, nothing! As I walked through the passenger terminal one last time, a shiver ran up my spine. What had been a bustling, chaotic place with thousands of people transiting over the past years was now empty. All I could hear was my own footsteps and the faint hum of a generator outside. “Warrior 1, Spartan 1,” I said into the radio. “Warrior 1, go ahead,” responded Col Mathews. “All clear,” is all I had to say. “Copy, proceed to my location,” radioed the Colonel. And with that, I closed the passenger terminal door behind me and walked with my boss across the flightline toward the C-17. As we walked, one of our defenders walked backward behind us, M4 at low ready, covering our departure. I arrived at the aircraft, shook Warrior 1’s hand, saluted and mounted the stairs.
AIRCRAFT: C-17 Tail #66159 CALL SIGN: CROME 26 (not a misspelling) WHEELS UP: 2124L/17 Dec 11 L to R: Lt Col Mike Haddock and Lt Col Rich DESTINATION: Kuwait Apple aboard the final flight on the final night of OND (courtesy Lt Col Rich Apple)
46 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
About the author: Lieutenant Colonel Richard L. Apple is commander of the 30th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, CA. In this capacity, he is responsible for Air Force Space Command’s largest vehicle fleet in excess of 650 General and Special Purpose vehicles, and a base supply activity of nearly 100 million dollars. Additionally, he manages technical aspects of the Department of Defense’s sole Hypergolic Fuels Storage Facility valued in excess of 65 million dollars in support of spacelift for the United States Government, commercial activities, and international partners. K
Developing affordable and more reliable F3 avionics solutions for F-16 operators and maintainers worldwide
Battelle’s Capabilities Industrial Process Improvements Q Material & Processes Q Corrosion Prevention Compounds Q Energy & Environmental Management Technology Modernization Obsolescence Avoidance Q LRU/System Redesign for Sustainment Q BCA/ROI Development Q
Structural Health Management Corrosion Sensors Q Probabilistic Modeling Q Condition Based Monitoring Q
; 5HOLDELOLW\ ,PSURYHPHQW KUV MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) /LIH &\FOH &RVW /&& VDYLQJV HVWLPDWH IRU WKH $LU )RUFH 0 RYHU \HDUV
Accelerating Innovation National security and defense demand innovation and creativity. Battelle delivers. Battelle accelerates science and technology to meet the needs of our clients. From system structural health management and technology insertion to industrial process improvements, we deliver reliability and affordability. Battelle’s wide range of research and development capabilities and vast industry experience ensure operational and fiscal success. Learn more about how Battelle develops and delivers comprehensive solutions for today’s most complex defense challenges.
800.201.2011
solutions@battelle.org
www.battelle.org
Photo: U.S. Air Force
F-16 Aft Seat HUD Monitor
MAJCOM
Gaining “Perspective” From an ALEET Participant
Personnel from the LOA Cajun, Crossroads, and McConnell 48 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012 Chapters visit Bldg 3001 at “Hollywood and Vine,” Tinker AFB (Photo by Mr. Gary Smith)
By Captain Scott R. Eberle As a core 61S participating in the Acquisition Logistics Experience Exchange Tour (ALEET) program, the aircraft maintenance world has provided me with a broader view of the Air Force mission. This was certainly the case during my recent trip to Tinker AFB with the Cajun Chapter of the LOA. This was my first opportunity to see the base and its facilities. After a day touring Bldg 3001, and viewing the KC-135, B-1, and B-52 Programmed Depot Maintenance (PDM) lines, I was amazed by the sheer volume of work occurring. Perspectives are often defined as “points of view” or “insights” which provide an individual a new or different understanding of a process, action, or situation. Here is what I found… The Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center (OC-ALC) is headquartered in the historic Bldg 3001, which covers over 62 acres and spans seven tenths of a mile
EBERLE
(traversable by foot, bike, or golf cart – yes, golf cart!). Within the complex, highly trained technicians perform maintenance on aircraft, engines, components, and accessories. Without prior knowledge of the OC-ALC, it was nearly impossible to imagine the volume of work occurring daily.
From an operational standpoint, the center manages an inventory of 2,261 aircraft including the B-1, B-2, B-52, C/KC-135, E-3 and an additional 25 other Contractor Supported Weapon System (CSWS) aircraft. The OC-ALC also manages an inventory of nearly 23,000 jet engines that range from the Korean conflict vintage Allison J33 (T-33) to state-of-the-art engines such as the B-2’s F118. Missile systems manAs a maintenance officer at Barksdale AFB, aged by the center include the Air Launched I deal daily with the frustrations of slipped Cruise Missile, Conventional Air Launched I was amazed to see that the PDM returns, part supply constraints, and Cruise Missile, Harpoon and Advanced depot lines and logistics chains requests for depot-level assistance (Form Cruise Missiles. Airborne accessories manwere reaching goals “above 107s). Traveling to the ALC for the visit, agement includes accountability and responcontract” and “under” timelines. I was looking forward to gaining a broader sibility for over 24,000 different avionics and understanding of why our unit was having accessories components. The OC-ALC emissues procuring assets and receiving aircraft ploys nearly 16,000 Airmen, Civil Service from PDM on time. After spending 10 hours at Tinker AFB, listen- and contractors. Altogether, the OC-ALC provides Air Force leadering to four mission briefs, and having multiple interactions with skilled ship the capability to forecast fleet-wide issues; crucial to preserving workers, I was amazed to see that the depot lines and logistics chains our aging aircraft until their respective retirement dates. Additionally, a were reaching goals “above contract” and “under” timelines. Supply depot-level AFSO21 initiative such as “High Velocity Maintenance” has chains were working efficiently, providing necessary parts to base level increased efficiency of B-1, B-52, and KC-135 PDM lines – some over users. I thought: surely something must be wrong! After some reflection 45% as presented during this tour. Simply put, more aircraft, engines I finally figured it out; the only thing wrong was my one-sided perspec- and parts make it through depot-level maintenance in less time, resulttive. This fact alone convinced me to write this article. In fact, the very ing in greater aircraft availability and more hours to fly than before. same issues that I deal with from my standpoint as a maintenance operations officer, the OC-ALC deals with as well. They have been forced Tactically, the OC-ALC has one of the finest logistical operations in the to work within a truncated budget, struggled with manning cuts and world, with more than 16,000 military and civilians working around the consolidations, and have dealt with parts requisitions complications, just clock performing maintenance, logistics and acquisition actions. There is as everyone else. Furthermore, their issues are on an even larger scale. not a better location where such diverse career fields are interacting in Take for instance the B-52 PDM line. Not only are they required under harmony to facilitate the OC-ALC mission: “Deliver and sustain comcontract to produce a specified number of bat-ready air power ... anytime, anywhere”. They have been forced to work Fully Mission Capable aircraft back to the As leaders in the logistics community, it is fleet, but also deal with a backlog of aircraft within a truncated budget, important to remember what we often reresulting from a fleet reduction followed by a struggled with manning cuts fer to as the “big picture” regardless of what plus-up. The result was a number of groundand consolidations, and have level we sustain the fleet; tactical, operaed aircraft due to overdue inspections. The dealt with parts requisitions tional, or strategic. Sometimes, a logistical fix? More aircraft through depot. Now the issue that we see at the tactical level is not complications, just as everyone B-52 PDM line is working at an accelerated necessarily an issue for those working at the else. pace, well above its yearly contract to allevioperational level. Are there issues that need ate this backlog. to get resolved between the two levels? Yes. As members of the profession of arms, we see these processes from a Do they have a potential to create consternation between organizations? military-centric “perspective”. A visit to Tinker AFB and the OC-ALC Sure. The fact of the matter remains; everyone in today’s Air Force is can offer young Airmen the opportunity to see how logistics provides required to deal with budget and manning constraints. We must consupport at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels. tinue to prioritize our requirements and learn to adapt and overcome more than ever before. As leaders we will continue to be tested, to think From a strategic standpoint, the OC-ALC is the largest ALC in Air outside the box, and must remain cognizant of issues that arise at tactiForce Materiel Command and provides management expertise, depot cal, operational and strategic levels. After all, isn’t that what it means to maintenance, information support, and installation services for 31 weap- gain “perspective”? on systems, 10 MAJCOMs, 93 Air Force bases and 46 foreign nations. Additionally, it is the worldwide manager for a broad range of aircraft, About the Author: Captain Scott R. Eberle is the Maintenance Operations engines, missiles, software, avionics and accessories. The OC-ALC pro- Officer of the 2d Maintenance Squadron, Barksdale AFB. He is serving an vides the Air Force and Navy with aircraft and engines to forward oper- Acquisition and Logistics Experience Exchange Tour (ALEET) with a core ating locations around the world. The depot lines at Tinker AFB offer AFSC in Scientific Analysis (61S). K combatant commanders a ready fleet of bomber, ISR and airlift aircraft. 49 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
MAJCOM
Space-Based Infrared System Survivable Endurable Evolution (S2E2): A Logistics Parable By Lieutenant Nina Rourke The Air Force’s Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) is one of the nation’s highest priority space programs. It is designed to provide global and persistent infrared surveillance capabilities to meet 21st century missile warning, missile defense, technical intelligence, and battlespace awareness demands. Part of the SBIRS’s architecture includes a Survivable/Endurable (S/E) Integrated Tactical Warning and Attack Assessment (ITW/AA) Mobile Ground System (MGS). The SBIRS MGS is the operational S/E element of SBIRS, and the nation’s only S/E ITW/AA sensor system. It is the critical Situation Monitoring element in three national-level architectures: ITW/AA System, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) Critical Nodes, and Nuclear Command and Control System (NCCS). The MGS provides a unique and necessary capability that was developed for the Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite constellation and requires modifications to support the SBIRS Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) constellation. 50 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
The SBIRS Sustainment Office, located at Peterson AFB, is responsible for sustainment of all SBIRS fixed site and S/E ground stations including all DSP legacy equipment. In this role, the office is responsible for depot-level maintenance, supply chain management, and worldwide contractor logistics support. For several years the SBIRS Sustainment Support Program had been studying the feasibility of upgrading and modernizing the current MGS units. Beginning in 2002, studies were conducted to recommend modernizing MGS’s hardware and software; however, the AF was not the only service requiring upgrades. Along with the AF, the Army was also receiving DSP data via their Joint Tactical Groundstations ( JTAGS). Joint Tactical Groundstations have been the Army’s theater missile processing elements for years, providing commanders with battlefield DSP capability by directly processing data from satellites.The Army and AF agreed on what seemed like an ideal solution: the Multi-mission Mobile Processor (M3P), which would replace the Army’s JTAGS and the AF’s MGSs for peacetime and wartime op-
Above: The Mobile Ground System Crew Quarters Vehicle, Mobile Ground Terminal, and Crew Support Vehicle. Photo courtesy of SMC/ISL.
erations. The M3Ps would initially work with the DSP constellation, but would be upgraded to operate with SBIRS. The plan was for nine stations to be built: five for the Army (which would fulfill the theater mission) and four for the Air Force (which would fulfill the strategic mission), with both services sharing technology and development costs. The Army managed the actual acquisition, and the AF provided funding, but the M3P ended up being based primarily on Army requirements. This was because a thorough set of S/E requirements proved difficult to obtain, and those that were provided were a challenge for the Army to accept. The S/E requirements did not amalgamate well with the Army’s requirements, and they were wary of the M3P over-performing. In an effort to incorporate all of the Army’s and AF’s requirements, the cost of the M3P continued to rise and the delivery dates pushed into the future. To make matters worse, the Army was forced to continue upgrading its
ROURKE JTAGS so that when the first DSP-only M3P was ready to be delivered, it did not perform as well as the upgraded JTAGS. The AF was also skeptical about M3P’s feasibility because there was a long list of S/E requirements that the M3P couldn’t meet. The goal of an acquisition is to design, develop, test, produce, field, sustain, and improve modifications of cost-effective systems that meet the user’s peacetime and wartime readiness requirements, but the M3P did not achieve that goal. Requirement creep can sometimes be a good thing, but in the case of the M3P, it proved perilous. The M3P had been an attempt to create a MGS and JTAGS replacement, but rising costs and schedule delays left the M3P program unfunded and the future of the MGS once again in jeopardy and under study. After the M3P de-scoping, a new MGS upgrade approach was still needed, and SBIRS Sustainment set out to provide one. The SBIRS Sustainment Office recommended a phased approach for evolving the current MGS to sustainable technologies while maintaining compatibility with the legacy system and providing compatibility with SBIRS GEO satellites. The result of the study was the SBIRS Survivable Endurable Evolution (S2E2), a solution that was projected to be half the cost of the M3P program but would upgrade the MGS by meeting all of the new and legacy requirements. The S2E2 project is a modification that will consist
The goal of an acquisition is to design, develop, test, produce, field, sustain, and improve modifications of cost-effective systems that meet the user’s peacetime and wartime readiness requirements of replacing a 20+ year old system with a modern mission processing system to meet present and future mission requirements, including the capability for sustainment through at least 2020. Five MGS Force Packages (FPAKs) will be upgraded to form the modified S2E2 Mobile Ground System (SMGS). The S2E2 modification plan is a cost-effective solution to a complex problem. Working with the existing SBIRS software (rather than starting from scratch) and tailoring it to meet S2E2’s unique needs results in an effective and affordable solution. Merely understanding S2E2’s requirements, including knowing where they came from and why they are necessary, is a large part of the battle—one that SBIRS Sustainment has conquered by working very closely with the Community of Interest (CoI) in development of S2E2’s requirements. Constant collaboration with users and stakeholders is the key to a successful S2E2 modification.
S2E2’s project team accomplishes this by using Integrated Decision Teams (IDTs) to identify and resolve program issues at the lowest possible level. If issues can’t be resolved through the IDT process, they are presented to the Integrated Project Team (IPT), whose job it is to make decisions and recommendations based on input from the CoI, which consists of all stakeholders and team members. The story of S2E2 is a lesson in the importance of collaboration and communication. Without these, acquisitions can fail and programs can get canceled, putting National Security at risk. However when users and buyers work together as a team, projects can become successful, enhancing value while reducing total cost, improving quality, minimizing schedule, and delivering a product that meets everyone’s requirements. Collaborative working should be the first and most important concern for each element of every project. Putting it into practice through teamwork requires real commitment from all parties involved, but brings benefits that far outweigh the effort involved. About the author: Lt Nina Rourke is a Mobile Ground Systems Engineer at the SBIRS Sustainment Office, Peterson AFB. K
Below: The Multi-mission Mobile Processor parked outside the Centralized Integration Support Facility, Peterson AFB, CO. Photo courtesy of SMC/ISL.
51 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
MAJCOM
Are You Ready to Kick Some “ACSA?” By Mr. Ron Yakkel Around the globe, the US Armed Forces and many of our allies and partners are taking advantage of the ever-increasing flexibility offered by Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreements (ACSAs). An ACSA may also be called a Mutual Logistics Support Agreement or a Logistics Support Agreement, depending upon which partner country the agreement is with. As Shakespeare once wrote, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” In other words, the name of the agreement does not matter, just the fact that each represents a bilateral agreement between the Department of Defense (DOD) and a foreign military defense establishment.
plified acquisition process for LSSS as a number of contracting requirements do not apply to ACSA transactions. Similarly, although LSSS can be provided to partner countries through other authorities, including authorities in the Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act, ACSAs provide a simplified approach to fill discrete LSSS requirements that can be implemented quickly and at relatively low levels.
In some cases, Acquisition Authority may be all a US commander needs to support a particular operation. An ACSA is not a prerequisite for this type of authority and may be attained at the Geographic Combatant Commander (GCC) level. The Acquisition Authority provided by 10 U.S.C. 2341 is only used to acquire LSSS to support US forces deployed outside the US, First and foremost, it provides and is implemented via contracts or interour forces with the “legal national agreements; however, the statutory authority” to mutually exchange authority provides that certain requirements logistics, support, supplies and of standard DOD contracts do not apply to services (LSSS) with partner such acquisitions (See 10 U.S.C. 2343).
So, how did ACSAs evolve into what they are today? During the 1970s, troop reductions in Europe led to an increased reliance on NATO forces for logistics support. In 1980, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Mutual Support Act (NMSA) was passed to provide simplified authority for acquiring NATO support. In 1982, forces on NMSA morphed into ACSA and over time significantly expanded its benefit, making it a tool of choice for commanders operating around the world.
a reimbursable basis.
What’s the big deal? Why is an ACSA important? First and foremost, it provides our forces with the “legal authority” to mutually exchange logistics, support, supplies and services (LSSS) with partner forces on a reimbursable basis. Believe it or not, DOD must have legal authority to engage in mil-to-mil buying, selling, loaning and reciprocal provision of support to another country. An ACSA is comprised of both Acquisition Authority (allows us to buy LSSS) and Cross-Servicing Authority (allows us to provide LSSS on a reciprocal basis), two distinct legal authorities under 10 U.S.C. subchapter 1 to chapter 138 (10 U.SC. 2341 and 10 U.S.C. 2342). Although US forces may contract for acquisition of support under other statutes, the ACSA authorities provide a sim52 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
You may be wondering how an ACSA is used. The ACSA allows US forces and partner nations to mutually exchange LSSS using one of three methods of reimbursement: cash, equal value exchange, or replacement in kind. What sort of LSSS are we talking about? A broad range of items from food, transportation, fuel, billeting, security services, maintenance, port services, to ammunition, loan of fire-fighting equipment, construction, and laundry and storage services to name a few. Items that cannot be provided under an ACSA include major weapon systems, other major end items, guided missiles/kits, “initial” spares, and chemical, biological and nuclear ammunition. In recent years, section 1202 of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY07, as amended, known as “Enhanced ACSA,” was added and allows GCC to loan certain Significant Military Equipment (SME) for
YAKKEL personnel protection and survivability to coalition partners in Afghanistan and in UN peacekeeping missions in which the United States is participating. Section 1203 of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY11 was later added to support coalition partners further by loaning of certain SME for training prior to deployment to Afghanistan so that partner forces would know how to use the equipment they would be provided in combat or for the peacekeeping mission before they deployed into theater.
noting is the US-Australia Talisman Sabre Exercise, where ACSA transactions have grown, over three iterations, from satisfying 5% of the logistics requirements for US Forces to nearly 85%, saving tremendous transportation costs and significantly reducing the logistics tail for the exercise.
[A]n ACSA enhances operational readiness, provides cost effective mutual support, reduces the logistics tail, provides flexibility to the commander, affords global coverage, and increases interoperability.
Although obtaining an ACSA is not an overnight process, GCC ACSA managers are well equipped to negotiate an agreement and navigate the approval “waters” that flow through the Joint Staff, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Department of State. The entire process, to include eligibility determination, Congressional notification, concluding negotiations, obtaining signatures, and all the legal reviews, may take up to 120-days. Is it worth the effort? Yes. The ninety-six ACSAs shown in the figure below are a good indicator of their value. What are the benefits to having one of these agreements? In short, an ACSA enhances operational readiness, provides cost effective mutual support, reduces the logistics tail, provides flexibility to the commander, affords global coverage, and increases interoperability. While there are numerous examples of ACSAs paying enormous dividends, one worth
This article was intended to “whet your appetite” regarding the benefits of having an ACSA with a partner nation. It is also important to note that while these agreements provide huge benefits, they’re limited to logistic support, supplies, and services, and do not provide a “total package approach,” and therefore are not intended to replace the Foreign Military Sales Process. For more information on the benefits of ACSA, visit the Joint Staff ACSA Wiki Site at https://www.intelink.gov/wiki/ Acquisition_and_Cross-Servicing_Agreements_%28ACSA%29. About the Author: Ron Yakkel was a career logistician and served nearly twenty-nine years before retiring as Colonel from the USAF. His last four years of service were as Chief, Multinational Logistics and Technology Division, United States Pacific Command. Colonel (ret) Yakkel is currently an instructor and Asia-Pacific Regional Seminar Director at the Defense Institute for Security Assistance Management located at Wright-Patterson AFB. K
ACSAs by Combatant Commander Ireland*
96 Agreements
Bulgaria Belgium
NAMO Denmark
Norway Austria Netherlands Luxembourg France
(*31 w/expiration dates)
Bosnia & Herzegovina* Germany SHAPE United Kingdom Sweden* NAMSO Czech Republic pub Spain Portugal Croatia*
NORTHCOM JFCOM (2) (1) Canada
JS J4 (1) ACT T
SOUTHCOM SOUTHCOM(8)(7) El Salvador* Argentina Honduras* Nicaragua
Dominican Republic* Colombia* Chile Peru
Estonia Finland
NC3O Latvia Lithuania
EUCOM (44)
Date: 23 March 2012
Switzerland Slovenia* Israel Albania Rep of Macedonia Ukraine Montenegro Armenia* Moldova* Azerbaijan* Serbia Georgia* Romania*
Poland
Italy Slovakia Greece Turkey Hungary
PACOM (14) PACOM (9)
AFRICOM (20) Senegal Tunisia Uganda* Chad* Ghana* Rwanda* Mali Mozambique DROC South Africa Cape Verde* Liberia Botswana* Gabon Ethiopia* Benin Burkina Faso Djibouti Mauritania Sao Tome & Principe
CENTCOM (8) Afghanistan* Bahrain Jordan Qatar* Kazakhstan* Lebanon
Japan Korea Thailand* Philippines* Brunei* Mongolia* Tonga Sri Lanka* Australia New Zealand* Malaysia Singapore Indonesia Maldives
Uzbekistan* UAE
53 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
MAJCOM
AFSPC Logistics Panel
Resourcing Space and Cyber Sustainment Capabilities for the Warfighter
By Mr. Brad Leonard & Mr. Tony Mauna
AFSPC Logistics Panel Background
Whether you realize it or not, 21st century culture is profoundly reliant on space and cyber capabilities. It is easy to take these capabilities for granted. Common everyday uses such as satellite television, Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation, GPS timing signals for pay-atthe-pump transactions, internet enabled smartphones and tablets, and social media capabilities such as Facebook and Twitter, are embedded in the very fabric of our lives.
Prior to 2005, individual MAJCOMs owned Weapon System Sustainment (WSS) funding (Depot Purchased Equipment Maintenance, Contract Logistics Support, Sustaining Engineering, and Technical Orders) within their own Total Obligation Authority (TOA). The AF realized that this construct was not optimal for AF resources or for the warfighter. In many cases, MAJCOMs used WSS funding to pay other bills within their own command. Program Offices and depot workload planners had a complicated task managing to ever-changing MAJCOM funding lines. Then in 2005, an Expeditionary Logistics for the 21st Century (eLog21) initiative called the Future Financials (now known as Centralized Asset Management (CAM)) concept, aimed to manage Weapon System Sustainment (WSS) dollars from a decentralized to an enterprise approach. While most of AF Material Command (AFMC) managed programs moved into CAM, active duty AFSPC programs did not. As a result, sustainment resource advocacy of the space (and later cyber) domain often becomes lost behind its air domain brethren.
Professional logisticians are also reliant on space and cyber capabilities. Imagine if there were no weather satellites telling your base of an impending hurricane five days before it hits. Imagine if aircraft maintainers could not access electronic technical data due to a denial of service cyber attack. Or imagine if you couldn’t access key logistics applications such as the Integrated Maintenance Data System (IMDS), Combat Ammunition System (CAS), Cargo Movement Operations System (CMOS), or the Logistics Installations & Mission Support – Executive View (LIMS-EV ) due to expired licenses. The warfighter also realizes space and cyber capabilities are a force multiplier. These capabilities transcend all boundaries and are simultaneously tactical, strategic, local, and global. Capabilities such as missile warning, missile defense, satellite and network communications, weather, navigation, space access, space surveillance, and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) help give the US and its allies a distinctive advantage over its adversaries. In January 2012, the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) announced a new DoD strategy that fortified this warfighter advantage. SECDEFs strategy highlighted that “modern armed forces cannot conduct high-tempo, effective operations without reliable information and communication networks and assured access to cyberspace and space.” Advocating resources for the sustainment of these capabilities is where the AF Space Command (AFSPC) Logistics Panel steps in.
54 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
In 2009, Ms. Chris Puckett, then the Director of Logistics, Installations, and Mission Support at AFSPC, established the AFSPC Logistics Panel in an effort to bridge the gap between air, space, and cyber resource advocacy. Modeled after the Headquarters AF’s Logistics Panel, the AFSPC Logistics Panel sponsors all space and cyber logistics initiatives thru the AFSPC Corporate Structure, CAM Governance Structure, and multiple key WSS players.
What we do – POM advocacy While AFSPC follows CAM procedures as the AF WSS executive agent, the majority of the Space and Cyber sustainment portfolio is not within CAM. AFSPC is considered its own Fundsholder (owns its TOA), Lead Command, and the Space and Cyber Core Function Lead Integrator (CFLI) in the CAM process. To those not familiar with the Space and Cyber sustainment portfolio, how does one know if the AF is properly resourcing warfighter needs?
LEONARD & MAUNA It comes down to each program’s health assessment based on Performance Based Outcomes (PBOs) and overall Weapon System Agreements (WSA). Each program office establishes an agreement between the logistics and operational community on the sustainment metrics of the program. Based on requirements brochures established in the Centralized Access For Data Exchange (CAFDEx) system, each program assigns a Red, Yellow, or Green health assessment based on PBO and WSA criteria. Ultimately, each dollar gained or lost represents warfighter capability gained or lost. For example, based on PBO/ WSA agreements, if a program needs $5M to get from Red to Yellow health assessment, then the Logistics Panel quantifies what that $5M would buy the AF in terms of warfighter capability. Perhaps it is 30 critical software changes which will enable a certain amount of increased operational availability for critical theater operations. Or perhaps it is five Information Assurance (IA) packages that ensures the program reduces vulnerabilities and maintains DoD Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process (DIACAP) accreditation. Quantifying warfighter sustainment capability is key in resource advocacy. We then consolidate all quantified and approved AFSPC shortfalls and submit them (in appropriate format) thru the AFSPC Corporate Structure and CAM Governance Structure for resourcing decisions. Ultimately, the Air Force Corporate Structure has the final say on how much risk the AF corporately is willing to take on Space and Cyber readiness. They will have all the information needed to make an informed decision.
What we do – End to End Requirement Reviews During the FY12 POM, a 4-star CORONA summit tasked the WSS enterprise to find efficiencies over the Future Years Defense Program
(FYDP) due to new fiscal realities for the AF. Since then, during the annual AFSPC Logistics Support Review (LSR), the Logistics Panel meets with Space and Missile Center (SMC) and Electronic Systems Center (ESC)’s sustainment managers to scrub each program for efficiencies from End to End (E2E). During the E2E review, we look for efficiencies including: reducing multiple software releases to one annual release, reducing requirements to 3 year historical averages, scrubbing overhead for programs that combine operational and depot level maintenance, strategically grouping similar IA accreditation packages, fact of life changes, removing placeholder/un-executable tasks, removing contractor transition costs, and adjustments due to execution year buydowns. Because of the FY12 E2E, the AFSPC Logistics Panel exceeded its bogey in determining requirement efficiencies that helped meet the overall CORONA task.
Future Challenges – Normalizing Cyber Sustainment In 2010, General Norman Schwartz, Air Force Chief of Staff, stated, “We must treat our computers and networks similarly to our aircraft, satellites, and missiles. To this end, operations and maintenance will follow standards governed by a tight system of regulations and technical orders.” Subsequently, Lieutenant General Balsa, Vice Commander of Air Force Space Command, tasked his Director of Logistics, Installations, and Mission Support to normalize cyber sustainment for the Air Force. As Cyber continues to merge into the logistics portfolio, the AFSPC Logistics Panel aims to treat resourcing Cyber sustainment capabilities the same as its Space counterpart: Quantify cyber’s warfighting capability while at the same time, reduce its logistics footprint over the FYDP. Without Space and Cyber Sustainment, the capabilities that the warfighter, logistics professionals, and the world depend on, would drastically change how we operate.
About the authors: Mr. Brad Leonard is currently the AFSPC Logistics Panel Analyst. Prior to his current assignment, he was a Program Element Monitor (PEM) for ECSS, MRAP, SDT, and the acting Logistics Panel POC at HAF A4/7. Mr. Leonard was also a 2010 Maj Gen Saunders Chapter Distinguished Service Award winner and is currently the Pikes Peak LOA Chapter President. Mr. Anthony Mauna is currently the AFSPC Logistics Panel Chair. Prior to his current assignment, he was the Chief of the Weapon System Sustainment Branch at HAF A4/7. Mr. Mauna was also the 2010 Ronald L. Orr Award Winner. K
Figure 1: AFSPC WSS advocacy reaches multiple key players across AFSPC & higher levels. Source: AFSPC Log Panel
55 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
MAJCOM
The Challenges of Growing Well Rounded LROs in AFSPC By Capt Dara Hobbs In the early days of my relatively young Logistics Readiness Officer (LRO) career, when nukes were still assigned to Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), my first duty station was Malmstrom AFB, Montana. The assignment turned out to be a blessing in disguise, despite some troubling advice and new challenges. To explain, more than one senior Logistician told me if I wanted to have a successful career, I needed to get out of AFSPC as soon as possible. As a junior lieutenant, I was shocked to be told the particular Major Command (MAJCOM) I was assigned to wasn’t the ideal place for my career success. “Why not,” I thought to myself. At the time I could only assume I could be just as successful in AFSPC as I could be in Air Combat Command (ACC) or Air Mobility Command (AMC). This advice was difficult to process not only at a professional level but also on a personal level, because I just happened to be married to a Space and Missile Officer. Not make a home of AFSPC while married to a Space and Missile Operator… this was going to be a real challenge. From the beginning, I learned I had to be intensely committed to making the most of each assignment in order to be competitive with my peers and I knew my Air Force career would need 56 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
1Lt Dave Lyons of the 21 LRS receives mentoring from Maj Ralph Piper, 21 LRS/DO. April 2012. Picture by Maj James Lovewell.
to be built on a strong foundation supported with persistence. Luckily my very first flight chief, a retired Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (SNCO) and masterful Logistics Planner, set me on the path to success! He taught me training was to be taken seriously and I needed to handle my own training just as I handled the
I needed to take charge of my LRO training, seek out training opportunities, document all of it, and keep my training records accurate and up-to-date. upgrade training of the airmen I supervised. I needed to take charge of my LRO training, seek out training opportunities, document all of it, and keep my training records accurate and up-to-date. I did exactly what my flight chief told me to do, but imagine my surprise when I discovered this wasn’t the approach other junior LROs were taking. This disconnect in managing LRO training led me to today’s discussion on the challenges facing AFSPC, the Air Force, and the logistics community worldwide…the challenge of growing well rounded LROs.
With a mere 9 years of service under my belt, I now recognize and understand where those senior Logisticians at Malmstrom AFB were coming from. AFSPC doesn’t have aircraft and therefore no MICAP parts to process; I never saw inside the fuels operations let alone the aerial port because they were contract operations. In fact, I only had two opportunities in three and a half years to load cargo on an aircraft and interact with an actual loadmaster. I did, however, make the most of each and every opportunity thanks to the advice from my first flight chief. The lessons I learned were also reinforced by a former Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force who was the guest speaker at a Dining-Out I attended. The Chief shared a story about touring a Dining Facility (DFAC) and having the opportunity to meet a young Airman who explained his sole task was to “make the best darn salad in the Air Force.” “Salad?!” the Chief exclaimed. Well, he went on to explain, if that young Airman could be so moved to take salads that seriously, well then why couldn’t the rest of us, who are seemingly performing more important missions than “just salads,” do the same? The Chief challenged everyone in the audience to make the most of every opportunity just as the young Airman did in the DFAC. So, despite the number of chal-
HOBBS lenges I face as an LRO in AFSPC I can still be successful through strength in conviction and passion for what I do.
Follow the Leader Then Major General Judith A. Fedder stated in “From the E-Ring: Developing Logistics Leaders” (ER, Winter 2011) the Air Staff has taken on the challenge of “purposely develop[ing] logistics leaders” with the goal of developing [logisticians] “with a clear sight picture of how their efforts at every level…contribute to combat capability.” Lt Col Christopher De Los Santos expanded on this idea further in his article “Logistics Officer and Civilian Force Development in the TwentyFirst Century” (ER, Winter 2011) by explaining Headquarters Air Force’s (HAF) plan for Deliberate Force Development which includes a “well-defined continuum of education and training” that allows the Air Force to better prepare LROs to meet the challenges of today’s mission as well as develop them for greater success in the future. LROs, supervisors and commanders can face this challenge head on long before the Air Staff provides further guidance on how to accomplish the task. How? LRO training can be normalized within MAJCOMs by developing standardized processes and methods for accountability in order to ensure all LROs can be successful.
There may be gaps of training in AFSPC LRSs where LROs would seemingly miss excellent opportunities for development but there’s no reason the LRO community can’t work together to fill those gaps. The Challenges We Face Logistics Readiness Squadrons (LRSs) falling under the purview of AFSPC are non-traditional. They’re often smaller than the typical LRS and frequently have entire sections and flights that are contracted out with no “bluesuiters” assigned. (Note: AFSPC is currently converting these contractor positions to civil-
ian positions. This will help “normalize” our LRSs with the rest of the AF.) Let’s compare the 21 LRS at Peterson AFB (AFSPC) and the 633 LRS at Langley AFB (ACC). The 21 LRS is manned with 37 military, 18 civilians and 150 contractors. Of the squadron’s four flights, only one, Deployment and Distribution Flight, is manned with military/federal civilians with a federal civilian flight lead who is dual-hatted as the Installation Deployment Officer. The remaining three flights are led by federal civilians who supervise small numbers of Quality Assurance Evaluators. LRO development has been difficult as they cannot lead contracted sections. On the other hand, the 633 LRS is made up of 450+ assigned members, each flight is led by a military flight commander and a SNCO superintendent. It’s obvious the opportunities for development would be much greater in the 633 LRS (ACC) vice the 21 LRS (AFSPC). The sheer number of contracted operations in AFSPC can create large gaps in training and development for LROs who may go 3-4 years without ever experiencing a particular LRS function.
Training and development doesn’t stop at the 7 or 8 year mark…where’s the necessary drive and passion to continue professional growth and development?
The 21RX Logistics Readiness Officer Career Field Education and Training Plan (CFETP) states, in a note following paragraph 2.7, “officers are NOT required to have been assigned to each function within the competency in order to receive credit [for the three core competencies]”. Let’s reverse this and make it mandatory for LROs to have these critical hands-on experiences and training. There may be gaps of training in AFSPC LRSs where LROs would seemingly miss excellent opportunities for development but there’s no reason the LRO community can’t work together to fill those gaps. More than one LRS commander in AFSPC is on board with creating and taking advantage of “immersion” opportunities’ for their LROs at other more traditionally aligned LRSs. This is
a solution that can be looked at AFSPC-wide, if not AF-wide. The 45 LRS Commander at Patrick AFB took great steps to ensure his newest LRO had the opportunity to experience life as an LRO outside of AFSPC by working with the 6 LRS at MacDill AFB. The junior lieutenant spent approximately six weeks at MacDill in order to gain new experiences and participate in the functions not available at home station. Six weeks doesn’t have to be the standard. Sometimes, just a well-timed week, chocked full of hard work and a high ops tempo can open new doors for the LRO to learn and experience new challenges. Commanders, supervisors and LROs need to work together to create and provide opportunities for training and development in areas non-existent in one command, but abundant in another.
We also need to manage LRO training with the same seriousness and tenacity we manage and support upgrade training for our enlisted Airmen. I know you’re wondering where the funding will come from to support LRO immersion. Money is an issue, to be sure, with this potential plan of placing emphasis on LRO immersion with other units. The investment is worth it, however, to ensure standardization of training and development for LROs. It’s also an inherent responsibility of the Air Force according to Air Force Doctrine Document 1 (AFDD-1). AFDD-1 defines the “roles” of the Air Force as those of organizing, training and equipping aviation forces. The Air Force, and the personnel assigned, have an inherent legal and ethical responsibility to properly train and develop their people. This responsibility can certainly be translated to the management of LRO training and development within AFSPC and beyond. Although cost will always be a factor, especially in times of shrinking fiscal resources, but with the support of supervisors and commanders who are willing to prioritize budget expenses it should not be a showstopper to a LRO’s success.
57 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
MAJCOM | THE CHALLENGES OF GROWING ... LROS
A New Culture As a 21R Functional Area Manager, I’ve gained valuable insight into the culture surrounding LRO training and development in AFSPC, and I’d venture to say, it’s the same culture Air Force-wide. Many senior company grade LROs don’t currently maintain copies of their original CFETPs, implying perhaps they don’t believe their career progression is taken seriously or they don’t believe it continues once they achieve the field grade ranks. Training and development doesn’t stop at the 7 or 8 year mark…where’s the necessary drive and passion to continue professional growth and development? It’s critical we change the culture and the way we approach LRO training and development. A necessary first step to bringing about positive change is believing positive change is the right step. We need to change the culture surrounding the training and development of LROs from one of complacency to one of accountability like any operator or maintainer would. The world of operations and maintenance training and evaluations revolve around TOs and checklists. Those checklists imply that a certain amount of dedication and diligence is necessary to proceed. If the checklists aren’t adhered to, progress isn’t made and upgrade isn’t granted. Why shouldn’t it be the same for LROs?
We need to change the culture surrounding the training and development of LROs from one of complacency to one of accountability like any operator or maintainer would. We also need to manage LRO training with the same seriousness and tenacity we manage and support upgrade training for our enlisted Airmen. While squadron staff go over the status of enlisted upgrade training we need to make it routine to include LROs training status in this report. Many LRSs are already doing this, but it needs to be the standard, not the exception. Part of changing the culture must be to take a firm stance on accountability. The ultimate responsibility lies with the LRO; LROs must be taught from the start they create and influence their own destiny and that their supervisor and 58 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
It’s time to up the ante and by “ante,” I mean passion. It’s time to get passionate and excited about doing what is necessary to properly train and develop our junior LROs. commander will be there to guide them and ensure they remain on the right path. While responsibility lies with the individual, no Airman, enlisted or officer, should have to navigate their training and development path alone.
Be Passionate! Winston Churchill once said “It is no use saying, ‘we are doing our best.’ You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.” It’s time to up the ante and by “ante,” I mean passion. It’s time to get passionate and excited about doing what is necessary to properly train and develop our junior LROs. There are people in the Air Force who question whether LROs can truly be qualified logisticians; LROs assigned to AFSPC are no exception. LROs, and logisticians alike, truly make the world go ‘round’. Let’s ensure our most junior LROs are getting the experience and training they need to succeed in the ever changing and challenging world of LROs.
Why Not? So I ask again: why can’t LROs assigned to AFSPC achieve the same success in their careers as LROs in other MAJCOMs? The answer is we can! The way to guarantee LRO success is to 1.) Identify and fill each training and development gap by creating new or innovative opportunities 2.) Focus and transform the culture of training and development of our LROs to one of necessity and accountability
3.) Not wait but, incorporate the guidance HAF provides regarding a way ahead for LRO training and development 4.) Above all, be passionate about developing a “well-defined continuum of education and training” to better prepare our LROs to meet the challenges of today’s mission as well as develop them for greater success in the future. It’s time to make the best darn salads we can, or in our case, develop world-class LROs who can bring the critical capabilities of AFSPC’s Space and Cyber Operations to the global fight. About the author: Capt Hobbs is a Plans & Readiness Staff Officer assigned to Headquarters Air Force Space Command. She is also a Field Editor for the Exceptional Release. Written with the assistance of Mrs. Jody Tieken-Holecek and in coordination with Maj Jim Lovewell, 21st LRS Commander. K
CHADWICK
Exceptional Release Book Review The First 90 Days Written by Michael Watkins By First Lieutenant Silas Chadwick
LOA Members Turned Authors
Congratulations on your new position of leadership! While your boss is not an impatient person, he or she will probably want to see progress after a sufficient transition time. Whether your new position is the head of a team, flight, business, squadron, corporation etc., nothing is more exciting or precarious than taking charge as a new leader. You may know a bit about your new position, or you may know nothing, but you are going to be leading people, and making decisions, often with incomplete information. It can be a scary prospect. No one wants to fail; and yet, some do fail, and it’s not just the incompetent ones.
Counterfeit Conception
The First 90 Days, written by Michael Watkins, an Associate Professor at Harvard Business School, is for leaders at all levels who will be taking on new positions. The book is geared towards providing sage advice and helpful insights for transitioning into a new position as rapidly as possible. However, the mere word “transitioning” does not quite do the book justice. If you’re reading this article, then you probably already know the many challenges associated with accepting a position that has greater or different responsibilities. To help you, Professor Watkins harvested the experience and knowledge of many ranking business leaders in corporate America from a wide variety of organizations and corporations. He delineates, in 10 chapters, proven strategies that will help you focus your time and energy to get your organization aligned to your goals as quickly as possible.
Looking for an Intriguing and a Fun Read?
Watkins suggests that the “break even point,” the point where your transition is complete and you should be producing for your boss, can be attained in the first 90 days of your new position. To expedite you to that breakeven point, he suggests you do 10 things: promote yourself, accelerate your learning, match strategy to situation, secure early wins, negotiate success, achieve alignment, build your team, create conditions, keep your balance, and expedite everyone. In the explanation of these actions, Watkins references real world case studies. He identifies leaders who were set up to fail yet succeeded, and leaders, from whom everyone expected success, yet failed. He applies his methods with these studies in an easy-to-understand approach and provides the warning signs and solutions to the common pitfalls. This is not just another book about leadership. It is a high-speed map of the leadership transition process complete with tools to help you identify and refine your organizational goals. Once you know your goals, The First 90 Days then describes to you the best route to reaching them. Although written with the business leader in mind, all leaders will gain invaluable insight into the transition process. After reading The First 90 Days, I guarantee you will use some, or all, of Professor Watkins’ proven strategies in your future positions. About the Author: 1Lt Silas Chadwick, a Logistics Readiness Officer, received his commission at the United States Air Force Academy in 2008. He has served in the Air Force since 2000 when he enlisted as an F-16 Crew Chief assigned to the USAF Aggressors at Nellis AFB. Currently, he is the Flight Commander of the Air Terminal Operations Center, 436th Aerial Port Squadron, Dover AFB. K
Written by Carl (Denny) Portz and James E. Maher
Trace the turbulent career of Air Force Captain Scott Camron in this apocalyptic thriller: Camron, paralyzed from the waist down after being shot down over Iraq during Desert Storm, finds himself trying to manage his paralysis and early medical retirement. Beginning a new career at the Air Force Academy as a civilian, he is intrigued by the discovery of a blood residue sample left over from the Shroud of Turin Research Project. This drives him to conduct a secret experiment using DNA from the pre-historic ‘Ice Man’ found frozen in the Alps, to prove the feasibility of reconstituting enough Shroud DNA to further his ambition to become a father in spite of his disability, and perhaps resurrect whoever had been buried in the shroud. The results are both astounding and confounding, as the Camron family becomes caught up in surviving a catastrophic flu pandemic followed by a super volcano erupting in mid-America which devastates the civilian leadership of the U.S. In the midst of the turmoil, Iran unexpectedly pushes the nuclear button and the chaos only gets worse. The world is left to wonder if this is the beginning of the End of Times.
59 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
MAJCOM
Fifteen F-22 Raptors from the 90th Fighter Squadron at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, are slated to deploy to Andersen AFB, Guam, in January. The deployment supports U.S. Pacific Command’s theater security packages in the Western Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Cynthia Spalding)
READY... AIM... FIAR By Lieutenant Colonel James “Jay” Alonzo
“We must be accountable to the American people for what we spend, where we spend it, and with what result. While we have reasonable controls over much of our budgetary information, it is unacceptable to me that the Department of Defense cannot produce a fiscal statement that passes all financial audit standards. That will change. I have directed that this requirement be put in place as soon as possible. America deserves nothing less.” -Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, August 3, 2011
60 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
What is FIAR? The Chief Financial Officer Act of 1990 and subsequent legislation established a requirement for federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, to demonstrate good stewardship of taxpayers’ dollars by producing audited financial statements. To oversee and integrate the Components’ efforts to achieve auditability, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) (OUSD(C)) created the Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness (FIAR) Directorate. “FIAR” is often used generically to refer to the Department’s attempts to achieve auditability. In the FY2010 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress notified the Defense Department that it would be required to validate its financial statements as ready for audit no later than September 30, 2017. According to the OUSD (C), “To pass an audit, an organization has got to have systems and processes that record financial results of business events in a consistent and reliable manner.” The challenge for the Air Force and DoD, Hale explains, is that; “Our processes and systems don’t always meet that standard. Many of the systems are old, and they don’t record information in the level of detail that’s required for an audit. Our processes are sometimes variable across commands and sometimes even across bases. These issues are especially challenging for us, because DoD’s enormous size and geographical dispersion mean we just can’t rely on manual solutions or workarounds as many agencies have been able to do.”
ALONZO Frequently, the challenge is that we cannot sources (SBR). The third wave focuses on Although FIAR is often easily use our current processes and systems the second priority (Mission Critical Asset to aggregate personnel, operations, logistics, Information) of validating the Existence and mistaken as strictly a financial and other data to easily determine the costs. management issue, maintaining Completeness (E&C) of mission critical asUsing the Joint Strike Fighter as an example, sets by ensuring that all assets recorded in Mission Critical Asset Mr. Hale stated; “If you want its operating their accountable property systems of record Information falls firmly in our cost, you’re going to have to look at our per(APSR) exist (Existence) and that all of sonnel information, you’re going to have to the reporting entities’ assets are recorded in role as logisticians. look at our day-to-day operation and maintheir APSR (Completeness). The final wave tenance costs, you’re going to have to look at brings everything together for a full financial spare parts, and those are all in separate appropriations. If you wanted statement audit. that now, you could not punch a button and get it. You would have to have a team of experienced analysts go in and do a study…I can get Mission Critical Assets and Financial Managesomething that would help a commander make a decision, but it would ment Information take a long time, and it will require specialized expertise from contracAlthough FIAR is often mistaken as strictly a financial management tors and others. And there’s no audit to verify the data.” issue, maintaining Mission Critical Asset Information falls firmly in our role as logisticians. Mission Critical Assets include:
Getting Audit Ready
To assist with FIAR efforts, OUSD(C) published an extensive FIAR guide documenting the Department’s priorities and “Wave” strategy for achieving auditability in stages. As the graphic illustrates, there are four waves to the DoD’s audit readiness plan. The first two waves are directly related to the first priority (Budgetary Information) and examine the receipt and distribution of appropriations and process, controls, systems, and documentation used for the Statement of Budgetary Re-
•
Military Equipment (ME) (e.g., ships, aircraft, combat vehicles),
•
Real Property (RP) (e.g., land, buildings, structures, utilities),
•
Inventory (e.g., rations, supplies, spare parts, fuel),
•
Operation Materials and Supplies (OM&S) (e.g., ammunition, munitions, missiles), and
F-22 Raptors taxi April 10, 2011, during an operational readiness inspection at Langley Air Force Base, Va. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Teresa Zimmerman)
61 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
MAJCOM | READY... AIM... FIAR •
General Equipment (GE) (e.g., material handling equipment, training equipment, special tooling and test equipment).
Required Financial Management Information includes:
...[T]he 2010 Combined Statement of Budgetary Resources, states $313.4 Billion for total Air Force Assets in the General Fund. In the Working Capital Fund, Total Assets were stated at $31.3 Billion.
•
Individual Item Identifier (e.g., unique item identifier, aircraft tail number, ship number, and real property unique identifier)
•
Category/Asset Type (e.g., aircraft – airlift fixed-wing)
•
Location (e.g., military installation/base)
•
Condition/Operational Status (e.g., active, closed, disposed)
•
Utilization Rate (e.g. percentage of square footage currently in use, miles, flight hours)
•
Owner/User Organization (e.g., 374th Airlift Wing)
As you can see, Mission Critical Assets are those items the logistics community already “owns”. Mission Critical Assets are all those things that we as “loggies” sustain from the base to the depot to ensure a mission ready force. The required Financial Management Information is information we already use to effectively sustain and manage these assets whether they are aircraft, vehicles, equipment, spares, or munitions.
How “Big” are Mission Critical Assets?
The estimated value of all Air Force Mission Critical Assets is $223 Billion. The General Fund amounts to $193 Billion and the Working Capital Fund is $30 Billion. As discussed earlier, major categories of Mission Critical Assets include Real Property (i.e. buildings and land), valued at $32.2 Billion, Military Equipment (i.e. aircraft) valued at $102.7 Billion, OM&S (i.e. ammo, spare engines, missile motors) valued at $49.8 Billion, Inventory (i.e. spare parts) valued at $28.1 Billion, and General Equipment (i.e. MHE) valued at $9.5 Billion. To put each of these categories in perspective, the 2010 Combined Statement of Budgetary Resources, states $313.4 Billion for total Air Force Assets in the General Fund. In the Working Capital Fund, Total Assets were stated at $31.3 Billion.
What’s Been Done? Military Equipment was asserted as audit ready for E&C in December of 2010 and is currently being validated. By early 2012, we will have asserted $12.5 Billion of the OM&S inventory (aerial targets and drones, cruise missiles, spare engines, and missile motors).
Materiality of AF Mission Critical Assets Total AF Mission Critical Assets (MCA) $223 Billion1
AF MCA Audit Readiness Status Mission Critical Asset Class
Asserted as Audit Ready2
General Fund
$102 Billion (46%)
$193 Billion (87%)
Fund
Budgetary Resources (in millions)
Percent
Asserted as Audit Ready Military Equipment2
GF
$102,7223
46.1%
Preparing for Assertion Real Property
GF/WCF
32,214
14.5%
Operating Materials and Supplies4
GF/WCF
49,822
22.4%
Pending Assertion
Inventory
WCF
28,171
12.6%
$121Billion (54%)
General Equipment
GF/WCF
9,513
4.3%
WCF
Internal Use Software
GF/WCF
442
0.2%
$30 Billion (13%)
Total AF Mission Critical Assets
$222,886
100%
1 Values are the net book value from the General Fund and Working Capital FY10 Air Force Annual Financial Statements, Notes 9 and 10 2 Military Equipment was asserted as audit ready in Dec 2010; validation is pending AF responses to GAO, DoDIG and OUSD(C) comments 3 A Prior Period Adjustment (PPA) is pending; result will reduce the Net Book Value by Approx. $11B 4 Air Force plans to assert audit readiness for Missile Motors, Spare Engines, Cruise Missiles, Aerial Targets and Drones by 30 June 2011 at an approximate value of $12.5B
Integrity - Service - Excellence Figure 2: The estimated value of all AF mission critical assets.
62 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
1
What’s Next? Teaming with SAF/FMP, AF/A4L is currently determining the right populations (“sub-assessable unit”) within OM&S, Inventory, and General Equipment to prepare for future assertions. Based on lessons learned from prior assertions, this listing will be distributed to the field through their MAJCOMs to identify potential roadblocks in the areas of process, policy, or IT systems. This feedback will be used to validate the method of dividing the unit (i.e. IT system, management structure) and will be used to develop the timeline for assertion.
Challenges to Existence & Completeness During the prior assertion effort, three key areas have been the roadblocks to auditability – policy, processes, and information systems. Policy needs to clearly detail the process – who is in charge, standards, detailed timelines, and the roles and expected actions of all agencies involved in the process. Without good policy, actions critical to establish or maintain FIAR data may not be completed. For instance, guidance did not clearly state who is responsible for updating Military Equipment valuation in the Reliability and Maintainability Information System (REMIS). Processes for managing assets must be complied with fully to ensure that data integrity is maintained for the location, condition, owner, etc. of record for our assets. Failure to comply with scheduled physical inventories and reconciliations has resulted in persistent data errors in several of our key property systems. Finally, information systems need to support the process and correctly track the data of the process. An “Accountable Property Systems of Record” (APSRs), such as REMIS for Military Equipment, must be identified and contain all the required elements of data. Information system gaps, such as missing or broken interfaces, can lead to duplicate data entry which increases the possibility of errors.
Your Role in FIAR As assertions move toward more widespread commodities such as spare parts and ammunition that are used, tracked, stored, and maintained across the Air Force, each logistician will play a greater role in FIAR success. What is your role and how can you help achieve audit readiness? First, review your existing processes to ensure they include the necessary financial data. Second, identify gaps in policy that do not reflect your process and ensure its repeatability. Third, identify any gaps in your information system. Changes in the deployment of ECSS have made it apparent that most of FIAR will be accomplished with existing legacy systems. These systems have been on minimum sustainment for several years to help with ECSS funding. It is critical that we quickly identify gaps in existing systems that affect FIAR. Finally, follow processes, comply with policy, and use your APSRs. About the author: Lt Col James “Jay” Alonzo is assigned to the Air Staff as the Deputy, Logistics Plans and Integration Division (AF/A4LX). Additionally, Lt Col Alonzo commanded the 660th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Travis AFB. K
63 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
VOICES | CHAPTER CROSSTALK
Chapter CrossTalk Dolomite Chapter – Aviano Air Base, Italy Submitted by Capt Michelle Campbell Aviano’s Dolomite Chapter continues its endeavor to further the development of logisticians. The 2012 season is centered on education, networking, and community involvement with a series of Lunch-n-Learns, social, and base participation events. The first Lunch ‘n Learn, Brigadier General Scott Zobrist, 31st FW Commander, spoke from a senior leader’s perspective on logistics. The topic was the new base-level Inspector General construct (Aviano is the test-bed unit for the Air Force) and its utilization during our impending Local Readiness Inspection (a combination of ORI and UCI). In February, we experienced a preview during our first Local Readiness Exercise. General Zobrist provided lessons learned and answered hard hitting from the logisticians. He also shared his experiences with maintenance and logistics throughout his career. Our next scheduled event is a “Taste of Aviano” to sample local wines and meet some local wine distributors.
Globemaster Chapter - Joint Base Charleston, SC Submitted by Capt Nick Lee The Globemaster Chapter continued the streak of good luck experienced in recent months with unique access to commercial enterprises in and around South Carolina. Senior chapter members linked up with previous military peers who now lead in the commercial sector, enabling a site visit to Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation for chapter membership. During our visit, we were treated to an inside look at Gulfstream facilities, the G5 and G6 production lines, as well as internal processes assuring ideas from professionals on the production floor have a conduit to senior Gulfstream leadership. Gulfstream senior leaders took the time to cover a business overview, and future plans for the company. In the spring months our chapter will be awarding our annual scholarship, and engaging with other local chapters on opportunities to swap chapter tours this summer.
Cowboy Chapter – F. E. Warren AFB, WY Submitted by Lt Col JD DuVall A Cowboy Chapter tradition of awarding the Nuclear Logistician presentation at F. E. Warren AFB, WY continues this year. Col Robert Vercher, Commander of the 90th Operations Group, accepted the award and was bestowed the honorary title of “Loggie” by Capt Mieke Bruins, 90th Logistics Readiness Squadron operations officer, and the National Logistics Officer Association - Cowboy Chapter. “Most Logistics Squadrons at missile bases don’t develop these traditions because the mission is all about Ops, Cops and Maintenance. The logistics piece of the nuclear enterprise has been highlighted with the NWRM program,” explains Lt Col JD DuVall, Commander of the 90th Logistics Readiness Squadron. Colonel Robert J. Vercher distinguished himself by improving agile combat support to nuclear operations leading to the greatest tactical logistics improvements in over 50 years for the nuclear enterprise. He replaced the entire missile crew vehicle fleet with the safest and most reliable vehicle on the market ensuring zero vehicle roller accidents. Colonel Vercher was the largest advocate of instituting a hub and spoke fuels concept which ensured flying operations was logistically feasible and used as Air Force Global Strike Command’s benchmark solution. Finally, Colonel Vercher’s laid the framework that created an ICBM 101 for Logisticians course and ensured key leaders in the logistics community were educated and invested in the human capital requirements of the Nuclear Enterprise.
Col Robert Vercher, 90 OG/CC and Capt Mieke Bruins, 90 LRS/ DO (Operations Officer)
64 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
CHAPTER CROSSTALK
Rainier Chapter- Joint Base Lewis-McChord Submitted by Maj Duane Richardson It’s been a busy time here at Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s Rainier Chapter. We started off this year with a tour of the local 62nd Aerial Port Squadron. Squadron subject matter experts demonstrated their process flow for deploying people and cargo safely and efficiently. As JBLM is gearing for its Operational Readiness Inspection this October, we wanted to educate all of our Loggies on the requirements and process flow for getting out of town using the “Big Mobility Machine” and the APS has an integral role in that. We are also gearing up for our annual LOA Golf Tournament in June. This event has always been a huge success and is enjoyed by dozens of teams every year at McChord Field’s Whispering Firs Golf Course. The tournament serves as our main fundraiser for the year and is used to fund our local LOA scholarship program. Last year the Rainier Chapter provided two $500 scholarships to deserving individuals pursuing a higher education. Participants also enjoy the many sponsored prizes donated by local businesses. Finally, our team is eagerly anticipating our next event in May. LOA members will travel to Boeing’s Everett, Washington production facility for a tour of the production line of the KC-46, the Air Force’s next generation airlift tanker aircraft. The Rainier Chapter got a preview of the new tanker with Boeing’s mobile KC-46 simulator display at last year’s Air Mobility Command’s Airlift RODEO and the team can’t wait to see it “in the flesh”.
Sonoran Chapter - Luke AFB, AZ Submitted by Maj Malinda Santos Chapter members hosted our 2nd Annual Viking Challenge relay race that raised over $7,500 for our local LOA scholarship fund. Viking Challenge is a 10-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. This year’s event was a complete success--we doubled the amount of teams from 2011 and ran a total of 1,431 miles in 10 hours! Go team Luke!
Right: Members of the 56 EMS Viking Challenge team winners that ran a combined 89 miles in 10 hours.
Guardians of the North Chapter – Minot AFB, ND Submitted by 1st Lt Matthew Hall In this Crosstalk I’ve been given the opportunity to represent The Guardians of the North Chapter at Minot AFB, North Dakota. One of the most demanding jobs a Munitions Maintenance Officer (21M) can have is that of Munitions Accountable Systems Officer aka “MASO”, be it conventional or nuclear. For the last 18 months I’ve had the honor of being the nuclear MASO for the Air Force’s only “Dual Wing” nuclear base. My primary responsibility was accounting for $5.3-billion worth of special weapons each day. I worked closely with five enlisted members to assure inventory accuracy. Together we also orchestrated movement of these weapons with on and off base agencies. This was especially important as we transitioned from Air Force Materiel Command to Air Force Global Strike Command in December 2011. I found my affiliation as a LOA member beneficial when working with fellow members and personnel across all ranks. Left: Members of the 705th Munitions Squadron Nuclear Accountability and Reporting Section (aka ‘NARDS’). Minot AFB, ND.
65 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
VOICES | CHAPTER CROSSTALK
Miss Veedol - Misawa AB, Japan Submitted by 2Lt William Keuchler During the month of January, Misawa Air Base was visited by key representatives from Lockheed Martin’s lead logistic divisions. The purpose of their visit was to provide an informal overview of how they are organizing to provide support for the needs and capabilities of the 35th Fighter Wing. Lunch gave LOA CGOs an opportunity for a Q&A session regarding the new F-35 airframe and Lockheed’s roll in defense of our nation. In the month of March, we held elections which concluded with Capt. Rob Goodreau being named Chapter President, 2Lt John Diaz as Vice President, 2Lt William Keuchler as Information Officer, and 2Lt James Francis as Treasurer. Following the election, the newly elected chapter leaders met with Col. Cheryl Minto, 35 MXG/CC, to discuss possible ideas for the road ahead and her past experiences with LOA.
Flying Tigers - Moody AFB, GA Submitted by Capt David Liberti Despite our idyllic location amid blooming azaleas and majestic oaks in Southern Georgia, life has been anything but quaint for members of the 23d Wing these past few months! Across the Wing, Moody Flying Tiger chapter members have been continuously planning and preparing for our spring Phase II ORI, which proved to be a challenge we were ready for and successfully met head-on. During the months of preparation we were able to maintain focus on our chapter, and we coordinated a visit to Eglin AFB through our newly-appointed Assistant Regional Director. Eleven members of Lucky members of the Moody Flying Tigers chapter pose with the Lightning II at Eglin AFB, hosted by the Emerald Coast LOA. our chapter were rewarded with a terrific trip where we were treated like DVs by our brethren in the Emerald Coast chapter. We barely scratched the surface of the massive organization that is the 46th Test Wing, though we were able to get hands-on with the latest and greatest 5th gen fighter, the F-35, and the new supply chain that enables the Lightning II to get off the ground (an event we missed by a week!). Many thanks to those that made our visit a pleasant success! With the ORI behind us, things will not be slowing down much for the Loggies of the 23d Wing. However, our chapter has many exciting events planned to carry us through the summer right up to LOA’s silver anniversary in Washington D.C. See y’all there!
Crossroads Chapter – Tinker AFB, OK Submitted by Captain Dan McGuire The Crossroads Chapter experienced a very exciting first Quarter of 2012. In January, the Chapter received a phenomenal presentation from the Honorable Mark V. Rosenker, 11th Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board and USAF Maj Gen (Retired) titled “The Care and Transportation of the President of the United States: A Behind the Scenes Look.” Later in January, representatives from the Chapter attended a Private Screening of “Red Tails” hosted by Oklahoma City’s Charles B. Hall Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc. In February, the Chapter heard Presentations from the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center (OC-ALC) Vice Commander and Deputy to the Commander for Support, Col Mark Beierle, and from TSgt Lance Humphrey, Liaison to the 367th Training Support Squadron, the largest and most advanced Instructional Technology Unit (ITU) in the Air Force. For Industrial Broadening, the Chapter visited a local Chromalloy Facility later in February for an afternoon of hands-on education regarding TF33 and F100 engine repair. Also in February, the Chapter began a partnership with the Local Recruiting Squadron on visiting at risk High Schools to provide Mentorship. Capt Cassandra Espy and 2d Lt Mike Rodgers visited Seeworth Academy where they told their Air Force Story and spoke on the life skills required to be successful after High School. In March, the Chapter heard from the Commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, Maj Gen Bruce Litchfield. Representatives from the Outstanding LOA Chapters of Barksdale and McConnell joined Crossroads for this Meeting after spending their day touring OC-ALC. The Crossroads Chapter is happy to set up similar tours for any other LOA Chapters. Later in March, the Chapter hosted a Civilian-Targeted Event on the Intermediate Leadership Development Program (ILDP) Initiative, hosted by Program Manager Ms. Julie McGuinness. The Chapter also visited the Veterans Hospital one weekend in March, bringing family 66 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
CHAPTER CROSSTALK and friends to interact with those who served before us and later in the Month attended the Barron’s Hockey Game in conjunction with Military Appreciation Night. The Chapter is looking forward to a Fantastic Second Quarter of 2012 as we continue to Build Successful Logisticians and Reinforce Positive Relationships within our Local Community. Left: Representatives from the Great LOA Chapters of Barksdale and McConnell tour Tinker AFB prior to attending the Crossroads March Meeting. Photo courtesy of Capt Angela Motlaugh (Tour Coordinator) Below: 2d Lt Mike Rodgers discusses engine repair capabilities during the Chromalloy Facility Tour on 17 February. Photo Courtesy of Capt Jason Henry (Tour Coordinator)
National Capital Chapter – Pentagon, Washington DC Submitted by Lt Col David Sanford The National Capital Chapter continues to set a blistering pace through community involvement, professional mentoring, and specialized tours to expand logistics breadth. The National Capital Chapter hosted senior logistics representatives from FEMA and USAID. Each agency highlighted how they per-
form logistics and how they interact with the joint community. Additionally, our Capital warriors hosted 25 AF JROTC cadets, providing them a tour of the Pentagon and mentoring these young men and women on the Air Force. The cadets even got to meet the CSAF! Furthermore, the chapter took a tour of the Capital, gaining knowledge of how our AF Legislative liaison elements interact with the House/Senate. This “Red Badge” tour enabled our members to go behind the scenes to better understand the relationship between Congress and the Air Force. Lastly, the National Capital Chapter is spinning up to help with the 2012 LOA Symposium, to be hosted in Washington DC. K Left: NCR Chapter Members touring AF JROTC Students
67 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
VOICES | MILESTONES
Milestones Col (ret) Christopher Karls writes:
Maj Greg Kuzma writes:
Now finishing a year in Afghanistan as DynCorp International’s Senior Director of Logistics for LOGCAP IV.
Maj Gregory M. Kuzma: I recently returned from a 7-month deployment as the Joint Logistics Operations Center ( JLOC) Director for the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa J4 “Joint Logistics” directorate at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. It was a great opportunity to learn how the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) logisticians solve challenges in a joint environment. K
Maj Shane Henderson writes: Gave up command of the 757 AMXS at Nellis for more fun in the sun as 451 EMXG/CD at Kandahar...24/7 Terrorist eradication.
Col Craig Hall writes: PCSed to HQ AETC/A4M Jul 2011. Great place to work and live; lot more going on across AETC than I ever appreciated!
In Memorium
Colonel (ret) Ron Valine May 23, 1943 - May 3, 2012.
After a tragic accident racing a Formula Ford car in South Beloit, Illinois on May 2, 2009 and spending 3 years in a coma, Ron Valine peacefully passed away on May 3, 2012. Ron grew up in Rodeo, CA and graduated in 1961 from John Swett High School in Crockett, and then graduated from San Francisco State in 1966. He is survived by his wife Virginia (Ginger) Williams Valine, his two children; daughter Alison Valine Church and her husband Joe of San Antonio, Texas, and son, Keith Valine, residing in Anchorage, Alaska, as well as his father, Joaquin Rodrigues Valine of Citrus Heights, CA, and sister Carol Valine Sexton of Lincoln, CA. Ron was a career loggie and lifetime member of LOA His Air Force career took him to California, Puerto Rico, Florida, Vietnam, Illinois, and Texas where he retired in 1992 after 26 years of service. He went on to work for Allied Signal/Honeywell in Georgia and Arizona, retiring for a second time in 2006. At the time of his accident he was an instructor with the JROTC at Armijo High School in Fair ield, CA. Ron was involved in racing to some degree, throughout his life; owning several cars and working on pit crews where he was famous for making people laugh. You are welcome to go on the website that was created right after Ron’s accident, Caringbridge.org/visit/ronvaline, to read more about Ron and all the people who cared about him. There are many beautiful tributes to the kind of person he was and to the strength of his character. He will forever be missed by everyone that ever had the honor of knowing him.
68 | The Exceptional Release | SUMMER 2012
Logistics Officer Association Post Office Box 2264 Arlington, VA 22202
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage
PAID Permit No. 768 Nashville, Tennessee