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2 October 16, 2015 Commentary BULLSEYE
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Innovation: Never stop improving
Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station commander been innovating since we were born from and Air Force instructions. You will commanders and AFSPC/Inspector
the Army Air Corps 68 years ago, and we be able to find more ways to improve General. It is a “highly effective” Strategic
CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN AIR keep innovating, at all levels. within your own work center than the Planning Process and Continuous Process
FORCE STATION, Colo. — ”Another ar- pharmacy. Improvement program. ReACT helped
ticle on innovation?” you say. I don’t have This year, the Air Force is innovating achieve 48 Air Force-level best practices
to tell you that there are more challenges by consolidating mission support under Second, challenge the way it’s always and has high impact for the 21st Space
across the Air Force than any time that I the Air Force Installation and Mission been done. There may be a valid reason Wing. In fact, here at Cheyenne Mountain
can recall: manning reductions, reduced Support Center. Major commands are that put into place the instructions, pro- Air Force Station, we are pursuing some of
budgets, infrastructure we can no longer innovating by consolidating staff func- cedures, tech order, manual or Air Force those ReACT benefits in our communica-
afford, new requirements; response to tions; wings are finding innovative ways instruction to do things a certain way, tions and civil engineer squadrons.
advanced cyber threats, and the cherry to prioritize missions and resources. but there is probably a better way.
on top, sequestration. As a result, our At the unit level, each of us can be in- The best Air Force-wide resource is
leaders navigate the Air Force through novative in the areas within our span Third, run innovative ideas past your the Airmen Powered by Innovation pro-
and around the turbulent air these chal- of control. A civil engineer squadron coworkers, supervisors or leaders, and gram. It enables ideas, vets and validates
lenges create. However, maintaining the might develop processes for leveraging benefit from their experience. They them through experts, leverages Air
best Air Force on the planet, through infrared-imaging technology to reduce can help refine and improve upon your Force Smart Operations for the 21st Cen-
these challenges, isn’t solely the job of the number or frequency of hands-on proposal. tury where needed, provides a process for
our leaders, nor is it a one-time thing. inspections, disassembly and reassem- implementation, and tracks the best ideas
We must continually innovate. bly they would have done in the past. Fourth, there are various ways to to completion. API, released in 2014 and
Maintenance squadrons are leverag- put innovation in place. An Air Force codified in AFI 38-402, “Manpower and
The Air Force is renowned for inno- ing technology for electronic technical Technical Order Form 22 can improve a Organization” seeks input from every
vation. There are historical markers at orders. Logistics readiness squadrons tech order or exceptions to manuals and Airman on how to make our Air Force
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, have streamlined supply and deployment instructions are possible. more effective or more efficient.
where the Wrights innovated flight con- processing. However, none of us should
trols. At the end of the last century, the settle on these things or ever think there Over the last few years, our wing The bottom line is that you are the key
Air Force developed technology that made are no more improvements to be made. successfully used a wing-developed Re- to innovation. Together, each one of us
aircraft virtually invisible to radar. Your quirements Assessment and Compliance has the knowledge to improve ourselves
Air Force developed and maintains global Effective innovation starts in the areas Tool and achieved nearly $500 million and our mission. We must figure out
precision navigation and timing that not you know and can control. For example, in cost savings and avoidance, mitigated how to do the mission with less people
only assures the accuracy of weapons all of us may have a good idea on how to more than 200 manpower billet cuts and and fewer dollars, yet maintain the best
and maintains the ability of networked shorten the wait at the pharmacy, but shortfalls, and advocated for and received Air Force on Earth. Each of us can play
computers to communicate, but has per- only those in the medical field under- more than $300 million in funding. The a part. The tools are available to help us
meated our daily lives. The Air Force has stand all that has to go into filling your program was highlighted as the best by get better. With your help, we will always
prescription in compliance with the law secretary of the Air Force, SecAF/Head- improve. Never stop innovating!
quarters Air Force organizations, Air
Force Space Command, 14th Air Force
An open letter to my peers — ‘The in-house recruiter’
By Tech. Sgt. Tarshishcia J.S. Aiken I’d just left work but desperately de- little funny because it wasn’t Halloween. Right then, a surge jolted through me
sired to catch a good, one-time sale. Al- What parent would allow their child as if I’d been on a roller coaster, and it
796th Test Support Squadron though I was tired after a long day, I was was at that moment when my Air Force
determined to go because it was the first to play dress-up randomly and further- pride shown brighter than it ever had be-
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Christmas I’d celebrate with my husband more do it out in public? fore. It was a surreal moment, and it took
N.M. — I’ll never forget the first time and son, and was I excited to do some us a bit to gather our emotions before we
my Air Force pride shot through the roof Christmas shopping as a first-time mom. I also noticed the little guy was tug- went into the store.
of my heart. ging aggressively at his father’s arm. It
It was late when and I left the office, was then that his father pointed toward It wasn’t the best judgment to wear the
It wasn’t upon graduating basic train- and I didn’t want to miss the store. So, us and said, “Go ahead.” The little boy uniform out in a public place, but that
ing; that was more of a weight lifted I asked my best friend to tag along and, took off at the speed of light running our night, it certainly was worth it.
relief. It wasn’t the first time I saw an against our better judgment, we went di- way, and when he reached us, he threw
F-22 Raptor take off, and it wasn’t when rectly to the toy store — uniform and all. his little hand up to the middle of his I’ll never forget the little boy and how
I, as a young Airman, stood tall saluting forehead to salute. enthused he was to salute me and my
during the sound of Retreat at my first When we got there and began walk- friend. He looked up to us and wanted
duty station. ing in, I noticed a little boy and his By this time in our careers, saluting had to be us.
father leaving. Having good “attention become habitual for us. So, right on cue,
No. The first time I experienced that to detail,” just as the Air Force teaches we honored him back with a crisp salute When I became an NCO, I saw that
level of passion to serve this country was us, I took note that the boy was wearing as if he were an officer. He gave a big grin little boy in every young man and
on a cold and chilly night outside of a toy a military costume. I thought it was a and ran back to his father. The dad smiled,
store in Newport News, Virginia. waved and said, “Thank you.” _________ See LETTER, on page 9
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