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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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