Page 2 - Desert Lightning News, Nellis-Creech AFB Edition, October 29, 2021

2 October 29, 2021 Commentary Desert lightning news s. nevaDa Desert lightning news s. nevaDa news October 29, 2021 3
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21st Century Leadership: Innovation & Embracing Change Nellis doing its part in greening

by Lt. Col. Ken Sterling centralized control and de-centralized execution. In
Ramstein AB, Germany other words, we reward Airmen taking smart risks,
empower them with the means to succeed, and of- the desert through solar energy
Over the past year and a half the world has faced a fer them the freedom of action necessary to execute
global pandemic, stock market collapse followed by its their concepts.
meteoric rise, global political changes, and rampant Finally, we must recognize that these efforts help
social unrest. the long-term talent management goals of the Air
During this time frame and despite the global up- Force. Every Airmen who takes off the uniform by Michael Hasenauer coffeemakers, desktop printers, etc.).
heavals, the U.S. military’s core missions did not change. early must be replaced at a significant cost in terms Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. • Collect your utility bills. Separate
The war against terror has continued, great power of time, diminished mission readiness, and available electricity and fuel bills. Target the larg-
In 2020, the Nellis Solar Array 1 pro-
competition is ongoing, and grey zone challenges con- resources. Creating, promoting, and sustaining an vided enough electricity to power more est energy consumer or the largest bill
for energy conservation measures.
tinue to increase. Amidst this backdrop, the role of a innovative organization will result in higher reten- than 2,350 households in 2020, according • During winter, open curtains on
commander, or a senior leader, has remained steady. tion and enhanced mission readiness. to Jeffery Blazi, Nellis’ Utilities and Energy south-facing windows during the day
They must fulfill the mission, build their people, and The willingness to embrace change is just as im- manager. to allow sunlight to naturally heat your
be prepared for the next fight. portant as innovating. Traditionally, the U.S. mili- Additionally, NSA 1 saves Nellis Air home, and close them at night to reduce
Less than 10 years ago these tasks would have been tary has been relatively conservative with regards to
impossible in a world defined by a global pandemic. change. The U.S. Army did not want to give up its Force Base, Nev., $1 million in electricity the chill you may feel from cold windows.
annually and reduces its yearly green-
• ENERGY STAR labeled products
How could you complete the mission when up to 50 horses for vehicles (the last cavalry charge on horse- house gas emissions by 24,000 tons. NSA can cut your energy bills by up to 30%.
percent or more of the work force is teleworking? How back took place in 1942), the tank in its relatively 1 was built in 2007 and covers 140 acres, • Schedule an energy audit (ask your
do you continue professional education, mentorship, modern form was introduced in World War I but which includes a previous landfill of 33 utility company or state energy office)
and leader development with only half of your people? not widely adopted until World War II, the battleship acres and provides 14.2 megawatts of for more expert advice on your home
Finally, how do I prepare for the future fight when we was proven vulnerable and ineffective by General power. as a whole.
couldn’t even administer a physical training test? Billy Mitchell in 1923 but were still considered the NSA 2 occupies 102 acres. According • Replace aging, inefficient appliances.
The answer to these questions is two-fold: innovate primary striking force of the Pacific Fleet on Dec. 7,
and embrace change. This new reality created the per- 1941, and the Army Air Corps arguments in favor to Blazi, when it was constructed in 2015, Even if the appliance has a few useful
the Air Force received a new backup
years left, replacing it with a top-efficien-
fect opportunity for leaders to identify their innova- of strategic bombardment took decades to produce substation and electrical feeder valued cy model is generally a good investment.
tors and demonstrate their ability to not only tolerate meaningful changes. at $10 Million in return for the lease on • Reduce your air conditioning costs
change, but to thrive in a culture of embracing change. Fortunately, the current climate concerning the land. Currently NSA 2 provides 18.8 by planting shade trees and shrubs
Understanding what embracing innovation looks change is evolving and a greater willingness to
around the house-especially on the
Air Force photograph by Michael Hasenauer
like requires a few examples. Fortunately, the corporate embrace change is emerging. In the past years, MW of solar power, avoiding 17,700 tons Nellis Solar Array 2 collects energy at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.,, Oct. 19, 2021. There are west side.
of carbon dioxide annually.
world has gone to great lengths to embrace this con- we’ve witnessed the establishment of Space Force, “If you combine NSA 1 and NSA2, two solar arrays on Nellis AFB. NSA 2 is located on 102 acres and converts solar power into • To save gas, drive the speed limit,
cept, as it often provides key competitive advantages the introduction of Multi-Capable Airmen, and the then Nellis has arguably the largest solar 18.8 megawatts of electricity annually, avoiding 17,700 tons of carbon dioxide. accelerate and decelerate slower, remove
for companies who inculcate innovation at every level. development of the AOC-centric Multi-Domain array in the Air Force,” Blazi said. “Eglin, excess/unneeded weight, reduce un-
For the past 15 years the Boston Consulting Group Warfare Officer career path. All these developments
has conducted and published a global innovation survey point towards a greater willingness to move away Vandenberg, Elmendorf, Osan, Ramstein, enough electricity to provide power to energy for our combat capability and necessary idling and miles traveled, and
Davis-Monthan, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-
of business executives. While the individual companies from the military’s history of avoiding change and Lakehurst and Luke also have large solar around 900 single family homes.” readiness, and the strategic importance make sure tires are aired up.
• Save energy and save money on
identified as the most innovative have changed over a “sticking to what’s worked in the past” mindset. arrays.” At night and when the sun is not shin- of mitigating and adapting to climate
ing, the base receives electricity from the change through energy-informed solu-
the years, the underlying strategies which supported Courtesy graphic Over the past 18 months, we’ve found ways to get Powering the base during the day is Nevada Energy grid. monthly bills. Check with the local elec-
innovation were remarkably stable and consisted of five squadron the specifics of what “the mission” are differ, the mission done with many of our Airmen working not the end for the electricity generated tions.” tric, gas and water companies for savings
interrelated factors. but the resource constraints remain largely the same from home. The Department of Defense has em- by the solar fields. According to the Air Force’s Environ- In recognition of Energy Awareness incentives. Some local companies offer
The factors were remarkably simple, though often and there’s simply never enough time, money, or per- braced telework and developed collaboration tools, ment, Safety and Infrastructure office, Month, here are some ways to help save rebates for installing energy saving
“Around 19 percent of the solar that we “Every October, the Department of the energy and the environment:
challenging in execution. The first factor is a clearly sonnel to get the mission done, especially if we continue information sharing systems, and virtual offices. The generate goes off-grid to supply the local Air Force recognizes Energy Awareness equipment, as well as hand out wireless
• Unplug equipment that drains energy thermostats and other things that can
established understanding of why behind innovation to use the models designed 10, 15, or 30 years ago. As work is getting done while offering service members community,” Blazi mentioned. “That is Month to highlight the critical role of when not in use (i.e. cell phone chargers, help save on energy.
and its purpose within a given organization. The sec- adaptive airmen, we can innovate almost everywhere, the ability to take care of their families and find a new
ond factor is a clearly defined sector, market, or niche but is that the best use of critical resources? Identifying normal. As a military we’ve leveraged technology to
where energy is spent innovating. These two factors lead where and how to innovate requires strategic thought, find new touch points, embraced new ways of doing f-15EX, from Page 1 ___________ the aircraft, the two-week event also pilots, and we think that the airplane “We’ve been doing developmental
naturally into the third and fourth factors, which focus a solid plan, good communication, and Airmen will- business, and managed to continue both personal involves testing the aircraft’s Eagle works as well as it should, but behind tests for the last several months lead-
on knowing what actions to reward and empowering ing to roll up their sleeves. Harnessing the creativity and professional development. These adaptations Maj. Kevin Hand, an F-15EX ex- Passive Active Warning Survivability the scenes, we dig into some of the ing up to this event, which is more
teams to move forward with innovation, by giving them and energy of our young Airmen is where leaders find didn’t start at the Pentagon and work their way perimental and operational test pilot System. instrumentation, and it wasn’t exactly operational focus,” he said. “We’ll be
the authority and support to manage projects programs efficiencies and accomplish the mission. down. They started in the halls of our squadrons with the Air National Guard-Air Force “The EPAWSS system is the next- what we remembered,” he said. “Every transitioning back into developmental
from start to finish. The last factor is the measure of Enabling innovation is only the first step in capital- and worked their way up. Reserve Test Center, is among a hand- gen advanced electronic attack, as well so often, we need the instrumentation tests for the remainder of this year and

how well the first four factors have been implemented. izing on the talents of our people. The next steps are Fortunately, embracing change leads to innova- ful of pilots who will fly multiple day as electronic protection system that folks to help us out with what was re- going into next year, as we continue
Is innovation a retention magnet for our talent? enabling and recognizing their efforts. Fortunately tion and a culture of innovation leads to a willingness and night missions with defensive and the EX and Strike Eagles are currently ally going on. to test the additional capability of the
The 86th Airlift Wing innovates because doing so some foundational beliefs help make these steps a bit to embrace change. It is imperative we capitalize on offensive counter air while at Nellis. testing and developing, and hopefully “The Nellis range complex offers platform, to include the additional
maintains our ability to accomplish the mission despite easier. As an organization we place a premium on these trends now and seek to sustain them as we “The big thing we’re trying to take fielding in the relatively near future,” that ability to be able to not only do an weapon stations and additional Op-
a deficit of time, money, and personnel. Within each excellence in all we do, and a core belief of airpower, is move forward into a post-pandemic future. away is really showing the differences said Hand. “That’s going to give us the instant feedback of how the airplanes erational Flight Program upgrades.”
between the EX and the C model,” ability to go into these more advanced performed, but also pull back the data Following that, Juhl anticipates the
said Hand. threats or aerial denial kind of situa- to be able to analyze it in very close F-15EX will eventually participate in
“A big improvement the EX has is tions where we can now self-protect detail, to make sure that that’s what exercises like Red Flag-Nellis.
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published by Aerotech News and Review, a private Review of the products or services advertised. of a person to contact must be included in the event that it’s a digital flight control system. and self-jam our way through.” was happening, or even better, to be “The more situations that we can
firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force. Everything advertised in the publication shall be questions arise. So it’s a fly-by-wire aircraft, versus Juhl said Nellis is the best place to do able to find the problems that we had put this airplane in the better infor-
Contents of Desert Lightning News, So. Nevada edition made available for purchase and use of patronage All material is edited for accuracy, brevity, clarity the traditional C model, which is a the operational testing because it offers and use that data to find the fixes and mation we learn. That integration
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Paul Kinison, Publisher, Aerotech News and Review by, Aerotech News and Review, the U.S. government, origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political military ranks and proper writing etiquette. standard hydro mechanical aircraft the best air-to-air and surface-to-air then implement them as quickly as is probably the key thing in the Air
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Sandy Bueltel, Advertising Sales Air Force. purchaser, user or patron. If you notice an error in fact, contact the Desert Following the tests at Nellis, Myers ent kinds of fighters to work together,
The appearance of advertising in this publication, The deadline for submissions to Desert Lightning News staff at 334-718-3509, or e-mail airplane,” he said. to know whether the systems worked. said the planes will return to Eglin for to be a more formidable force,” said
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