OCR Text |
Show Hilltop Times July 21, 1994 B-yD Continued from page - 1 "We've been secure here at Hill in the past, notwithstanding the RIFs and early outs we've had in the last couple of years. We haven't had to deal with a lot of things upsetting the applecart," he said. "Now, we have to deal with almost daily changes throughout the Department of Defense, and those changes are affecting us. We have to be ready for quick responses and ready to accept change and move on," he said. "We like to stick with the status quo and we haven't been as quick in rebounding as I would like us to be." Over the last few years Hill's trends have always been up in comparison with the other ALCs. Hill had the highest profits of any of the ALCs and the lowest defect rate on aircraft of any of the centers "and now, that's not the case any more," Lyles said. As an example, the general said he has just received news from Headquarters AFMC that the has gone down. "I was surquality rate on prised! In the past we've had good quality rates and now we're showing major defects on I don't care what the reason, we can't stand rates like that," he said. "What we have to keep in mind is that the people who are going to be evaluating us will only be looking at the bottom line and that's an indicator that we have to turn around by doing whatever is necessary to make it happen," Lyles said. "Indicators like that are scary because it's our high quality work that will keep us safe from the BRAC process." 8 gram." Lyles said he believed that Hill will ultimately make a profit on the Navy program, but not without changing some of its business practices. president. The secretary of defense must deliver his base closure and realignment recommendations to the BRAC '95 commission by March 1, 1995. From that point on, the process is open to the public. O The BRAC commissioners will review the Department of Defense recommendations and have the authority to approve, add to, or reject DOD recommendations. h pub- The commission will engage in a and lie process of base visits, data reviews analyses and regional hearings. O By June 1, 1995, the commissioners will have exercised their authority to add to the list of possible closures and realignments. These bases may be added for comparison with bases targeted for closure or realignment by DOD. four-mont- Other possible new workloads have been The Air Force and the Navy looking for ways to use interservicing to optimize budgets, Lyles said. "We stand pretty good in some areas because of our landing gear, munitions and overhaul activities. The Navy has already said as far as landing gears are concerned, they would be willing to which just hapgive it to the best place in DOD here." be to pens Lyles said the Navy wanted to hang on to as much aircraft depot work as they could and that factor might work against Hill because not all the FA-1- 8 work will be sent here. He is also still intent on developing a strategy that will make Hill the premier fighter repair depot. Also, any consolidation of workloads will take place only after the BRAC '95 decisions since the work will have to be done by another facility, the general said. , in-hou- se 66 C-13- 0s C-13- ter processes to reduce costs on the program. At the moment, we're experiencing a loss on the FA-1- pro- missioners by Jan. 3, 1995. Of the eight commissioners, two are recommended by the Senate majority leader, one by the minority leader, two by the House speaker, one by the minority leader and two by the Quality Air Force We're going to put renewed emphasis on quality in the workforce and quality in the products and quality in the way we manage and it's going to start at the top. Lyles said many employees think the quality approach is no longer valid at HilL "Wrong. We're going to put renewed emphasis on quality in the workforce and quality in the products and quality in the way we manage and it's going to start at the top," he said. "The biggest problem we have is that at the top there is strong support for quality and at the bottom, you can see it in the things the workforce is area is a place doing, but the where we somehow have a problem in getting support for our quality initiatives and that's where we're going to have to focus our attention. "Authoritarian styles of management are the easiest to implement, but the most dangerous to the survival of any organization," Lyles said. "Let's face it, this center's future is at stake and we have to be positive in everything we're doing from sharing of leadership to listening to the workforce to tell us what the solutions are instead of dictating what the solutions are." 9.9 Rumors Rumors can be detrimental to emploj'ee morale, the general said. One rumor that has widespread acdecision ceptance is that there has been a high-levto offer up for closure Hill, McClellan and maybe even another. Lyles said, "That is absolutely not true! The base closure process is still valid and nobody is going to offer up any facility until the base closure team looks at the numbers and the numbers are what determine selection for closure. The indicators I talked about before have to stay positive and I've got to get everybody to understand that the numbers are key.plajrers." middle-manageme- Maj. Gen. Lester L. Lyles ALC Commander, Ogden el Outlook for 1995 Lyles said that between now and 2001, Air Force Materiel Command will be required to reduce in size by an additional 28,000 people. He is uncertain what Hill's allocation will be, but feels that we are taking a smart approach by looking at the required reductions through 1996 and then anything beyond 1996 is going to be influenced by the BRAC process and the command. what happens with "Our focus is on reductions we have to take between now and the end of 95," he said. "The current RIF does not get us down to where we need to be at the end of '95. The current RIF with perhaps another early out could get us down, but we don't know what the early out results are going to be. "Since it's illegal to have two reduction actions going simultaneously, we can't even start any further actions until the current RIF process is complete," he said. "But the minute it's completed, there will be another offer of an early out." g" BRAC Commission The 1995 Base Realignment Commission membership will not be determined until late 1994, Lyles said. 'There's no chairman, and technically, there's no commission. All that won't be finalized before early 1995." The BRAC Commission process is as follows: B The president will nominate eight BRAC com B In order for the commission to remove a base from the secretary's list, it must make a finding that DOD deviated from one or more of the eight BRAC selection criteria In the 1993 round, only six bases were removed from the original DOD closure and realignment list. D BRAC is required to make its final base closure and realignment recommendations to the president by July 1, 1995. D The president then has 15 days to either approve the list or return it to the commission for further deliberation. If the president approves the list, as was the case in BRAC 1991 and 1993, Congress s must either disapprove the entire list by a majority in both houses within 45 legislative days or it automatically becomes law. Congress may not add or subtract individual bases from the list. Published by M or Media, Inc, a private firm in too way connected with the U.S. Air Force, coder exclusive writ-te-a contract with IL2 AFB. This comnxrcUl enterprise Air Force newspaper is aa authorized publication for members of the VS. m2itrj services. Contents of the HiZiop Tim are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the VS. government, the Department of Defense or the Department of the Air Force. Future outlook Lyles said because the BRAC process is now so at Hill cannot let things like rumors and RIFs deter them from doing the quality work they have always done the excellence of our work and the productivity of our workforce cannot be allowed to go downhill. "It's a death spiral, a prophecy. If we start letting indicators go down because of rumors and RIFs, that's automatically going to be a signal to DOD and BRAC to offer this base up to be closed. FA-- 1 8 program "We can have the results of the BRAC process be As a contractor to the Navy, the center is refur- very, very positive for Hill Air Force Base and for bishing 36 FA-1- 8 aircraft. The general said, "In all the Ogden Air Logistics Center by doing the high honesty, the learning curve on the program has quality, productive work we've done in the past. If taken longer than any of us predicted and we are we can maintain these things by pushing the trends not doing as well on cost controls as we expected. upward, we've determined our own future," Lyles "We're doing great on the aircraft as far as quality said. is concerned. Navy personnel who have accepted the Lyles said if he were to offer words of wisdom to aircraft say it's the best they've ever seen," Lyles Hill employees, they would be, "Don't just focus on said. "Superb, they said." your individual job, look at the rich heritage of this handle cost to overruns is take to the center that we've had for many years. If we allow Lyles' plan workers. "I'm to the take the to problem going story negative thoughts to carry over from individual to to the FA-1- 8 people from the mechanics on the individual, we're down the tubes," he said. "But, on line all the way up to the first-- , second- - and third-lin- e the other hand, I know we have the capability to to let them know they have to come out of the situation with a growth opportunity supervisors help us solve the problem," he said. "They have to if we're positive and if we think ahead to the future come up with the innovative ways to reduce costs of this center as a whole. to the program or we're going to have to reduce the "Yes, some individual jobs will be lost, but I think number of people we have assigned to the program. we can make it through that if we continue in a posi"It's up to them to come up with smarter and bet tive vein." close, everyone two-third- "Air Force people building the world's most respected Air and Space Force Hilltop Times nt self-fulfilli- Global Power and Reach for America. " The appearance of advertisements in this publication, inrhiriing inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Department of the Air Force or MorMedia, Inc. of the products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be oade available for purchase, nse or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by the Ogden Air Logistics Center Public Affairs Office staff, Bidg. 1102. Room 118. Ext. 77321. Unless otherwise indicated, all photos are U.S. Air Force photos. TO PLACE AN ADVERTISEMENT, CALL 394-965- 5 (OGDEN) or 532-777- ng Hill AFB Editorial Ma. Gen. letter L. Staff: lyles ......Commander, If. Col. Frank J. Urben Frances Kotakowtky Jay Joertx, Valerie Chavez.... OO-AL- C Director, Public Affairs Editor ............Staff writers DmhUImii tditorial aid "Around the Hit!" Hwnt, 3 p.m. Tvocdoy, nine days bfor publication) iporti artklrt, 9 a.m. Monday, wok of publication; ctawifioa' eat, 2 p.m. Tvotdoy, wmV of publication. For more Information, caH the editor, Int. 4 (SALT LAKE CITY). |