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Show ti f) 3 Llhop Times May 9, 2C02 Commentary AFMC has pivotal role in Air Force course corrections at each stage to improve the final product This will enable us to deliver 21st century weapons to counter our 21st century threats. We cannot achieve this independently! Everything we do, in the science and technology, sustainment and acquisition arenas, we do for the warfighter but we cannot do any of it without the warfighter. Spiral development also means spiral requirements. The warfighter must work with us to ensure we understand and interpret requirements appropriately. We must share information on science and technology and which applications are feasible. We must also play in the development of Air Force doctrine and in wargaming. Success will take a collaborative team effort between equal partners. We are warriors supporting warriors! Tu help guide us through this transformation, I have chartered a team that will formally stand up in May. It will be staffed with some of our best and brightest. They will have free rein to "think out of the box" and to develop ideas to improve the way we do business. We may not be able to implement all ideas, but well certainly gain a new perspective. In the interim, a working group and a transition team drawn from my headquarters staff have spent months laying the groundwork for our transformation. An equally important part of our transformation is to make life better for AFMC members. While there will be some organizational changes and many process changes ahead, I don't expect any of them to result in a loss of jobs. Transformation isn't a downsizing drill! It's a way of thinking and reacting in new ways. It's a means to inject radical improvements in the way we do business. It's about freeing talented people to use innovation and good ideas every day in working their programs. What I expect is that AFMC employees will be able to perform their duties in a more challenging, stimulating environment. I want to make sure that we are giving people the tools and opportunities to be more successful in the future, professionally and personally. We will provide more opportunities for education and training. We will seek to relieve some of the burdens we have imposed upon people in terms of regulations and restrictions. Our transformed processes should mean fewer obstacles as individuals execute their mis- by Gen. Lester L Lyles ''Commander, Air Force Material Command is said that the one constant in life is change. Organizations and people either adapt to changing environments and move forward, they become inef fective. We are par t of the most potent combat force history has known. But, history has also shown us that no country may rest on its laurels. The United States faces a world that has changed dramatically in recent years. There are new global threats to our national security. Many of these threats come from people and organizations outside formal states willing to use weapons of terror to achieve their ends. Technology has increased the flow of information and access to destructive weapons. The pace of change is staggering. If there was any doubt the world has changed, that reality hit home during last September's terrorist attacks. The Department of Defense is meeting these new challenges with an ambitious effort to transform its organizations and processes. This transformation will ensure America's military forces continue It '4 to effectively secure our nation. Despite an unprecedented war against terrorism on two fronts, DoD is committed to this effort If we don't rapidly transform, our leaders have warned that we risk losing the next war. This is an imperative none of us can afford to ignore! Our Air Force is joined in the military's effort to transform. We seek to create for ourselves a significantly greater or asymmetric advantage over potential adversaries. Achieving this will take new operational concepts and advances in technology. It will also require changes in our organizational structure and business practices. All of these efforts are under way, in every Air Force command including our own. ' My vision for Air Force Materiel Command is to be the Air Force's first choice for solutions. We must be recognized as "world class" in all our operations. We must be innovative and proactive, effective and efficient. We must be consistently responsive to warfighter heeds. Using an integrated approach, we will seek quick results from while transformsome leading programs called "pathfinders" ing overall processes that will benefit all of us long-terAFMC's role in the overall Air Force transformation is absolutely pivotal. Through our mission of providing warfighting capabilities, our command integrates the Air Force's operational and business transformations. There is no way the Air Force can successfully transform without considering the technology, acquisition and sustainment support that we provide. This command is no stranger to transformation. Over the years, our goal of providing the warfighter with combat capability has remained constant However, our organizations, our processes and our technologies have frequently changed. Today's transformation :is a steep new path on our journey, one on which we are already embarked. The pace will be rapid and the changes radical. Expect the effects to be : Working closely with Air Force leadership, we are transforming our acquisition and sustainment practices to meet today's demand- " sions. My vision for Air Force Materiel Command is to be the Air Force's first choice for solutions. We must be recognized as 'world class' in all our operations. g. ; ing environment This will take increasingly agile acquisition processes. It will mean closer alignment of developmental and operational testing. It will also require making our depots as efficient as the best depot maintenance repair organizations in the commercial sector. "' One AFMC initiative embraced by Air Force leadership and warfight-- f rs alike is enterprise management. This puts a single person in charge of a system of systems, leading to better development decisions and making it easier for customers to get solutions from a single point of contact Enterprise management shatters information stovepipes. It dovetails perfectly with agile acquisition and other Gen. Lester L. Lyles e tern or capability cycle time by three quarters. That reduction won't be easy to achieve. It will take major increases in productivity and decreases in workload. We may need to divest ourfour-to-on- selves of some programs. Other prerequisites, such as the need for more stability in funding, may require support all the way to Congress. The key to a more responsive acquisition system is adopting a process of spiral development This incremental approach to developing weapons systems produces improvements in stages. Besides delivering capability to the warfighter more rapidly, it allows for low-payo- ff transformation efforts. ' We have been challenged to cut cycle acquisition time the period it takes to go from identifying the requirements to fielding a sys-- t Hill transformation I am very proud of the work each of you does on a daily basis! Together, you power the Air Force by providing combat capability. Like your predecessors, you have created and sustained the tools for warfighter success in recent conflicts as well as today's Operations Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle. I hear how much you are appreciated constantly from the people you support. But, now is not the time to rest on our laurels. Each of us must evolve with the global environment to meet the demands of future conflicts. We must make the cultural changes required to be successful. We must continue to deliver tomorrow's technologies in today's weapon systems, faster, cheaper and better. What I do ultimately matters less than what each of you do. I expect you to tell your leaders and me what is needed to improve every facet of our operations. This transformation encompasses every aspect of our mission, from science and technology, through acquisition and test, to sustainment. It will also impact our enabling support processes. Let us know how we can help you better accomplish your jobs. We cannot transform without you! Ours is an organization with a long history of successful adaptation to change, and I am confident that AFMC's people are up to the challenge! The threat is real. The imperative is urgent. While many questions remain, our course is charted. Today's ambitious effort to transform will yield new improvements to the combat capability that America's warfighters rely on. I am excited about the opportunities ahead, and I urge each of you to share that enthusiasm or at least to keep an open mind. Our Air Force and our nation depend upon it! Street views 'What makes a good government employee?' a iiwiiniiimiiimii 5j? . '4 i ? i 'if I ' I I ( 1 I III - "si . a - jt i i u if 1 . 1 Process engineering production specialist, Engineering Division Commodities Directorate Nicole Lovern Program Manager, Power Systems Division Commodities Directorate what makes a good government employee is not unlike being a good employee at any company. The key is "I think "I think that you have to have a lot of patience and perseverance. Take things as they come." being willing to work with your team, being responsible for your decisions and to take pride in what you do. In the government part, there is satisfaction in contributing to national defense, goals and mission." Hilltop Times Published by MorMcdia. Inc., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Ait Force, under exclusive written contract with Hill AFB. This commercial enter-upris- e Air Force newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the U.S. mil 3r cop !'Vvrii!'' Lai ri i r r- Rick Lessey "Air Force people building the world's most respected Air and Space Force Quality Systems for America 's Air Force :f AiirftnnrTrrri Eloise Noble Larry Richardson Industrial speInventory management Manpower analyst Program production mancialist, Power Systems Divi- Control Division ager, Hydraulic Administrative sion Commodities Directorate Support Commodities Directorate Commodities Directorate "I believe you have to have a "I believe someone who is They have to be dedicated good attitude and be optimistic. and adaptable to change, because If you enjoy what you are doing willing to work for fair wages we are constantly changing. and who you are working with, and good benefits that has Be a team player and loyal." I think that helps." integrity. They are willing to go through the rules and regulations of the government and accomplish their job with pride." m Howard Crane J V I Jorgensen Quality assurance specialist, Landing Gear Division Commodities Directorate "I think the person needs to have pride in our nation. Having that, they would want to turn out a good quality product to our people out in the field." Global Power and Reach for America.'' itary services. Contents of the Hilltop Times are not necessarily the official views of. or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the Department of the Air Force. The appearance of advertisements in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Department of the Air Force or MorMedia, Inc., of the products or services advertised. 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