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Show 4 HILLTOP TIMES IMES Hri r April 5, 2012 quarters Air Force approval of AFMC's formal organizational change request. The Senate has already confirmed Lt. Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger as AFMC's next commander and Lt. Gen. C.D. Moore II as the commander of the new Life Cycle Management Center. Two other command positions are pending confirmation. Command officials emphasized stand-ups will only occur after congressional reporting is complete and the change request is approved. Command officials said the stand-ups are the beginning of restructure implementation and should not be confused with initial operational capability in October. Once new center frameworks are stood up, command officials will begin linking subordinate units to their respective centers, attaching more and more functions as they build toward initial operating capacity in October and eventual full operational capability in mid-2013. The restructure plan will cut overhead costs and redundant layers of staff. It is expected to generate Air Force savings of $109 million annually while improving AFMC's overall management and lines of communication, and standardizing many processes. Throughout the transition, command planners continue to be led by a very deliberate, focused governance process that includes weekly updates to an executive steering group. As AFMC moves toward implementation, it will use all personnel management options available to mitigate impacts on civilian employees. The command has already offered two rounds of the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority and Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment, or VERA/VSIP, program and will offer a third round where needed across the command. Also, command officials remain engaged with civilian employee unions to keep them updated on the restructure. CENTERS From page 1 Army Col. Christopher Mohan (center), Tooele Army Depot commander, examines a part during a tour of the landing gear area at Hill Air Force Base on March 28 as Steve Smith examines it closely and Robert Anderson observes at right. ALEX R. LLOYD U.S. Air Force TOUR From page 1 "It started with (Army) Col. James Kinkade and my predecessor from a grass-roots level, totally home-grown," said Mohan. He characterized the genesis of the partnership idea as if his predecessor said to herself, "Hey, I've got an idea: He's got problems supplying parts to the Air Force and we have excess capability." The effort was begun in March 2009 under the direction of Army Col. Yolanda Dennis-Loman and evolved from there. As the tour of the landing gear facility got under way, engineers and production experts huddled around crucial parts which had halted repairs. Questions flew fast regarding machined surfaces, and materials and processes involved in each item's individual manufacture. Two or three parts including a T-38 shoulder pin were of particular concern, as the visitors examined the surfaces, sizes and materials and asked questions about possible manufacturing processes for each item. Those questions included such queries as whether a part had been forged or produced through a casting process and if that was crucial to its strength. The 309th Maintenance Wing's dimensional laboratory was mentioned as a possible first article test site for parts produced at Tooele Army Depot. Obscure materials, reverse engineering and sharing of process capabilities brought nods of understanding as the implications of each process were explained. Wheel components in various states of assembly were on display awaiting their use after repair. Plating — nickel and cadmium processes — were explained as were other machineassisted washing and machining processes. Kinkade reported that he had previously taken his own leaders and Air Force Engineering Support Activity leaders to the Tooele Army Depot to assess its capabilities and processes. "In previous Army assignments, I had heard about the quality and attention to detail that Tooele artisans were known for," he said. "I was pleased to see that that reputation was well-founded. Few uses of repair parts are more sensitive than aircraft repair — but it is clear that the Tooele team is ready to produce quality parts to support their brothers and sisters in the Air Force." DLA Aviation at Ogden's purpose at Hill Air Force Base is to buy, store and distribute both consumable and repairable aviation parts and items for the Air Force's 309th Maintenance Wing. As its commander, Kinkade works closely with Maj. Gen. Andy Busch, Ogden Air Logistics Center commander. Breck Baker, 532nd Commodities Maintenance Squadron (landing gear squadron) director said, "All it takes is one part shortage out of a thousand to shut us down. That's why a partnership is a god-send as far as we're concerned." AFMC book commemorates command's 20th anniversary Advertising revenues pay for all costs in producing publication BY MONICA D. MORALES Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs W RIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio — Air Force Materiel Command officials have released the command's limited-edition anniversary book, highlighting AFMC's 20 years of providing expeditionary capabilities to the war-fighter. The release of this commemorative book, entitled "Air Force Materiel Command: 20 Years of Warfighter Support," comes during the command's anniversary year and just ahead of the anniversary date of July Air Force since advertising in the book covered production costs. MATERIEL COMMAND The book is available in its entirety online at http://www. defensemedianetwork.com/ publications/u-s-air-force-materiel-command-20-years-ofwarfighter-support/ AFMC personnel interested in obtaining a printed copy of the AFMC anniversary book can contact their local public affairs 20 YEARS OF office. WARFIGHTER Hill's own 75th Air Base Wing SUPPORT 1 992-2012 commander, Col. Sarah Zabel, is featured in the book. U.S. AIR FORCE 1 "Air Force Materiel Command has matured from a fledgling organization created by the integration of Air Force Logistics Command and Systems Command to become a preeminent provider of warfighting capability," said AFMC Commander Gen. Donald Hoffman. The anniversary book highlights not only the command's four core mission areas of science and technology, acquisition management, test and evaluation and sustainment but also features profiles of the Airmen executing these missions day to day. "From our laboratories and test ranges to our acquisition offices and depots, AFMC people have made a difference during the past two decades and will continue to do so in the years ahead," said Hoffman. The book also features interviews with former AFMC commanders, a historical look at the command's development and little-known facts about AFMC bases. This 144-page commemorative edition is printed in full color on high-quality paper stock. The AFMC 20th anniversary book was published and printed by Faircount LLC of Tampa, Fla., in conjunction with content provided through the AFMC Headquarters and installation public affairs and history offices. It was printed at no cost to the of the Air Force Donley's approval, intense planning and hard work ensued, but much more work still lies ahead. "The restructure will bring us closer to the organization envisioned in 1992 when Air Force leaders merged the former Air Force Logistics Command and Air Force Systems Command to form AFMC," the general said. The intent of the merger was to create a single command to manage the entire life cycle of Air Force aircraft and other systems. Extensive planning has gone on for several months and command officials are nearing the point where congressional reporting requirements will be complete and they will transition from planning to the early stages of implementation of the five-center structure in order to achieve initial operational capability Oct. 1. Plans call for the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at WrightPatterson, the Air Force Sustainment Center at Tinker AFB, Okla., and the Air Force Test Center at Edwards AFB, Calif., to be activated this summer. The other two centers that comprise the new structure, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland AFB, N.M., and Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson, will remain essentially as they are today. Soon after the activations, AFMC's current centers at Wright-Patterson, Hanscom, Eglin, Robins, Tinker, Hill, Edwards, Arnold and Scott AFBs will be inactivated or redesignated, and their subordinate units will be attached to the new centers. In some cases, organizational names will change. However, the standup of the new centers will hinge on three important milestones: Senate confirmation of key leadership positions, the delivery of two congressionally mandated reports on the restructure, and Head41W F;1- ilk EN Mon. - Fri. 7:00 am - 6:00 pm Open Saturdays gh-x-c2SPOE Most Insurance Plans Accepted. Payment Plans, Credit Cards, Military Dental Plans. EMERGENCIES WELCOME! www.laytonpediatricdentistry.com Presenting a Forum to Provide Insight to HILL AIR FORCE BASE GOODS AND SERVICE REQUIREMENTS Sponsored by Industrial Associates of the Utah Air Force Association APRIL 25-26, 2012 Ogden Eccles Conference Center 2415 Washington Blvd. Ogden, UT 84401 $225 Non-IA member Early Registration ends 4/15 Cost: $250 Non-IA member - $175 IA Member For additional information including registration, please visit: www.afautah.org/associates.html |