Cultures converge: MSG, MXG commanders attend symposium at Dover AFB

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Nicole Langley
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Mission support and maintenance group commanders from across Air Mobility Command visited Dover Air Force Base this week for the AMC Logistics Lean Symposium.

Approximately 35 people including group commanders, industry leaders and AMC staff attended the three-day event, which included briefings, panel discussions from industry and DoD experts, break-out sessions to address concerns and develop techniques, as well as tours of the 436th Maintenance and Aerial Port Squadron facilities.

"Our purpose has been to gather together both our mission support and our maintenance group commanders or their deputies, to talk a little bit about how to move forward in ensuring that we provide the level of agile combat support that we need in the future, despite the dramatic reductions that we'll see in resources - in manpower, in dollars, and in time available to accomplish the mission," said Brig. Gen. Robert McMahon, AMC director of logistics.

The symposium provided leaders from across the command an opportunity to see the positive aspects of leaning processes, and why it's important Air Force-wide.

"We gathered together the leadership, the agile combat support leadership within AMC, because we recognize we simply can't ask our Airmen to work harder - they're already working as hard as they possibly can, explained General McMahon. "What we have to do is create an environment that allows them to work smarter so that we can accomplish the same tremendous effects that we do today, in a much more efficient way."

A primary emphasis throughout the symposium was that the importance of Lean and Lean initiatives can apply across AMC and across the Air Force, and that it takes courage and leadership to change the culture.

"I will go back personally and try to re-energize our efforts within the A7 (focal point for mission support group) community on implementing lean initiatives as we look for opportunities within the A7 (installations and mission support) community," said John Bonapart, AMC deputy director of installations and mission support, near the end of the symposium.

Dover AFB was selected to host the symposium because, according to Lt. Col. Leif Johnson, 436th Maintenance Group deputy commander, the leadership team at Dover has embraced Lean concepts and the base has made significant strides on the Lean journey.
General McMahon agreed that Dover is the furthest down the road - at least within AMC - in implementing Lean, and probably has the largest number of functioning areas that have been through Lean processes.

By coming to Dover, we were actually able to show the leadership what we were talking about, rather than simply discussing it, explained the general. They could see it, feel it and experience it as we walked around Dover AFB.

"I think Dover also has the right leadership," said Brenda Romine, AMC deputy director of logistics. "It's evident that the leadership here is involved, and when you go through the shops, it's very clear that the folks (working in the shops) are looking towards how every event they do supports our breakthrough objectives in AMC."

The symposium not only provided attendees with good ideas and information, but also inspired some.

"It was good to see the realm of the possible," said Col. Robert Egbert, 92nd MXG commander at Fairchild AFB, Wash., and former 436th MXG deputy commander. "To see the progress (at Dover AFB) was awe-inspiring!"

While Lean principles and the goals of Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century are often considered to be directed only at maintenance groups, mission support group commanders got an up close and personal opportunity this week to see how both groups must partner together to lean and improve processes in order to accomplish AMC's mission.

"It's interesting to gain insight into the cultures of different groups," said Col. Steve Shea, 60th MSG commander at Travis AFB, Calif. "It's good to see what's going on throughout the command.

With a charge from the general to carry forward into the future what they learned throughout the week, the attendees departed Dover Wednesday and headed back to their respective bases, to begin implementation of practices that will ensure Airmen in AMC work smarter, not harder.